Update: I've been in regular talks with the city planning division in Riverside regarding the process to amend the zoning laws. I still can't say they sound extremely supportive, but I believe that it will be hard for them to argue with the fact that so many municipalities around Riverside, or municipalities that are similar to Riverside, have changed their laws or have much less restrictive laws. See Santa Ana, Irvine, Fullerton, Redlands, Ventura, Los Angeles, the list goes on and on.
At this point the city planning division says that I need to submit a formal application for a zone text amendment, which will cost about $4,700 (includes an environmental study), which is non-refundable even if the amendment does not pass the city council. On top of that, the city has initially claimed that there is an additional $2,500 environmental fee due to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). I believe that the amendment is exempt from CEQA, as has been the case in nearly every other municipality in California that have changed their chicken zoning laws. So i think we're looking at $4,700 at this point. Have others heard of fees like this being required for a code amendment?
I'm not dissuaded by the fee, as I think that money could be raised. But I have also asked the city if we can look in to using sustainable living grant money, which other California municipalities have used to cover the cost of the code change.
I've started a Facebook page to start garnering support: "Riverside for Backyard Chickens." I hope to utilize several of the green and sustainable living groups in Riverside to jump start the initiative. If you're in the Riverside area, I could use the support. Check us out on Facebook. I hope to start adding pictures tonight to boost the pages appearance and include literature on backyard chickens.