Celebrating the Strength of the Community

“What we’ve learned about him in the past week and about the kind of person he was, I think it’s safe to say that it is the life he led more than the way he left us that will reverberate even longer and stronger throughout our community,” said Victoria Baca Mayor Pro Tem of Moreno Valley.  This is how the 2019 State of the City in Moreno Valley began on August 22, 2019. Baca began the evening with a dedication for Officer Andre Moye who died in the line of duty during a highway traffic stop on August 12, 2019.  The Mayor Pro Tem echoed Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez's words saying, “We can only offer our sincere gratitude to him and our heartfelt condolences to his family and our unwavering support for those who are willing to risk their lives to protect our communities.” Baca then asked the crowd to stand and to “take a moment to offer a silent salute of gratitude to Officer Moye and our warmest wishes for recovery for his two fellow officers.” The audience remained standing during an invocation by Father Edwin Ariola from Saint Christopher Catholic Church. Father Ariola prayed over all those in attendance and the residents of Moreno Valley blessing all to work for the betterment of the city.  The opening by Mayor Pro Tem Baca and the prayer by Father Ariola set the atmosphere for the rest of the evening, providing that it is the strength of the community of Moreno Valley that uplifts and provides a way to a better future for the city.  Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez then took the stage and provided examples of how the strength of the community has paved and will continue to pave the way to a better future for the City of Moreno Valley. Mayor Gutierrez began his address by thanking all of those in attendance, those of which included various business owners, educators, investors and residents of Moreno Valley.  “Our theme this year is community, we chose this theme because... this event is really meant to be a celebration of what we as a community are accomplishing together,” Gutierrez said. Mayor Gutierrez spent the remainder of the evening praising what the City of Moreno Valley has accomplished and for the first time, issued community leadership awards to two local businesses.  Among some of the accomplishments that Mayor Gutierrez discussed were: •Being awarded a budget award for balancing the budget for eight years in a row •Increasing the employment rate to 95% •Decreasing homelessness by 50% •Increasing public safety through innovative technology and increasing the number of officers and cameras within the city •Building new public spaces such as a skate park and a new outdoor amphitheater •Investment from businesses for over $400 million since last year’s State of the City  •Creating 20,000 new city jobs in the last six years.  “Moreno Valley is growing. Growth has been especially strong in the commercial and hospitality and industrial sectors. Yes, when it comes to Moreno Valley and to investment, our town is now the place to be,” Mayor Gutierrez said. Towards the end of the address, Mayor Gutierrez announced the winners of the community leadership awards. The small business community leadership award was given to the owners and operators of the Cupcake and Espresso Bar, Fadi and Carina Ballout. "Without the community's support and the help and the feedback from everybody, we truly wouldn't be able to be here today," Fadi said. The large business Community Leadership Award was given to Iddo Benzeevi, CEO of Highland Fairview, a privately held full-service real estate development company specializing in large scale Industrial, Commercial and Residential developments. "I feel privileged to be able to be here today as well as working in the community for so long... we're looking forward to a bright future together," Benzeevi said. The last Community Leadership Award was for Educator of the Year and was given to Moreno Valley College President, Robin Steinback. "I am truly humbled to receive this award and I do so, on behalf of my team members at Moreno Valley College. We are inspired by our partnerships with the Unified School districts in the city and the employers in Moreno Valley, who do nothing less than to transform our communities," Steinback said.  Mayor Gutierrez concluded the State of the City Address by saying, “Our community is strong. Of course, like any city, we have our challenges like any community but we are blessed to have an abundance of common sense, unshakable hope and optimism, a clear set of priorities and generous and caring hearts.”