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<br />Renewing and Reinventing a Great City: Looking Back to 1994 <br />and Forward to the 21st Century <br /> <br />State of the City ** Riverside, California ** January 23, 1997 ** Mayor Ron Loveridge <br /> <br />Thank you, Art, for the introduction. Thank you also for your extraordinary leadership <br />of the best Chamber in the State, a Chamber that continues to make major differences <br />in the economy and quality of life of this City. <br /> <br />Joel Garreau has written a book called Edge City. His argument is that the economic <br />and social dynamics of American life have moved from central cities to edge cities. He <br />identifies Riverside as one of 28 edge cities in southern California. When asked if all <br />edge cities will be successful, Garreau's answer is "of course not, there will be <br />winners and losers." His recommendation is "go invent your future." Can we seize <br />the moment? Can we can continue to renew and to reinvent the City of <br />Riverside? <br /> <br />Measures of Success, 1994-1996 <br /> <br />When looking back and searching for benchmarks, former President Ronald Reagan <br />asked a powerful political question: "Are you better off today than you were four years <br />ago." For Riverside, the answer is, unquestionably, yes. Let us examine five <br />measures of success that illustrate why the City is better off today than in January, <br />1994. <br /> <br />First, my campaign for Mayor centered around three themes: "Safe Streets, Good <br />Jobs, and Great Neighborhoods." These are critical measures of a good city, and I <br />would like to briefly review our progress. <br /> <br />STREETS ARE SAFER. Beyond rhetoric, the litmus test is Part One Crimes. Part <br />One crimes are the FBI index of serious crimes--homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated <br />assaults, burglary, theft, stolen vehicles. Since 1993 in Riverside, Part One Crimes <br />have decreased 36% and in 1996 Part One Crimes have declined by <br />21 <<ro. Community policing is working. Combining city and grant funding, sworn officers <br />have increased from 304 to 348. Thanks to Riversiders Against Taggers, the presence <br />of graffiti is noticeably less. Volunteer involvement is dramatically higher: citizen patrol, <br />police storefronts, commercial and neighborhood watches, youth accountability <br />boards, and mounted patrol. Our Crime Free Multi-Unit Housing Program is now <br />widely recognized. A grant from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency <br />Prevention has made possible a major gang suppression effort. <br /> <br />THE ECONOMY IS IMPROVED. Riverside is now much more business friendly. <br />1 <br />