August 26, 2014
Edition #10
Summer storms are helping to keep us sprinkled on - a bit. We can always use more rain!
I hope you have enjoyed your summer and soon it will be back to school for some, and looking for Christmas gifts at Costco for others. Thanksgiving is three months out and Christmas is four. Hard to believe!
Many things are going on at City Hall. We are working to build a better Riverside. We have more stores, are fixing roads (a little at a time) and have more dining places. Our City's Economic Development Department is in high-gear recruiting new businesses and investors, as well as helping our existing businesses fine-tune their sales. Council has been working through a few internal issues - which I attribute to a time of growth. It's ok to ask questions and hold staff accountable to the people. That's good government.
I have been busy answering your calls, emails and letters. I have also been out and about in our Ward taking note of what is broken, needs fixing or repair. I'm always open to your feedback and opinion. I work for you - call me anytime. My personal cell number is (951) 515-1663 and email is msoubirous@riversideca.gov.
Mike Soubirous
Riverside officially welcomed new Fire Chief Mike Moore to his first day of work Tuesday (8/26) with a badge pinning ceremony attended by his wife, Robyne, and their two adult children, Candace and Cameron. Numerous family members, firefighting peers who have worked with Chief Moore in the past and close friends attended.
Moore described the path he took to the Chief’s job in Riverside and pledged to continue the tradition of excellence at the Riverside Fire Department. He told Riverside firefighters to expect to see him around their fire stations, not as a taskmaster, but as a coach and a mentor.
“I pride myself on the relationships that I build with people and the bonds that I forge in pursuit of excellence,” Chief Moore said after the ceremony. “I am thrilled to be able to bring that approach and that commitment to the City of Riverside.”
Moore came to Riverside after working most recently as Fire Division Chief with the Orange County Fire Authority, where he started as a firefighter/paramedic in 1982. He had worked the last 15 years in the position of Chief Officer, most recently as local Fire Chief for the City of Irvine, which contracts with the Fire Authority for fire services.
Moore earned his Executive Fire Officer certification from the National Fire Academy in 2005. He was awarded a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach in 1993 and graduated from the University of Redlands with a B.A. in Management in 1988. He earned associate degrees in Paramedical Education from Santa Ana College and Fire Service from Long Beach City College, both in 1984.
The Pink Ribbon Place, Riverside’s first and only breast cancer resource center, is now offering free diagnostic services for uninsured and underinsured men and women under the age of 40 with breast health concerns residing in the city of Riverside and Jurupa Valley. Thanks to a partnership with Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center and Borrego Health, qualifying area residents have access to free screenings, mammograms, biopsies, and more as of July 21, 2014, through The Pink Ribbon Place’s referral system.
Bringing diagnostic services back to the center for this group has been a goal of Riverside Community Health Foundation (RCHF), the parent organization of The Pink Ribbon Place, since it became the operator of the resource center in October 2013. (The previous operators of the center offered diagnostic services until 2012.)
More details for this program can be found here.
 New online resource allows public to ask direct questions of Finance Department and get answers.
The City Council’s Finance Committee, at a special committee meeting Tuesday (7/29) evening, reviewed an online “Ask Finance” portal that they requested be created at their June meeting in order for citizens to have their questions about City finances answered directly by Finance Department staff.
Answers to questions submitted at the website -- http://riversideca.gov/finance/ask-finance/ -- will be posted by the Finance Department staff as soon as they can be researched and addressed. Visitors to the site also will be able to submit documents along with their questions. Finance staff will be able to provide supporting information when answering questions.
The City Council’s Finance Committee will review all questions and answers quarterly at their regular meeting, beginning in September 2014. Citizens can attend those meetings to ask follow-up questions as well.
All of these user-friendly tools are available at http://riversideca.gov/finance/.
Residents can pull public records on any topic at www.EngageRiverside.com, the citywide transparency portal unveiled early this month. They also can gather information by reading the City budget and/or financial statements and through Public Records Act requests.
 Not only is Riverside the #8 Coolest City in America, but we have also claimed the ranking of #2 Millennial Boomtown according to Forbes. This ranking focused on the growth from 2010 to 2013 in residents aged 20 to 29, which represents most of the millennial generation that is finishing post-secondary education and getting established in the workforce. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced 8.3% growth in this age bracket with a total number of residents aged 20 to 29 at 655,077. Riverside came out ahead of Orlando and Miami, Florida and Detroit, Michigan.
Riverside's youthful population played a key role in our claim of the #8 Cool City ranking. For more proof of how cool we are watch this video:
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 The Riverside Police Department is accepting applications for the Citizen Academy, which begins Thursday, October 2, 2014, and continues through December 18, 2014. Recruitment is open through September 26, 2014.
Most sessions will be held in the Riverside Police Department’s Community Room, 10540 Magnolia Avenue, Suite B, on Thursday evenings from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
The Citizen Police Academy is designed to form a stronger partnership between the community and the Riverside Police Department through education. Participants will learn about patrol procedures, use of force, community services, gang and narcotic investigations, general investigations, firearms familiarization, S.W.A.T., traffic safety, and much more. Sessions will provide participants with an inside look into the day-to-day operations of the Riverside Police Department.
The class size is limited and seats will be given to the first candidates that apply via the Department’s website and who pass an informal background check. All sessions are in a classroom setting and do not require any physical training. Applicants must live, work, or attend school in the City of Riverside. Applications must be submitted by September 26, 2014.
To apply for the Citizen Academy or for more information, please visit the RPD Website at www.RPDonline.org and click on the box for Citizen Academy or contact Supervisor Jones at 951-826-5232.
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The nationwide Summer/Labor Day DUI crackdown has resulted in a significant number of DUI arrests from local routine traffic enforcement and special Avoid the 30 DUI deployments in Riverside County.
From 12:01 AM, Friday, August 15, 2014, through Midnight, Wednesday, August 20, 2014, officers representing thirty Riverside County law enforcement agencies arrested 187 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2013, 234 DUI arrests occurred during the same six (6) day period.
There has been no report of deaths attributed to impaired drivers in our area. Last year, there were two DUI deaths reported during this same period. (**NOTE: These numbers are only provisional with some agencies yet to report**)
Over the next several days of the campaign, DUI/driver’s license checkpoints will be conducted in the cities of Riverside, Jurupa Valley, Rancho Mirage and San Jacinto. Task force operations will be conducted by Lake Elsinore, Temecula, Canyon Lake, Perris, Menifee, and State Parks - Lake Perris. DUI saturation patrols will be deployed in the cities of Perris, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Rancho Mirage, Coachella, La Quinta, University of California (UCR) Beaumont, Eastvale, and State Parks - Mount San Jacinto. There are no specialized traffic enforcement operations planned. In addition, all regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will focus efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during their normal shifts.
Police officers, sheriff deputies and the CHP encourage all motorists to help make your community safer. DUI arrest data collection will continue through Labor Day, midnight, Monday, September 1, 2014. Avoid programs are named for the number of participating police agencies in each county. Funding for Avoid the 30 operations is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration who reminds you to ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!'
Subject Identifing Themself as Alarm Company Employee
Riverside burglary detectives are currently investigating an incident that occurred on 08-12-14, the resident living at the location was contacted by a subject who identified himself as an employee of the alarm company ADT. The subject was dressed in what appeared to be a complete ADT Alarm Company uniform. The subject told the resident told he was there to perform updates on her ADT alarm and the resident allowed the subject inside the home. The subject looked around and a short time later left without apparently doing any service to the alarm system.
Detectives have learned that the same subject also contacted another resident at a different residence nearby. The resident’s contacted ADT who told them they did not have any ADT employees in their area and there was nothing showing they needed any updates or scheduled service. The residents did not see a vehicle connected to the subject.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Bryan Galbreath at (951)826-8716.
The Riverside Police Department offers the following advice to all residence regarding anyone who contacts them at home representing an alarm company:
· Most alarm companies do not send anyone to your house without first contacting you ahead of time and setting up an appointment.
· All alarm company employees are issued identification; always ask to see their company identification.
· Contact your alarm company prior to letting anyone in your home to verify the subjects a legitimate employee and on official business.
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