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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10- FEBRUARY 16, 2025
‘Our time is now,’ Riverside mayor says in annual address
VOL. 11,
NO. 210
San Bernardino Animal Services helps wildfire victims find pets By Staff
By Staff
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n the annual State of the City address, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson cited an emerging green technology economy and “unprecedented leadership on the state level” to indicate that “Our Time is Now” in Riverside. Lock Dawson delivered the tone-setting speech Jan. 30 at the Riverside Convention Center. The mayor said Riverside’s success stems from focusing on committed investments, partnerships and leadership that have led to a new sustainable technology economy in Riverside. She highlighted the private-public partnership that created the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture, which has infused $29 million into the local economy. Lock Dawson also noted her position as chair of the Big City Mayors coalition that consists of the California’s 13 largest cities. “We are not a city that settles, we are a city that seeks greatness,” Lock Dawson exclaimed during her address. “I did not run for mayor to sit back and let someone else decide our future. I ran for mayor to create our future. And if you are in this building tonight, I know you are with me.” The mayor mentioned four sustainable technology companies that recently have become part of the local “high-tech ecosystem” that started to formulate four years ago when the California Air Resources Board relocated to Riverside, according to a city statement. Companies that either plan to relocate their headquarters to Riverside or are currently based in the city include: Ohmio Inc., which moved from New Zealand and manufactures self-driving, all-electric shuttles;
A San Bernardino Animal Services officer rescues a fish in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. | Photo courtesy of the city of San Bernardino
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an Bernardino Animal Services Department staffers have been assisting their counterparts in Los Angeles following the deadly wildfire that devastated Pacific Palisades and parts of Malibu. On Jan. 15, the city received a formal request for animal control assistance from the city of LA following the Palisades Fire.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson delivers the 2025 State of the City address. | Photo courtesy of the city of Riverside/YouTube
See Animal Services Page 27
Hyundai Rotem Tech, which plans to build hydrogen-powered trains for the LA28 Olympics; Voltu Motor Inc. plans to manufacture electric, medium-duty trucks; and GreenPower Motor Co. is set to build electric buses. More than 1,600 new businesses opened in Riverside last year, adding 13,500 jobs, according to the city. New projects totaling more than $390 million received City Council approval, as new housing starts are set for the Mission Grove area and downtown near the Main Library. Lock Dawson also pointed to the city’s 74 new police officers and a 25% reduction in violent crime. Local authorities seized 3,000 pounds of fireworks last Fourth of July, and the City Council has invested
Deputy who transported over 100 pounds of fentanyl pills on probation
in new drone technology to make more progress in the future, the mayor reported. Over 7,500 pieces of graffiti totaling an average of 20 per day were removed in 2024, and a new city ordinance prohibits camping near schools, shelters and parks. “This is balancing compassion with the needs of our community,” Lock Dawson said. The city spent a record $30 million for paving 51 miles of roads, with extra attention to high-traffic areas such as Chicago and La Sierra avenues, Market Street and Alessandro Boulevard. Additional investments are headed to the Museum of Riverside, a new Eastside Library, renovations to the See Riverside mayor Page 28
Cesar Chavez Community Center and a new gym at Bordwell Park. Lock Daswon noted that El Dorado Park is to be renamed Tim Strack Park in honor of the late Riverside Fire Department captain. “This park will keep Tim’s memory alive for generations of Riversiders as a testament to the power of putting service before self,” she said. The event also featured the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce’s presentation of its Hero Award to retiring UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who has significantly expanded the university’s profile since coming to UCR in 2013, according to the city.
By City News Service
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former Riverside County sheriff’s correctional deputy caught carrying more than 100 pounds of fentanyl on Interstate 10 was on probation Thursday after being released from jail following a plea to felony charges, to which prosecutors objected. Jorge Alberto Oceguera Rocha, 26, of Banning last week admitted one count each of transportation of controlled substances and possession of controlled substances for sale during a status hearing before Superior Court Judge David Gunn at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The plea was directly to the judge — and in the face of opposition from the District Attorney’s Office. “We did object, on the record in open court, to the defendant making a plea to the court ... based on the defendant taking advantage of a position of public trust,” agency spokesman John Hall said. Gunn was unswayed. He dismissed sentence-enhancing See Deputy Page 27