2001 LOVERIDGE STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

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January 25, 2001 STATE OF THE CITY Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge RIVERSIDE IN 2001: USING RESOURCES AND INVENTING THE FUTURE Good afternoon. On Saturday, January 13, the City of Riverside sustained a tragic loss in the death of RPD Officer Doug Jacobs. Last Thursday thousands of Riversiders paid tribute to this courageous young man in a moving funeral service and by their presence on City streets. Our sympathy and prayers go out to Tammy Jacobs, Doug's family and to his fellow officers. Please rise with me and observe a moment of silence in memory of Detective Doug Jacobs, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our city. (LONG PAUSE) Thank you. To begin today, I thank the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce for hosting the State of the City luncheon. More importantly, thanks to the Chamber for the difference you make in the economy and quality of life in Riverside. There is no better Chamber in the State of California! Thanks also to my colleagues on the City Council for their good will and hard work. In the last four State of the City addresses, I have introduced pathways to success, to identify goals and set a policy agenda for the City of Riverside. I know you'll be disappointed that 1 will not re-examine each one today. The Pathway Progress Report for 2000 is on your chairs. Please read it as a timely and retrospective took at the extraordinary distance we have traveled as a community since 1993. With your help, our local economy has never been better! This past year represents the highest sales tax revenue, most new jobs created, most new businesses started, and lowest unemployment rate all in the history of the City. But even this good news is overshadowed by an uncertain future. There are signs that our national economy is cooling. California faces an energy crisis that - at least in the next few years will challenge and test the most prepared communities. Even with these warning signs, the outlook for Riverside is excellent, but only if we make economic vitality, improvements in community quality, and government accountability our most important goals. When I first ran for mayor, I identified Riverside as a great city at risk. Tom Cronin, a personal friend and highly respected political scientist, says leadership "is making things happen that might not otherwise happen .... Leadership is a process that helps people transform intentions into positive action, visions into reality." Such leadership is abundant in our city. If we are serious about accountability, it seems to me that City Hall can do a better job by talking with and listening to the people represented in this Convention Hall. In 2001, as we work to make Riverside a center and headquarters for the New Economy, we have three cornerstone advantages -- a brain trust of colleges and universities; attractive, affordable housing in good neighborhoods; and the availability of electrical energy. Let's look at the current energy crisis for a ]