by Breeanna Jent on 2015-01-14
The city's mayor and mayor pro tem took their seats officially following a swearing-in ceremony held at City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Mayor Jesse Molina and Mayor Pro Tem Yxstian Gutierrez were both voted by the council, each garnering a 3-2 vote, to serve in these capacities for a year term.
Molina was elected to the council in 2008 and represents the city's District 1. In 2012 he won re-election for a second term. Following the recall of former Mayor Tom Owings in June 2014, Molina had served in the interim until he was voted by the council in December 2014 following the November General Election to serve as the city's mayor.
After the performance of the National Anthem by the Moreno Valley Master Chorale, the swearing in ceremony began. Both Molina and Gutierrez took the oaths administered by City Clerk Jane Halstead and spoke briefly on their visions for the city.
"I sit here before you once again, humbled," Molina said, thanking the council for their votes.
Molina touched on the "great strides" the city has made, mentioning a balanced budget, a higher city credit rating, a higher job rate and lower crime rates. "We have achieved these positive outcomes by working together, and there's much more to be done," said Molina.
He asked the council and public to "maintain a positive attitude" by working together.
"With our collective hard work, positive thinking and optimistic attitude, we will achieve much this next year," he closed with thanks.
Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Yxstian Gutierrez also gave thanks and said he will work to fulfill the promises he made to constituents during his campaign, including working collaboratively with the council, staff and community on issues including job creation, regulation reduction for small business, improving infrastructure, support public safety and education, advocate for small business and homeowner-friendly programs and continue work with area nonprofits, among other goals.
"I will champion efforts for our staff to listen to the residents’ needs," Gutierrez said. "I’m goal-oriented and as your mayor pro tem, I will get things done."
Gutierrez first began his service as a councilmember when he was appointed to the Moreno Valley City Council in 2013 to represent District 4. In November's General Election he was elected by residents to serve as the District 4 representative and at the December 2014 swearing in ceremony was voted by his colleagues to serve as the mayor pro tem.
Gutierrez said the interests of residents were important and encouraged the public to contact him by phone or email.
"I'll be glad to meet with you," Gutierrez said.
Following the ceremony city residents, staff and council members enjoyed a reception hosted by the Moreno Valley Chamber of Commerce.
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Transcript notes:
Molina:
I sit here before you once again, humbled. I would like to thank my colleagues and friends on the council for once again putting their trust in me to serve as your mayor. It’s an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously.
With every new year, we make resolutions. My hope is that you will join me this year in resolving to adopt and maintain a positive attitude.
We’ve reached great strides and have much to be thankful for in Moreno Valley. Our budget is balanced, our credit rating is higher, our job rate is higher and our crime rates are lower. We have achieved these positive outcomes by working together, and there’s much more to be done.
And since this is the height of football championship season, I will quote a great football coach: Vince Lombardi. He said, “People who work together will win,” whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society. Also, one of this country’s greatest team-builders once said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” And that was Henry Ford, one of the persons that brought this country together in the industrial age.
And on this team includes Council and commission members, staff and all the residents, businesses and volunteers that serve to make our community a great place to live and work.
Some people have ??? that is negative. They treat and talk to others in negative ways. This is not constructive and it’s not helpful. With our collective hard work, positive thinking and optimistic attitude, we will achieve much this next year.
I’m looking forward to leading the city team forward and thanking everyone for your continued support.
Thank you very much.
Gutierrez:
Well I’m humbled to be here tonight, humbled by your presence as well. And, um, also, the confidence that the city council instilled in me demonstrating to select me as the mayor pro tem. I’m also honored to work beside Mayor Molina and this council and to move this city in a positive direction.
First and foremost, I want to thank my parents, my mom and dad, and also my aunt, and also the volunteers that came out tonight from the campaign. We all worked tirelessly and I am forever indebted to your efforts.
In the coming months, I will keep my campaign promises to our district and city. As mayor pro tem, I will continue to move this city forward by working collaboratively with our Mayor Molina, council, staff and community in focusing on the needs of our residents.
While serving on the council the last months, I have helped bring over 3,000 jobs to Moreno Valley. But that’s not enough. We need more jobs in our city. We still must place as a priority more jobs to Moreno Valley to lower the disparity between jobs and housing. Every citizen deserves the dignity of a job.
I will continue to advocate for job creation incentives to attract new businesses, reduce regulations for small businesses and improve our infrastructure like streets, advocate for our small business and homeowner-friendly programs and continue a dialogue with our non-profits to ensure that they are educated about the CBDG grant monies that are available to them.
At the same time, however, we need to continue to support our public safety. Public safety is the number one priority that we have as a city council according to the state constitution, so we need to search for more special grants and innovative ways, such as our city-wide camera program and community policing to hold down costs but maintain service levels.
Although major crimes are down – and that’s great – crime is never down for the victim, and we must remember that, so we need to continue to do a variety of things to continue to lower those crime rates. We must also concentrate police in unsafe neighborhoods and improve our quality of life by improving community relations, focusing our policing efforts in targeted areas, ensuring police funding and working with our faith-based communities to educate our youth and foster a positive atmosphere.
As your mayor pro tem, I promise you that I will continue to support the education of our youth throughout our city. Our youth are our future leaders so I will support them and I will also support our youth council and their endeavors to be the voice of the young adults and youth.
Additionally I look forward to championing the effort to bringing data-driven decision making in all that we do as a council. Data-driven decision making involves our city seeking input from our residents, like the vine(?) mixture program, about their needs and wants through surveys, interviews, focus groups, questionnaires. Several hundreds of cities are already ahead in the game with this, so they’re already seeking information from the public and the public can give their information to them and then they drive their decisions based on the data.
Using these methods I will champion efforts for our staff to listen to the residents’ needs. You know, in my council office I have a whiteboard hanging on my wall with my short-term goals and my long-term goals and I tell you this just because I’m goal-oriented and as your mayor pro tem, I will get things done.
There will be times, though, that I’m sure you will disagree with me, but please consider that I’m looking in the best interests of all the residents, not only now but in the future. This is why I encourage all the residents to share a cup of coffee with me, call me, text me. Message me. I’ll be glad to meet with you.
So ladies and gentlemen, I just want to end tonight by thanking you so much from the bottom of my heart, and God bless all of you and God bless this great city.