2010 LOVERIDGE STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

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Let me read a letter from a City resident: "I would like to thank SmartRiverside for offering programs such as the Community PC Program, the Digital Inclusion Program and Wireless Riverside. My daughter (a 5 th grade student in RUSD) and I completed the computer training program with Lori Fry at Lincoln High School. She was terrific! Once we were home with our free computer, I had questions on the connection. I called and spoke with Jesse at the Digital Inclusion Program. He was very helpful and patient as he walked me through the set up like a professional. Again, thank you SmartRiverside. You have given myself and my daughter educational opportunities, that in these difficult economic times, I could not otherwise provide." Signed Marla Jarvis, a proud resident of Riverside. Riverside is a leading green city We are implementing, and effectively so, a second and well framed Green Action Plan. In 2009, we were chosen by California's Department of Conservation as the State's first Emerald City. We were also selected in 2009 as one of ten cities to participate in the California Green Challenge - -for the record, I was introduced by actress Daryl Hannah in the opening ceremonies at the Sony Movie Studios. Riverside is a city of the arts We have an exceptional arts treasure chest, both of performing and visual arts. We have a downtown that is the inland center of the arts. The Fox Theater is here; UCR's Culver Center will open in October, and RCC's School for the Arts is coming. Riverside Arts Council's "Fifteen Favorite Things To Do" is an impressive weekly inventory of major and interesting arts choices in Riverside. Riverside is a safe city Joel Kotkin, author of The City: A Global History, emphasizes that "Cities must, first and foremost, be safe." Public safety depends on the highly skilled, professional work of the men and women of our police and fire departments. Part One Crimes are at an historic low; from 1976 as contrasted with 2009 there is a 20% decline in real numbers despite rapid population growth. In 2009, the California State Firefighters honored two Riversiders with their Medal of Valor Award, Thomas Scott, a civilian and firefighter Jeff Lewis. Riverside has a downtown that is alive and well Pedestrian friendly with a refiirbished mall, there is respect for the past as well as a promising future as a center of the arts. The Mission Inn is California's most unique and historic hotel. Downtown offers the best of fine dining. And, it is the Justice Center for the Inland Empire. The Festival of Lights was a striking success, with 250,000 people, both visitors and residents, coming to enjoy the lights, ice skating, and festivities. Riverside is a primary retail center in Southern California Excepting Los Angeles and San Diego, Riverside trails only Anaheim, and sometimes Ontario, in sales tax revenue. There are