Mayor Molina Highlights City’s Accomplishments, Upcoming Projects

A sold-out crowd of residents and community and business leaders gathered last Thursday as Mayor Jesse Molina highlighted the city’s accomplishments and described broad plans for its future during his first State of the City speech. The event came as the city prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary in December, and was the first State of the City hosted by Molina since his appointment as mayor in June following former Mayor Tom Owings’s recall. “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,” Molina said before introducing the centerpiece of the event, a video presentation of changes the city has undergone since 1984. The video included broad emphasis on what councilmembers in the video described as accomplishments, including the city’s balanced budget; using grant funds to improve roads, freeways and infrastructure and provide after-school programs; a decrease in city crime; increases in home values and sales; developed parks and community sports leagues; quick response times of the city’s fire and police departments; and local job creation through projects with Amazon, Aldi Foods, Procter & Gamble, Deckers Outdoor Corporation and Harbor Freight Tools. Mayor Molina said the city will focus on five areas moving into the future: 1. Fiscal stability through public meetings as the city prepares for its budget planning process 2. Economic development through local job creation 3. Customer care through the city’s “Service that Soars” motto 4. Developing “social capital” by working with the city’s youth in the Emerging Leaders Council, who will update the city council on issues through the perspective of the city’s youth 5. Engaging residents through community events and services like the city’s newsletter and mobile apps. Councilmember Richard Stewart also reflected on the city in a speech to help conclude his 24 years on the council as he prepares to retire. Moreno Valley Unified School District Board President Tracey Vackar and Val Verde Unified School District Superintendent Juan Lopez also gave presentations highlighting educational accomplishments. Challenges the city could face in the near future include management of public safety costs as it prepares for its two-year budget in the coming months; the proposed World Logistics Center, a 41.6-million-square-foot warehouse that many residents have vocally opposed; and decisions about what types of development and jobs the city wants to attract, how to balance service costs with revenue growth, preserving public safety and operating the electric utility. “Addressing these issues requires active involvement by all residents and businesses. We need you to get involved and to share your input,” Molina said. “No matter what the issue...please get involved in charting our city’s future. That’s the key to Moreno Valley’s success. We’ve come very far in only 30 years. My heart is filled with optimism for our community’s future.”