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January 29, 2004 Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge STATE OF THE CITY, 2004 "EXCITING, DIVERSE, URBAN, AND SUCCESSFUL CITY" INTRODUCTION Thank you Cindy Roth and the Chamber for hosting this 27th State of the City. Thank you for coming, and for your commitment to Riverside. This is my 10th State of the City Address, and my 25th year in elected office. Riverside has come a long way, in th(; past ten years, and in the past 25. 2003 WAS A GREAT YEAR Introduction In last year's State of the City, I concluded,'q'his is the best of times.... 2003 can be the right place, the right time for Riverside." IT WAS! 2003 was a great year! Riverside has come of age as an exciting, diverse, urban, and successfuldty. Approaching 300,000, Riverside is thE; largest city in the Inland Empire, an area with 3.5 million people, and counting. We are tile Inland Empire's capital city, with the largest economy, most college students, most dynamic downtown, center of arts and culture, interesting and varied neighborhoods, and a richly diverse community. Success Stories In 2003, many stories trumpet the success of Riverside. Let me share just a few with you. Since I came to teach at UCR in 19651, only two city bond measures have passed with more than 2/3 of the votes. Last November, seven out of ten voters said yes to new and improved fire facilities. A number of people worked hard for the passage of Measure G. However, the election was decided by' the courage and skill of the fire fighters we watched who fought Southern California's worst wild fires. On these fire lines were 35 fire fighters from Riverside. As we voted, we remembered their courage and skill and why they are important! The Riverside Police Department has come under extraordinary public scrutiny. Where are we now? In 2003, Attorney General Bill Lockyer identified the RPD as California's "Model Police Agency." Reputation is matched by performance; serious crimes for persons and property are down by nearly t 3%, the largest decrease of any major city in the Inland