Tag Archives: Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma

Enjoy A Day At The Park

By Mayor Bootsma

July is Parks month and I encourage you to enjoy the warm weather at Eastvale’s beautiful parks. There are currently 13 parks in the City of Eastvale that account for approximately 250 acres of open space in our community.

Grab your pup and head over to American’s Heroes Park, 6608 Hellman Ave., for lunch and a playdate at the Dog Park.  With amenities for the whole family including a sheltered picnic area, playground area and agility equipment in the dog park, its perfect for a warm spring BBQ.

Have small children? Take them to Cedar Creek Park, 6709 Cedar Creek Road, which was designed with small children in mind. Kids are able to enjoy playing in the child play area or cool off at the splash pad in the water play area.

Harada Heritage Park, 13099 65th Street, is the largest park in the City of Eastvale with amenities including a skate park, fields for all different sports, a picnic and barbecue area, covered shelter and children’s play equipment. You could spend the season hitting softballs, practicing lay-ups, or dribbling a ball down the soccer field. Afterward, relax in the covered picnic area and enjoy a meal outside.

Unplug this summer and check-into one of our 13 beautiful parks. For a full list of parks, visit the City’s website at http://www.eastvaleca.gov.

Eastvale: Restoration of Vehicle License Fee Funds Still In Limbo

BY GLENN FREEMAN

Eastvale – The fate of a legislative bill expected to restore Vehicle License Fees (VLF) to four Riverside County cities remains in limbo, though recent activity indicates it’s again progressing through the legislature. However, at least one of the four cities – Eastvale – has essentially thrown in the towel.
Sponsored by California Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), Senate Bill 69 replaces a similar bill (SB56) that previously stalled in the legislature. Last May, SB69 passed the state senate and proceeded to the state assembly, where the bill awaits a final vote.
The bill proposes to move an estimated $18 to $19 million in property tax money normally marked for education to the four Riverside County cities. It stems in part from a 2011 decision by California lawmakers – via SB89 – to shift millions in vehicle license fee funds from cities as part of the prison realignment process that shifted these costs from the state to counties. The shifting of VLF funds was done to help counties absorb these new costs. However, the funds came from those normally given to cities, removal of which greatly impacted newer municipalities that typically rely heavily upon VLF funds.
Locally, the four cities most affected by the shifting of VLF funds were Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Wildomar, and Menifee, all of which have incorporated since 2008. The four cities have worked for the past two plus years – sharing a lobbyist – in trying to get the funds restored.
Eastvale, however, recently decided not to renew its contract with the lobbyist, saying doing so was “throwing good money at bad. We have better uses for that money,” Mayor Ike Bootsma told The Press-Enterprise. Bootsma says he’s not optimistic that if SB69 passes, that Governor Brown will sign it, thus the City is not counting on restoration of the lost funds.
Michele Nissen, Public Information Officer for Eastvale, says City officials have been prudent in their budgeting without relying on the VLF funds.
“We have been very conservative in our budget decisions (past, present and future) and have not counted on getting the VLF money back. The major impact to the City is that the loss of VLF money takes away our ability to provide more police officers and other services,” said Nissen.
In particular, the loss of VLF funds was hardest on Jurupa Valley, which was the last of the four cities to incorporate in 2011, just two days after the shifting of VLF funds by the state. The new city lost nearly half of its general fund budget during its first year. It has since cut expenses and delayed some payments to Riverside County. But without restoration of the VLF funds, the city expects to run out of money by July 2015. As a precaution, city officials reluctantly began the lengthy disincorporation process this past January.
However, other options to make up the lost monies – including a possible public vote for an annual assessment on property – are also under review. It is unknown at this time whether either option will save Jurupa Valley from potential disincorporation.

Eastvale: City Council Recap 04.29.14

BY TIANA GOEGEBUER

At the April 9 City Council meeting for Eastvale, Council members Ric Welch, Jeff DeGrandpre, and Bill Link were present, as well as Mayor Pro Tem Adam Rush and Mayor Ike Bootsma. Julie Velasquez, the first Student Liaison to the City Council, was also present. The invocation was led by Pastor Dennis Morales from Calvary Chapel. Two presentations were given by Waste Management. First, the Recycle All Star Awards were given to two local families and one business for their positive recycling habits during 2013. Second, a Recycle Bank Program update was provided.

During the Public Comment/Citizen Participation section of the meeting, Curtis Seymour from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints offered to help provide volunteers from the church to assist in various community service activities in the City. Dickie Simmons expressed his desire to continue open-forum events at the Town Hall meetings for entities who provide service to the community, and for citizens who wish to converse with City leaders in a casual manner. He went on to request that the City take over the Town Hall meetings and publicize them on the City notification website, so as to better inform the community about upcoming meetings. Finally, Kelly Howell requested that the City be conservative in their staffing.

On the Consent Calendar, Item 5.1 was approved 5-0; and Item 5.2 was approved 4-0-1, with Adam Rush abstaining due to his absence at the March 26 meeting.

In the Public Hearings section, Item 6.1 was discussed and involved Project No. 12-0750. There were three main aspects of the project: a change of zone, a major development review, and associated improvements. The Council moved to approve the project 4-1, with Welch voting no.

There were no Old Business items, so the meeting moved to New Business, as follows: Item 8.1 – The Council members moved to continue the Appointment of a Planning Commissioner to the Economic Development Committee to the next meeting under the condition that the three nominees would be present. It was approved 4-1 with DeGrandpre voting no; Item 8.2 – The Council members reviewed a Code Enforcement PowerPoint; Item 8.3 – The Policy for Considering General Plan Amendments was approved 5-0; and Item 8.4 – The Council approved the Cost Allocation Plan and OMB-A-87 Plan, 5-0.

The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m. with closing statements from the Council.

The April 23 City Council meeting began promptly at 6:30 p.m., with all members of City Council present. The invocation was led by Pastor Ed Moreno from New Day Christian Church. New Student Liaison, Julia Vasquez, was introduced to the Council. Julia will serve as Liaison through August. She is a senior at Roosevelt High School, as well as the current ASB president. The Eastvale Fire Department introduced their new Fire Inspector, Ken King, and there was a small presentation by Wildan Financial regarding the new Market Tax Credits.

The Council presented Eastvale Police Chief, Captain Danny Feltenberger, with a proclamation to thank him for his service to the City. Feltenberger will be heading to the Riverside County Gang Task Force and will be replaced with former Eastvale Police Chief, Captain Jason Horton, effective May 1.

All items on the Consent calendar were approved.

The highlight of the evening came from the presentation on the Leal Property. Eric Norris, Eastvale Planning Director, gave the presentation highlighting the City’s move toward a more flexible plan with input from property owner, Brad Leal. Leal gave a brief presentation. Councilmember Ric Welch questioned what the City has paid for, as it seemed that the Vision Plan wasn’t as far along as he thought and there seemed to still be a large amount of disagreement. Leal made it clear that he was in agreement with all aspects of the new vision plan with the exception of the high density housing. After a brief discussion and further explanation from Norris, the Council voted to approve the progression of the plan creation by staff, reflecting the new land use ideas.

In the new business section of the meeting, Mayor Ike Bootsma was appointed to the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) Executive Committee. Planning Commissioner, Larry Oblea, was appointed to the Economic Development Committee after some discussion and debate. The idea to possibly add another member of the Planning Commission to the Economic Development Committee was discussed and will be looked into at a future meeting. Joe Tessari and Karen Patel were also nominated. The City also approved a request for proposal for Eastvale Entryway Monument signs. Although there isn’t any funding for them at this time, City Manager, Carol Jacobs, hopes to put the estimated $40,000 cost into the 2014/2015 budget consideration under general funds. .

There was not a City Manager report. Julia Vasquez, the new Student Liaison gave an update. She spoke about her concern for the traffic on Scholar Way and would like to see the Walk to School Program expanded and extended. She has met with her high school principal as well as School Board member, Bill Newberry, about some ideas for an incentive program to encourage local children and high schoolers to walk to school to help ease traffic congestion.

The meeting adjourned around 8:15 p.m. with closing statements from Council.

 

 

EASTVALE – Positive Outlook at Eastvale’s State of the City

The City of Eastvale Staff and Council Photo Courtesy: SD Images

The City of Eastvale Staff and Council
Photo Courtesy: SD Images

BY: JENNIFER MADRIGAL

Eastvale – The Eastvale Chamber of Commerce presented “Eastvale’s 3rd Annual State of the City” to a packed and excited crowd on March 27. The event started off with a reception, catered by Five Star Catering, that included fruit, desserts and a large chocolate fountain. Guests were able to mingle and snack on all the delicious food while looking at various business booths. Representatives from Waste Management, The Gas Co., the Corona-Norco Unified School District, Eastvale’s San Antonio Medical Center, Allegra Marketing and others were on hand to welcome members of the community and share their products and services with them. At the conclusion of the reception, guests were seated in the auditorium of Roosevelt High School for the presentation.

The State of the City was opened with an invocation from Pastor Rick Morris of The Crossings Church. The presentation of colors was done by Boy Scout Troop 2012. Joel Seigler, Chairman of the Board of the Eastvale Chamber of Commerce, began the presentation and thanked all the sponsors for their dedication to this event and to our wonderful city.

After Seigler’s presentation, City Manager, Carol Jacobs, took the stage. According to Jacobs, “We may be a small city, but we get the job done.” Jacobs talked about revenue neutrality being a critical success to the future of Eastvale. In 2013, this revenue allowed the City to purchase land for a second fire station, start a medic unit, increase our police presence, add a fire protection specialist and save the City $33 million over the next 30 years by renegotiating contracts. With a large portion of the general fund coming from sales tax revenue, the amount of sales tax that went to our general fund grew this year from $5,353,575 to $5,720,377, an increase of 6.9%. Jacobs went on to explain that for the third year in a row, Eastvale has a balanced budget. She reminded citizens that, “Sales tax revenue continues to grow. Every dollar you spend here helps us help you”.

Mayor Ike Bootsma then took the stage to deliver his speech. He thanked everyone involved in running the City and spoke about the busy year that Eastvale had with all of the new construction. He then listed the names of new businesses that have opened or will open soon in Eastvale. “Small business owners and entrepreneurs are the backbone of our City”, Bootsma said. He also spoke about the different commissions that the City has, such as the Planning Commission, and the Public Safety Commission.

“The purpose of the Public Safety Commission is to provide the City with recommendations on dealing with things like Neighborhood Watch. The Planning Commission advises the City on land use and much more,” Bootsma said. He added that, “Eastvale is a new City, so there will be many capital improvement projects.” Public safety is the biggest priority for the City and Bootsma believes that, “If we all work together, we can improve traffic safety around the schools”.

Eastvale: An Interview With Mayor Ike Bootsman

By Jennifer Madrigal

Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma

Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma (image courtesy of Google Images)

Q:  What do you feel is the City’s Biggest Challenge for 2014?

A:  “Our biggest challenge is economic development and bringing new businesses into our city.  We need customers, but we also need businesses and it’s kind of a Catch 22. We have to convince businesses to come into our city because we already do have the customer base needed to support them. Things like “Shop Eastvale” have helped since so much of our city income comes from the sales tax. I also hope that we can get some more industrial business parks and office spaces here in Eastvale so more residents can live, work and shop in Eastvale.”

Q:  What is your number one goal for the City this year?

A:  “Definitely increasing the money we get from sales tax via promoting Shop Eastvale, bringing businesses here, getting more residents in our city and others outside of our city to shop here.”

Q:  What feels great about Eastvale to you?

A:  “The parks.  We have so many great parks and facilities around us and I love how many people are involved in the parks and sports. Kids are participating in sports and using the trails and the equipment and it’s nice that so many local sport programs have the facilities right here available to them. I am so excited for the new Eastvale Community Park to open up and for the community to enjoy those soccer fields and the jogging trails, etc.  Hopefully we will be able to get more regional tournaments here which will help us economically as well.”

Q:  How long have you been here in Eastvale? What’s your history with the City?

A.      “I was born and raised five miles from here in Chino, on a dairy that was one of the first dairies in the Chino Valley area founded in 1938. I moved to the Eastvale area in 1974 and started the Bootsma Calf Ranch with my brother. At one point we had about 8,500 head of cattle. My wife, Squeaker, and I have called Eastvale home ever since.  We have enjoyed watching the city grow and expand.