Growth, public services and quality of life were the major themes at this year’s annual State of the County event, which took place Thursday at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula.
In speeches as well as video messages featuring aviation and special effects, members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors emphasized their efforts to improve access to public services as the population of Riverside County continues to expand.
“Riverside County covers an expansive and varied geography encompassing many diverse, rapidly growing communities with a wide range of public service needs,” District 3 Supervisor and Board Chair Chuck Washington said.
About 700 attendees gathered in the large ballroom to hear speeches from Washington, District 4 Supervisor V. Manuel Perez and County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen. The speakers struck a celebratory tone, touting recent improvements to infrastructure, public services and county finances among other positive changes during the previous year.
They also emphasized the board’s responsibility to keep up with the rapid pace of population growth, including through outreach to the members of disadvantaged communities, enhancing service delivery and continuing to build up cash reserves in case of future financial shocks.
“We need to become a county of customer service,” said Perez, noting the county’s special responsibility to alleviate poverty. “When we think about our services and programs, at the end of the day we are the safety net.
“We will create more opportunities and equity for all our communities, no matter who they are or where they come from,” he continued.
Van Wagenen emphasized Riverside County’s expanding population, which doubled in size between 1990 and 2020, citing a growth rate of 25,000 to 30,000 new residents per year.
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“That’s a city the size of Norco, Wildomar or Desert Hot Springs coming to our community every year,” he said. “We are now a big kid on the block.”
Van Wagenen laid out five countywide priorities — improving quality of life, achieving preparedness and resilience, seeking systemic equity in service access, maintaining fiscal stability and transforming methods of delivering public services — before introducing a new effort to increase access to public services.
“What we know, what you know, is that it’s difficult to navigate our services,” he said. “As a result, there’s poor access to our services, late identification of some of the early warning signs and, all too often, the outcomes are not what we’d want them to be.”
The county’s transformed model of public service delivery, called RivCo ONE, aims to shift from a “program-centric” to a “people-centric” approach, Van Wagenen said.
It will involve establishing a single hub where residents can access services. Workers at the hub will holistically assess residents’ needs, perform intensive case management and manage service provision through pooled staffing and dedicated navigators to help residents understand county programs.
According to Van Wagenen, approximately 40% of Riverside County residents receive “some level” of social services, though he noted that RivCo ONE was still a work in progress.
“We’re moving from the theory to the practice,” he said.
In addition to remarks from Washington, Perez and Van Wagenen, the event also featured a number of highly produced pre-recorded videos.
The event began with a lighthearted video-skit, replete with music cues and special effects, which depicted Washington climbing into a hot air balloon and soaring over Riverside County landmarks like Lake Elsinore and the Acrisure Arena. Viewing the county from above, Washington called down to the other supervisors, who greeted him on horseback, while driving a tractor and from behind the control panel of a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helicopter.
Each supervisor also presented a detailed video message describing their efforts to improve residents’ quality of life during the previous year. District 1 Supervisor Kevin Jeffries praised the Mead Valley Outdoor Marketplace, District 2 Supervisor Karen Spiegel celebrated the completion of the Mayor Berwin Hanna Memorial Bridge, and District 5 Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez highlighted a $3 million investment in heli-hydrants to help protect homes and businesses from fire.
“Riverside County is getting grown-up things done,” Washington said.
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