“The Cheech” is a major economic force of Riverside, study finds

Actor-comedian Cheech Marin apparently had the right idea when he donated his collection of Chicano art to the Riverside Art Museum.

Since it opened two years ago, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture has generated an estimated $29 million into the local economy, enough to make it a major player in Riverside’s economy, according to a statement on the city’s website.

“The Cheech” attracted 227,932 visitors from June 2022 to June 2024, with 90 percent of those coming from outside Riverside. It pumped $2.2 million worth of business into restaurants, $1.5 million into retail stores and a little more than half a million dollars into local hotels.

The facility in the former Main Library at 3581 Mission Ave., “has made significant contributions to local employment and tax revenue,” according to a study done by Boules Consulting in Costa Mesa, which based its findings on attendance, economic metrics and operation records.

“This spending pattern underscores The Cheech’s significant role as a cultural tourism driver, with non-local visitors consistently accounting for the majority of expenditures across all categories,” the study states. “The high proportion of nonlocal spending suggests that The Cheech is successfully attracting visitors from outside Riverside, contributing substantially to the local economy through tourism-related revenue.”