July 2, 2015
Edition #14
Greetings
to all Riverside and Ward 3 residents! The Fourth of July holiday is upon us
and the recent City-Wide elections are behind us. Councilman Mike Gardner was
re-elected to Ward 1, Councilman Mike Soubirous to Ward 3 and Councilman Chris
MacArthur to Ward 5. Ward 7 has a new Councilmember after 12 years -
Councilmember John Burnard. John was sworn in along with the re-elected
Councilmembers this past Tuesday.
The
annual Mt. Rubidoux and La Sierra fireworks displays will begin at 9 pm on July
4th. Special viewing is available at Evergreen Cemetery or from any good
viewpoint in Riverside. Enjoy your holiday - but please be safe and don’t drink
& drive. Remember - all fireworks are prohibited in Riverside.
Water
is on everyone’s mind due to our on-going drought. The weather forecasters say
there is an 85% chance of a moderate or stronger El Nino this year. Lets hope
so and pray for lots of rain! As you may have heard, Riverside Public Utility
customers are required to keep watering to nighttime only, and three days out
of seven (3 times a week maximum). Also, no watering within 48 hours of
significant rainfall. Yes, Riverside is 100% water independent, and has enough
water for 5 to 10 years (current climatical conditions), but for the meanwhile
we are directed by the Governor to cut 29% of our water use. I am aware that
many of our residents have cut their use over the past 5 to 10 years - so use
your judgement. Please keep in mind that even though the City has temporarily
relaxed its enforcement of brown laws, the City tree you may have along your
front curb line is required to be watered - by you. It takes many years to grow
a tree, but just weeks to kill it due to a lack of water. Please keep your City
tree watered!
Speaking
of trees, if you have a “nuisance” tree (root problem, cracked sidewalks,
sewer/root issues, water pipe breakage or other) in your front parkway (City
owned) and you have had trouble getting the City to remove it, please call me
and I’ll do all I can to help. Also, if your street has broken/cracked
sidewalks, broken curbs or other such damage, please report it to 3-1-1 or to
me. We will notify Public Works and get it put on a list of those needing
similar repair.
As
always, I am here to advocate for you to City Hall. I work for you!
Please
call, email, text, tweet or IM me anytime. I am on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CouncilmanMikeSoubirous.
msoubirous@riversideca.gov
(951) 515-1663.
Happy
4th of July!
Mike
 
In November 2014, the Riverside Police Department
launched a new program called “Know Your Limit.” On Friday, July 3, 2015,
members of the “Know Your Limit” program will be deployed on foot into
Riverside’s various entertainment districts where they contact restaurant, club
and bar patrons outside the businesses. Patrons who have consumed alcohol will be
asked if they would like to volunteer to be checked with a breathalyzer device
to see what their current blood alcohol content (BAC) level is. The officers
will explain that it’s an educational program designed to raise awareness of
how little alcohol it takes to register a 0.08 percent BAC. During the contact
the volunteer will be asked if they feel the effects of any alcohol and if they
would feel safe to drive a vehicle. Patrons will be allowed to blow into the
breathalyzer device and then shown their results. At the end of the volunteer’s
participation in the program, they will be given the tube from the
breathalyzer, a sticker or an educational card as a reminder that also provides
information on alcohol consumption and burn-off times as well as the common
penalties for the first time DUI driver.
Summertime should be a fun time for those who
choose to celebrate the right way: with a plan for a sober ride. If you make
your plans when you’re sober, you won’t make a bad decision when you’re drunk.
When you drive drunk, you run the risk of killing yourself or someone else.
Even if you don’t harm anyone, the average DUI costs about $10,000. Wouldn’t
you rather pay for a taxi?
As you make your summertime party plans, the
California Office of Traffic Safety is offering a free mobile app – DDVIP –
aimed at thanking the sober designated driver with incentives and free offers
at area bars and restaurants. Funding for this is provided by a grant from the
California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration who reminds every motorist to Report Drunk Drivers – Call
911! Remember, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. Don’t do it.
Riverside’s City Council voted this week to update its Water
Conservation Ordinance, drought plan, and water conservation programs to help
Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) achieve a 28 percent reduction in water use
system wide.
The council moved forward with the adoption of stage three of its urgency
ordinance to meet new state-mandated goals for water conservation.
Changes include new schedules that cut outdoor watering to just three days per
week (April through October) and two days per week (November through March).
Watering times are limited to a maximum of 15 minutes per station between the
hours of 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. Customers with high-efficiency drip or micro spray
irrigation systems are exempt from this new schedule.
“We’re in this together,” said RPU General Manager Girish Balachandran, “and we
need all of our water customers to answer the call to conserve and to eliminate
water waste.”
The new watering schedules join a list of changed or updated mandatory
conservation measures that came out this spring. They include: no watering of
turf or ornamental landscapes during, or 48-hours following measurable
precipitation; new requirements by water agencies to notify customers when they
are aware of leaks that are within the customer’s control to repair;
restaurants and other food service establishments can only serve water on
request; and hotels and motels must provide guests with options of not having
towels/linens laundered daily and must prominently display this option.
Meanwhile, all other restrictions from last year are still in effect including:
no washing down of sidewalks and driveways and no watering outdoor landscapes
in excess to cause runoff; application of water to streets and sidewalks is
prohibited; irrigation and plumbing leaks must be fixed within 72 hours of
notice; and washing of vehicles must be done with a bucket and hose with shut
off valve.
RPU has set up its website www.BlueRiverside.com with helpful conservation
guidelines, tips, and programs from local agencies and the state. Log on weekly
for the latest guidelines that affect all Riverside water customers.
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Due to the popularity
of RPU's turf removal programs and the eagerness of RPU customers to conserve
water during California's unprecedented drought, the funding for these programs
has been exhausted. The majority of the funding was provided to us
through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and MWD
has cut funding for this program.
RPU is not accepting
additional applications at this time.
However, to preserve
the $2.00 per square foot incentive level for RPU customers, and to support the
growing interest in turf removal within RPU's service territory, our customers
may be eligible for a turf removal rebate directly from MWD. MWD
has re-launched its turf removal program and has opened it up to residents,
homeowner associations, businesses and public agencies within RPU's service
territory. To apply or for more information, customers may visit SoCalWaterSmart.com.
RPU Customer Relations staff will be available if
necessary, to provide technical assistance to customers applying for these MWD
turf removal programs. Our website has been updated to reflect this
information. We will also be reaching out to customers to inform them of the
change. Note that Western Municipal Water District is following the same
process of closing their program and directing their customers to apply
directly with MWD.
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The mission of
the Riverside Mayor's Commission on Aging is to enhance the quality of life for
seniors in our community. We study local senior issues to learn about current
programs, define future needs, and reference Best Practices. We then make
recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on ways we think the City of
Riverside can maintain and improve its status as a Senior-Friendly Community.
Eleven members act in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and
City Council on all matters pertaining to senior citizens and their needs. This
Commission requires its members to be at least 55 years old and not be paid
representatives of an elderly service.
The Mayor's Commission on Aging meets at 4 p.m. the second
Tuesday of each month at the Janet Goeske Senior Center, 5257 Sierra Street.
Time commitment may include 6-10 hours per month. For further information or to
leave messages for Commission members, call Frank Arreola at 826-5897.
To view the Boards and Commissions Application, click here.
 Free nozzles are back! Go to FreeSprinklerNozzles.com to learn more about this program.
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