2014 State of the City Address

Mayor's Introduction

Dr. Mayo, thank you for the kind introduction. I appreciate the Chamber’s partnership with the City to build businesses and promote our wonderful community. I am honored to be here today to present the State of the City.

I want to begin by acknowledging my fellow Council Members. You work hard for the good of this community. You work with professionalism and heart. And you work with a sense of humor and humility. We may not all always agree on everything, but we do agree on one thing…Moreno Valley is a great city with a bright future. And I know we are moving in the right direction! Mayor Pro Tem Baca, Council Member Stewart, Council Member Price, would you please stand to be recognized for your tireless efforts on behalf of our City?

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize my wonderful wife, Lidia, who has been my partner in life for more than 40 years. She has always been my biggest supporter, and has sacrificed much to enable my service to our community. And today I’d like to thank you, Lidia, on behalf of the City, for all that you do each day to make Moreno Valley a strong community.

As I look around the room, I recognize that it is filled with community stakeholders who are fully invested in Moreno Valley’s success. I deeply appreciate your involvement in our community.

This year marks our City’s 30th anniversary, and provides a wonderful opportunity to look back on all that has been accomplished…by and for our community. At this point in the program, we’d like to present a video that highlights some of the changes since 1984, and what’s been done over the past year to keep Moreno Valley moving forward.

Roll the video please!

• For a printable copy of the introduction click here.

Video Script

• To read a printable version of the video script click here.

State of the City Address

Jesse L. Molina
Mayor District 1

There is so much going on at the City and in the Community…and so much to be proud of. This video was just a sample of all that’s being done by your City each and every day. As we prepare for the City’s 30th anniversary on December 3rd, it’s important to reflect on all that has been accomplished.

This is also a perfect opportunity to look at our strategy to move the community forward over the next 30 years. Here are five of the key areas where we’ll focus:

1. FIRST: The City Council is working with staff to maintain financial stability while balancing the needs of the community. We’ll host several public meetings as we move into the budget planning process for the next two-year cycle. Please stay connected so that you don’t miss an important budget meeting.
2. SECOND: Economic Development provides the momentum to propel our community forward. Creating jobs will put more Moreno Valley residents to work, increase disposable income, and expand the local tax base. It will also shorten commutes, increase the amount of time our residents can spend with their families and become involved in their neighborhoods.
3. THIRD: We’ve been working on a customer service model called “Service that Soars” to ensure that our ongoing commitment to customer care shows in all that the City does. We had over 100 staff members volunteer to work together to keep the momentum going as we continue to evaluate and improve how we do business and interact with you and each other.
4. FOURTH: Helping to develop social capital…investing in people…truly enriches Moreno Valley.
   
   We’re proud to have launched Moreno Valley’s first youth advisory group, the Emerging Leaders Council. This group will update the City Council on a wide range of issues from the perspective of these invested young people.
   
   Speaking of investments, the Council’s decision to partner with LSSI to operate the City Library has proven extremely successful. Our Library service hours have increased by 25%, we’re now open 7 days a week, we’re providing programs to patrons of all ages, we’ve added computers, and we’ve tripled the amount of money spent to purchase books and other materials. And all this has been accomplished while saving taxpayers more than a quarter of a million dollars annually.
   
   We have forged partnerships with both School Districts to recognize and promote student achievement. The Student Recognition Banner Program was created by Val Verde Unified School District to celebrate academic success, promote high school graduation and encourage the pursuit of college level education. The Council also approved a similar agreement with Moreno Valley Unified School District, contributing City staff and equipment to install and maintain these banners. We’re delighted to work with our School Boards and local educators on these exciting programs.
5. FIFTH: A great community is more than having nice places to eat and enjoying well-maintained parks. Cities become great when residents are fully engaged in the community. It’s wonderful to see more and more residents participate in the life of our community, and I’m committed to keeping up our momentum. Please sign up for the electronic newsletter, check out nextdoor.com, and download the City’s new mobile app so that we can all stay connected.

Staying connected is also part of what we’re doing to promote public safety in Moreno Valley. Public Safety is a top priority for every community, and ours will continue to stand together:

• To strengthen relationships with our police officers, please attend one of the Coffee with a Cop events;
• Please join us at the Police Department’s quarterly “Zone” meetings to find out what’s been happening in particular areas;
• Please participate in the Neighborhood Watch program. Please get to know your neighbors and work with them for the betterment of our community. Neighborhood Watch is a great way to connect with officers and neighbors, but it relies upon the heart of volunteerism to make it work.

We have a group of dedicated volunteers that work with our Police and Fire Departments - - and we would love to have more.

There are many people working with Safe Routes to School - - and we would love to have even more. Fantastic volunteers work in our Library and Animal Shelter - - and we’re asking for more residents to do so. There are so many groups in our community and opportunities to contribute your talents to improve the lives of others. I encourage you to find somewhere to serve. And when you do, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Like all communities, Moreno Valley will continue to experience the challenges that come with growth. There are some big decisions ahead, such as:

• The types of development and jobs that the community wants to attract;
• How to balance future service costs with revenue growth;
• How to operate our electric utility as it matures;
• How to preserve public safety in our City.

Addressing these issues requires active involvement by all residents and businesses. We need you to get involved and to share your input. For example, next week the Council will have a Study Session regarding increasing costs for police service. Please make time to join us next Tuesday evening, or watch the presentation on MVTV-3.

No matter what the issue…please get involved in charting our City’s future. That’s the key to Moreno Valley’s success.

I’ll conclude with this: We’ve come very far in only 30 years. My heart is filled with optimism for our community’s future.

Thank you for making time to participate in today’s program. Here’s to another 30 years of working for People, Pride, and Progress!

May God continue to bless you and our great City of Moreno Valley.

• To read a printable version of the State of the City Address click here.

Time of Reflection

Council Member Richard A. Stewart
2014 State of the City

As the City celebrates its 30th year, I am deeply honored to have served on the Council for the vast majority of that period. Thank you for allowing me a few moments to reflect with you on some of the things that come to mind when I think about my 24 years’ of service to you and to our community.

• Since I was first elected in 1990 our population has grown by 70%...which posed unique public service challenges and was proof positive that Moreno Valley’s quality of life continues to draw new residents to our thriving community.
• It’s difficult to remember when technology didn’t play such a large role in our lives. Back when I was first elected to the City Council there were no cell phones or computers. I kept a roll of dimes at work at the Air Force Base so I could go outside to use the payphone to call Robin or Debbie back to talk about City issues as I could not use my government phone on the Base. (I also used to have to change into civilian clothes before coming to City Hall.)
• We used to spend about a million dollars annually to lease City office space at Cottonwood and Frederick, housed in three separate buildings. I’ll always be glad that we took the plunge to purchase our current City Hall. Besides saving us about $100,000 a year, the civic center complex centralized City functions for greater efficiency…and symbolizes a sophisticated, highly professional City organization dedicated to serving our residents.
• We opened TWO new police stations, and I was part of the Council sub-committee to help design the current police station. We’ve come a long way since our first Station was located on Sunnymead (where the current mortuary operates).
• We have replaced all of the Fire Stations except station 48 that serve our community, providing our Firefighters with facilities that effectively support their lifesaving mission.
• We created our own Electric Utility, both to ensure quality service to new development, and to create an economic development tool. As many of you know, the Council’s long-term vision for MVU has recently been achieved, as our Utility has become a key in attracting quality development…and jobs…to Moreno Valley.
• Since 1990, more than 25,320 new jobs have been created.
• We created our very own “in house” legal function by hiring our very own City Attorney. This resulted in significant savings starting with the first year we had our own City Attorney
• We became the first City in California to regulate “downsizing” in residential development, to control the mix of very small houses with larger homes as a result of the economic downturn.
• We started an aggressive anti-graffiti program that both removed graffiti and went after those doing the graffiti. This started after one especially bad weekend of graffiti along the Highway 60 on virtually every wall there. I was so angry I called our city manager and DEMANDED we get a handle on the graffiti issues immediately. I was not the only council member to call him that weekend, and he counted to 3 very quickly and bingo! We had a program, amazing how that works!
• We started a Park Ranger program.
• We now have a police anti-crime city camera system, which assisted in locating the murderer in the recent double homicide that included one near Sunnymead Ranch.
• You now can choose from several nice restaurants in Moreno Valley-and I no longer have to go to Hospitality Lane for a great OUTBACK steak!

Moreno Valley has truly come into its own as Riverside County’s second largest city and its first new large city. We’ve accomplished so much together, tackling exciting challenges and shaping this community to reflect our collective vision.

I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed a fascinating and wide-ranging professional career. I’m deeply proud of my service to our nation as an Air Force officer. I’m honored to be a member of the legal community for more than two decades. And I’m humbled to have served where it matters most…right here…in my community…Moreno Valley. Thank you for giving me the privilege to serve you on the City Council for nearly a quarter century, and thank you for all that each of you has done to establish Moreno Valley as Inland Southern California’s premier community.

I look forward to continuing opportunities to support our community and our City Council in coming together to write the next chapters in Moreno Valley’s exciting story.

Thank you and God bless you.

• For a printable copy of Time of Reflection click here.