December 22, 2014
Edition #12
A big holiday hello to Ward 3 residents and Riversiders!
This past year we have accomplished much together. Some of the many accomplishments have been development and implementation of our City’s “Community Livability Action Plan” designed to combat the effects of aggressive panhandling and street crime, development of our “Get Home Safe” program designed to locate walk-away Alzheimer’s patients, street sweeping citation policy changes, removal of the Red Light Cameras, approval of additional non-emergency ambulance providers, modification of traffic signal lights at our City’s busiest intersections in order to increase flow, upheld Council’s “right” to place Agenda Items on our Council Agenda, placing Public Comment period at the beginning of Council meetings, allowing acceptance of speaker cards at Council meetings up to the last speaker and much, much more.
Recently, your City Council met to discuss, debate and share ideas about Riverside’s long-range goals. This updated Strategic Plan will be presented at a Council meeting in January in order to provide for the public’s input on Council’s vision for the next 5 to 15 years. The main theme was “Customer Service” both internally and externally at City Hall. Council is united on changing City Hall’s “culture” in order to better serve our residents and provide the best possible service to all. Our second highest goal was to better develop our City’s Economic Development. I urge you to attend this and any future Council meetings. Public Comment now starts at 7 pm, so you no longer have to sit through a full meeting to make your opinion known.
If you are a Facebook user you can follow me at:
Councilman Mike Soubirous (https://www.facebook.com/CouncilmanMikeSoubirous),
call my personal cell – (951) 515-1663 or
email me at: msoubirous@riversideca.gov.
A man recently stated this to me regarding Riverside’s desire to improve service:
"We need to become facilitators - not regulators, and we need to work by the clock - not the calendar."
My desire for the upcoming New Year is to continue partnering with each of you to help build a better Riverside. We have a great City. Working together we can make our City even greater!
Whether you observe Chanukah, Christmas, or any other event – I wish you the very best during this holiday season and throughout 2015.
Sincerely,
Mike Soubirous
Councilmember – Ward 3
 Currently there is a scam against business owners who are being contacted by attorneys attempting to sue the business for not being ADA compliant under the new guidelines. These are bogus attempts to steal your hard-earned money. Please report these attorneys to the California State Bar.
Although businesses are not “grandfathered” in under the new compliant laws and need to become compliant, there is a new Senate Bill that addresses this problem:
Accessibility Reform: California SB 1186 limits frivolous litigation regarding technical violations concerning disability access by reducing statutory damages, putting into place new provisions to prevent "stacking" of multiple claims to increase statutory damages and banning letters making demands for money before litigation.
Here is some information on the subject.
|
 Please be very mindful of the rise in mail theft during the holidays. There is an abundance of opportunities for theives to take advantage of. So remember to be extra viligent and if you should become a victim of a mail crime such as mail theft, mail fraud and other criminal activity, please call:
877-876-2455.
There is also an option on this line to report delivery problems.
|
 The competition for Best Public Lights Display was intense, and from the 20 nominees selected by Deborah Norville of Inside Edition, the Festival of Lights at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, Calif. came out on top, earning the honor of being called America's Best Public Lights Display.
The free SoCal holiday event transforms Main Street and the Mission Inn into a twinkling winter wonderland, complete with SoCal weather. How can you beat that?
To read more, click here!
|
