Dear Friends and District Five Residents:
This is the May Newsletter with some general information on economic development, infrastructure updates, and more.
I encourage you to stay connected by following me on Facebook @MayorBarajas or Instagram @MayorBarajas or sign up for my monthly newsletter below!
I hope you enjoy this e-newsletter. Please reach out to me if I may be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Chris Barajas
Mayor
COMMUNITY developmenT
WAKUNAGA MANUFACTURING
I had the pleasure of speaking at Wakunaga of America's 50th Anniversary Celebration. Wakunaga has multiple sites right here in Jurupa Valley of which one is a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical grade manufacturing facility.
I am a strong supporter of manufacturing such as biotechnology, green technology, pharmaceutical, research and development, and more. I look forward to strengthening our relationships with our manufacturing industry to attract new investment and expand those we already have in our industry zones.
You can learn more about Wakunaga here:
WRCOG & HOMELESSNESS
At this week's WRCOG Admin and Finance Committee we recommend the approval of various sites to be part of our Energy Resilience Plan. One of those sites is CalFire Station 16 right here in Jurupa Valley! The Committee also recommended I serve as Vice Chairperson this next term that would begin in July. Both of these items and more now go to the full Executive Committee for final approval.
At our IE Coalition Of Mayor's meeting we continued the discussion of mental health and programs that are currently offered and how to get that information out to the public. We also continued the discussion regarding the proposed C.A.R.E Court, involuntary conservatorship, and more that are currently making their way through the state legislature.
INLAND EMPIRE TRADE TECH CENTER
For well over a year now I've been periodically sharing the work stakeholders such as RCCD, IELC, JUSD, myself, and others have being doing to make the IETTC (Inland Empire Technical Trade Center) a reality. This type of resource in our City would be transformational for the residents, not only of our City, but for the region.
A few months ago Congressman Mark Takano secured $1.5 million for planning and today, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes held a press conference to announce that through her continued advocacy and work for Jurupa Valley, over $30 million has been earmarked in the State Budget for the IETTC! I cannot thank her enough and ask all our State legislators to ensure this earmark remains in the budget and goes to the Governor's desk as part of the overall State Budget!
You can view the press conference here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=777670533592812&id=100058048869841
There is much more work to be done and with this vital funding, we are much closer to bringing the IETTC to fruition right here in Jurupa Valley!
The proposed location is on the Rio Vista project. I shared about an amended EIR a few months back. You can see the full report here:
https://www.chrisbarajas.com/august-2021
As always, any questions, please email me at cbarajas@jurupavalley.org
SHOPS AT JURUPA VALLEY
We can now confirm that EoS Fitness will be a tenant at the #ShopsatJurupaValley! The company has shared this information on their website. It is expected to open in 2023 and you can start enrolling now here:
https://eosfitness.com/loc.../jurupa-valley-ca-60-pyrite-st/
In the coming weeks, we will be holding an official groundbreaking for the shopping center with the developer/property owner where we will be sharing many more confirmed tenants. Very exciting, stay tuned.....
ICSC
Had the opportunity to meet with restaurants, retailers, retail center developers, housing developers, hoteliers, and more during this year's ICSC! In the past, we've always, for the most part, had to go to them and meet with their respective representatives to discuss opportunities to invest in Jurupa Valley. This year, they all came to our City booth!
Some examples are Raising Cane's, Baskin Ribbons, Chipotle, Firehouse Subs, Hilton, Marriott, Panera, The Habit, and much more. Many are actively looking at existing and proposed retail centers in the city while others have and/or are close to finalizing tenant agreements. We're looking forward to sharing, when we can, those that are being confirmed in our future shopping centers like the Van Buren Marketplace, Shops at Jurupa Valley, Rubidoux Gateway Plaza, and more including those going into existing shopping centers.
VAN BUREN MARKETPLACE
We can now confirm that Vallarta Supermarkets will be going into the Van Buren Marketplace! We expect an official groundbreaking soon for the full center with more tenant announcements to follow.
You can view the article here: https://www.costar.com/.../grocery-store-chain-signs-big...
infrastructure
Ever wondered which roads have been repaired and which ones are scheduled for repair in our City? You can view all that information at the following link:
Each year, during our public budget hearings we review available funds and approve the next set of projects on our CIP list.
Some current projects to note that have received funding are:
- Pacific Ave Road and Bicycle Lane rehabilitation between 42nd and Mission.
- Limonite between Felspar and Pedley
- Traffic Signal light at Jurupa and Pedley
- Mission phase 2 between Bellegrave and Pyrite
- Van Buren Widening between the Bridge and Limonite
Visit the link above for a full list of projects. I've asked staff to work on creating a more user friendly map by introducing interactivity through a GIS map instead of a flat file. More to come.
JURUPA ROAD GRADE SEPARATION UPDATE:
VAN BUREN BLVD. LANE CLOSURE:
Expect single lane closures on Van Buren Blvd. from Rutile St. to 56th St.
PLEASE REDUCE YOUR SPEED.
There will be trucks entering and exiting the job site, so please exercise caution when driving through the area.
SUBSCRIBE for project updates at
http://www.JurupaGradeSeparation.com
BUSINESS ACCESS REMAINS OPEN #ShopJurupaValley
CIERRE DE CARRIL VAN BUREN BLVD:
Espere cierres de un solo carril en Van Buren Blvd. de Rutile St. a 56th St.
POR FAVOR REDUZCA SU VELOCIDAD.
Habrá camiones entrando y saliendo del sitio de trabajo, así que por favor tenga cuidado al conducir por el área.
SUSCRÍBASE para recibir actualizaciones del proyecto en
http://JurupaGradeSeparation.com
ACCESO DE NEGOCIOS SIGUE ABIERTO #ShopJurupaValley
SUBSCRIBE for project updates at http://www.JurupaGradeSeparation.com.
BUSINESS ACCESS REMAINS OPEN buy local and #ShopJurupaValley
You can see more info and stay up to date with road closures and more here:
city manager updates
Our City Manager Rod Butler is releasing bi-weekly City Manager Updates. You can view the full updates at the following links:
No Updates to Report this Month
RESOURCES
council business/community news
Thank you to the @jurupachamber for organizing today's 10th Annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast.
The Jurupa Valley HS Choir did a phenomenal job followed by JUSD Trustee Robert Garcia leading us in the Pledge to our Nation's Flag.
I also want to thank our guest speakers Raj Sangha, Yousuf Baghani, and Pastor Rios. I shared a message of unity as we continue to move Jurupa Valley forward together.
Thank you to one of our local Starbucks for hosting Coffee with a Cop and thank you to our Jurupa Valley Sheriff's Station Deputies for making yourselves available and engaging with our residents.
Lt. Sexton and his team have done an outstanding job in our City and I look forward to increasing opportunities where our residents can engage with their LEO's.
I recently received letters from Mrs. Hoag's Second Grade Class at Pedley Elementary. After reading them, I reached out to my good friends, Superintendent Trent Hansen and JUSD Trustee Robert Garcia, to ask if I could meet these students. Today, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with Mrs. Hoag's Second Grade Class and thank the students in person for their thoughtful letters. We also took the time and had a Q&A session where the students asked about community development, homelessness, animal services, and more. I also shared I used to ride my skateboard or bike through the campus on my way to Rocky"s Video quite some time ago .
From their, Robert Garcia JUSD Board of Education visited a few more classrooms and offered me the opportunity to accompany him and JUSD Staff. I was able to visit their garden, functional skills program, and more. I want to thank Jurupa Unified School District for the opportunity to meet with the students and for all the work they do to provide a myriad of programs so our children can learn without limits.
Thank you to Jurupa Unified School District Board President Melissa Ragole, Principal Dr. Gutterud and her amazing staff, and Superintendent Dr. Hansen for the opportunity to speak to 5th grade Dual Immersion students today. We discussed the three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and how they're designed to work together.
I also want to commend the JUSD Board and staff for offering programs such as the Dual Immersion program. These types of programs are an invaluable asset to our communities.
Thank you to Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District Board of Directors and Staff for their continued commitment to Veterans Memorial Park and the Veterans Memorial Wall. I had the opportunity to drop off the Jurupa District Lions Club #2659 bell for today's Veterans Memorial Wall Ceremony. It was great to see Dave and Kathy Barnes, Al and Irene Salazar, and more from our local VFW and Post 500! #jurupavalley
Congratulations to the 6th Grade Class of Glen Avon Elementary on their promotion! Thank you to the JUSD Board and Staff for the opportunity to participate in this momentous occasion for the children and their parents. I wished them the best in their next adventure in education!
