Volume 96 | December 3 - December 7, 2018
City, Moreno Valley College Inspiring Creativity through Makerspace
The City of Moreno Valley and Moreno Valley College celebrated the official unveiling of the iMAKE Innovation Mobile Center, a creative space designed to fuel imaginations and ingenuity.

The project is a joint venture between the City and the college, further showcasing the partnership the two entities have formed to help prepare Moreno Valley residents for jobs of the future and address critical workforce development needs.

The iMAKE Innovation Mobile Center, also known as a Makerspace, is a 37-foot RV that houses a variety of creative tools including laser cutters, 3-D printers, art supplies, and electronics labs for MVC students to use.

Moreno Valley College is one of 24 colleges to receive a California Community College Maker Implementation Grant from the California Community College Chancellor's Office.

The $100,000 grant, which is renewable for a second year, was awarded to the college to help create an inclusive makerspace community, provide internships, and develop a curriculum to prepare students with innovation and entrepreneurial skills to thrive in the regional economy.

"Makerspaces encourage hands-on collaboration and cooperation in a way that isn’t possible in a traditional classroom,” said Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez. “Our partnership with Moreno Valley College is helping to educate, train and inspire the leaders of our future.”

The Makerspace will assist students, faculty and staff to interact on shared interests, learn to use tools, make class projects, and develop knowledge through exploration and hands-on experiences. T he Mobile Center will also be available to visit businesses, schools, community groups and events to help engage students and makers throughout the City.

"Everyone needs a little inspiration in their career journey and this grant provides students with experiences beyond the classroom, opportunities to explore careers, and learn through real-world scenarios,” said Moreno Valley College President Dr. Robin Steinback.

The Makerspace is just the latest project the City and Moreno Valley College have partnered on to attract jobs, increase the quality of life for residents, encourage student achievement, and incentivize businesses to promote the hiring of local graduates.

“This is such an exciting time to be here, to see our City grow into the wonderful and prosperous place of the future,” Mayor Pro Tem Victoria Baca told the crowd at Thursday’s ribbon cutting. “It is even more exciting to witness the unfolding of these ideas brought on with an optimism that will make them truly take flight, and especially to see it done with the hands and the minds of our very own students.”

For more information or to book the Makerspace please visit Moreno Valley College’s website .
Street Light Conversion Project to Make City More Energy-Efficient
Moreno Valley Utility is embarking on an exciting project to convert more than 11,250 street lights to more efficient technology, saving taxpayer dollars while making Moreno Valley even more environmentally-friendly.

Over the next year, Moreno Valley will replace existing high pressure sodium street lights with Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. These lights will meet the region’s new standard for street lights.

With the installation of LED fixtures, visibility may be enhanced, while continuing to light a similar area.

The change will also extend the life span of the lights and reduce maintenance costs.

"This is yet another way the City of Moreno Valley is saving taxpayer dollars while continuing to provide cutting-edge technology," said Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez.

The retrofit project will be completed in four phases, beginning this week in the southern and eastern section of the City.

Crews will work during daylight hours to convert the lights to LED technology to limit the impact of the conversion project. No street light service disruption is planned.

Please be mindful when driving near designated work areas and obey all traffic control measures to help keep crews and drivers safe during the conversion project.

If you have questions or would like additional information about the Street Light LED Retrofit project, please call Moreno Valley Utility at 844.341.6469.
Commercial Vehicle Checkpoint Aims to Enhance Road Safety
On Tuesday, December 4, officers from the Moreno Valley Police Department - Commercial Enforcement Unit conducted a multi-agency Commercial Vehicle Checkpoint to ensure drivers were adhering to commercial vehicle safety regulations.

Every year, mechanical defects and excessive driving can be attributed to collisions involving commercial vehicles. In addition, overweight vehicles cause damage to our City’s roadways.

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 249 trucks in California were involved in collisions, resulting in 33 fatalities.

Through enforcement and education, the Moreno Valley Police Department hopes to promote commercial vehicle safety and have a positive impact on the driving public.
The checkpoint was held on Cactus Avenue between Elsworth and Graham Streets. 
Commercial enforcement officers from the California Highway Patrol, Perris Police Department, Riverside Police Department, Buena Park Police Department, Brea Police Department, La Habra Police Department, Irvine Police Department, Anaheim Police Department, Rialto Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department participated.

As a result of the safety operation, the inspections yielded the following:
  • 91 commercial vehicles were inspected
  • 42 drivers were cited
  • 11 citations were issued for registration violations
  • 3 drivers were cited for driver’s license violations
  • 4 citations were issued for lack of or suspended motor carrier permits
  • 19 citations were issued for brake violations
  • 2 citations were issued for wheel violations
  • 8 citations were issued for defective tires
  • 18 citations were issued for lighting violations
  • 2 citations were issued for unsafe loads/cargo
  • 32 citations were issued for various mechanical violations
  • 3 vehicles were towed or impounded
  • 11 vehicles were placed out of service
 
For any questions regarding the checkpoint, please contact Officer Loucks or Officer Lynch with the Moreno Valley Police Department’s Commercial Enforcement Unit at 951.486.6900.
Make the Holidays Magical by Donating to Operation Holiday Cheer
Get your elf on and help spread holiday cheer in Moreno Valley!

The Moreno Valley Police Department is collecting donations for its annual Operation Holiday Cheer program to help Moreno Valley families in need have a happy holiday.

Donations of toys, gift cards, wrapping paper and bows can be dropped off at the Moreno Valley Police Department, 22850 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos.

Families wishing to apply to be a recipient of the Holiday Cheer Program can pick up an application at the Moreno Valley Police Department.

Help make the holidays magical for Moreno Valley families.

Afterschool Program Spreads Kindness through Million Deliberate Acts
Students in the City’s After School Education & Safety (ASES) program at La Jolla Elementary School kicked off the program’s participation in the Million Deliberate Acts Initiative with a kind gesture to their teachers.

The Riverside County Office of Education’s Million Deliberate Acts Initiative was created to encourage students, staff, community members, faith-based, and partner organizations to perform simple acts of kindness every day.

Students at La Jolla wrote a letter to a teacher they felt has had a meaningful impact in their lives.

The amount of positivity that we received was remarkable. Classrooms lit up with smiles and warm words.

The activity was intended to help brighten someone else’s day; however, the students quickly realized how much brighter acting kindly made their own day.

Students at other ASES locations across Moreno Valley will be participating in the Million Deliberate Acts Initiative to help hit one million deliberate acts.
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.


Toby (#A491156) is a sweet four-month-old Domestic Shorthair. He is a fun-loving and playful little kitten.


Please visit the Moreno Valley Animal Shelter located at 14041 Elsworth Street to inquire about adopting Toby 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.