Volume 60 | March 19 - March 23, 2018
City's Promise Initiative/Hire MoVal Wins Award of Excellence
On March 16, the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) honored the City of Moreno Valley as the winner of the 2018 Programs Award of Excellence for the Moreno Valley College Promise Initiative/Hire MoVal. Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez accepted the award.

The Moreno Valley College Promise Initiative was created to help fund the first year of community college for first time students. The program offers free tuition, fees and textbooks (not covered by financial aid) for the first year of college. The program also offers priority registration to ensure 12-15 units per semester and a Comprehensive Student Educational Plan (CSEP) that maps out classes from the first semester to the last, based on the student’s educational plan.

In an effort to strengthen and support the program, under the leadership of the Mayor and the City Council, the City approved an agreement to match the College’s efforts and pledged $50,000 to pay for the second year of the program for Moreno Valley residents attending Moreno Valley College.

In the first year of the program, the Moreno Valley Promise Initiative funded more than 500 students and provided additional services strengthening that student’s chances for degree completion while simultaneously increasing educational attainment, a vital metric used by economic developers and expanding businesses.

“Partnering with Moreno Valley College on vital programs such as Hire MoVal and the College Promise Initiative is vital to the future economic vitality of our community,” said Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez. “By helping to eliminate barriers to college attainment we invest in the most valuable asset in our community—our youth.”
Moreno Valley Utility Honored for Reliability for Third Straight Year 
Moreno Valley Utility (MVU) has received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability. This is the third straight year MVU has been honored for its reliability.

The recognition comes from the American Public Power Association (APPA)—a trade group in Washington, D.C., that represents more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities including MVU.

In 2017, MVU customers experienced an average outage time that was less than one-third of what customers of the top performing utilities across the country experienced. 

“This honor recognizes utilities that are thriving when it comes to reliability,” said APPA Senior Vice President, Engineering Services Michael Hyland.

Projects including the construction of the Kitching Substation help to maintain the excellent reliability record of Moreno Valley Utility.

For more information on Moreno Valley Utility and its commitment to reliability, visit MVU's website .
Children Made Honorary Moreno Valley Police Officers
The children at Gracey Family Child Care were in for a treat when Moreno Valley Police Officers Gouvion and Cornejo recently stopped by to say hi - and make the children honorary police officers for the day. Each "officer" received their own sticker badges and wrist bands.

Thank you to the children, parents, and school staff for allowing our police officers to visit with the children and teach them about how police officers work hard to keep our community safe.
Road Improvements Underway on Heacock Street
Heacock Street south of San Michele Road will be closed beginning March 26 to allow for road construction related to the adjacent development.

A detour route will direct drivers to use San Michele Road, Indian Street, and Nandina Avenue.

The project includes reconstructing the street, installing curbs and gutters, storm drains, sidewalks and street lights. Heacock Street is anticipated to be reopened by the end of April.

The City appreciates your patience during this temporary improvement process. Please contact the Land Development Division at 951.413.3120 with any questions.
FEMA Helps City Staff, Neighboring Agencies Prepare for Disasters
The City of Moreno Valley hosted the FEMA Crisis Leadership and Decision Making Course to enhance City staff’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.

The Office of Emergency Management partnered with neighboring organizations, including March Air Reserve Base, the City of Hemet, and Western Municipal Water District, to openly discuss strategic and executive-level preparation, response and recovery for a catastrophic incident.

Using a pre-assigned case study, attendees discussed in detail as to how the City and neighboring partners would respond to a similar scenario. 
Moreno Valley Animal Shelter Pet of the Week
Each week the Moreno Valley Animal Shelter highlights a pet available for adoption in the hopes of finding them a forever home.

This week's Pet is Penelope.

Penelope (#A483007) is a wonderful three-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. Her playful antics are sure to bring joy to anyone’s heart.


Please visit the Moreno Valley Animal Shelter located at 14041 Elsworth Street to inquire about adopting Penelope or other pets in search of lifelong companions.

Call the Moreno Valley Animal Shelter at 951.413.3790 or visit the City’s website for more information about adopting.
Upon request, this news release will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in this meeting should direct such requests to Guy Pegan, ADA Coordinator, at 951.413.3120 at least 72 hours before the meeting. The 72-hour notification will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.