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December 13, 2023

Location: Canyon Crest Country Club                            Attendees = 73

This meeting summary aims to capture the essence of the meeting, condensing its content into a readable and actionable document. It serves as a valuable reference point for attendees and neighbors to recall discussions and decisions and to track progress on action items.

The Mission Grove Neighborhood Association held its final meeting of the year, celebrating its growth with almost 400 people on their email list. The participants were reminded of the meeting's conduct rules. The main speakers were mayoral candidates, including new entrant Jessica Qattawi, a local entrepreneur and owner of an ad agency. She gave her vision for Riverside, focusing on solving homelessness, alleviating financial burdens, supporting local businesses, and vetoing unjust city council decisions. The meeting also discussed, among other topics, the upcoming Police Academy course, development plans for the city's Kmart property, an initiative on autonomous electric vehicles, and changes to the city council operations. Future meetings with the city council candidates and an event with prizes sponsored by local merchants were also announced.

Topics discussed

  1. Mission Grove Neighborhood Association, Meeting, Email List, Buffet Dinner (00:00:28 - 00:03:54)
    The transcript is from the last meeting of the year of the Mission Grove Neighborhood Association. The meeting began with an acknowledgement of the association's growth, with almost 400 people now on their email list. The speakers encouraged more signups for updates about the city and county. They emphasized that anyone, including non-residents of Mission Grove and the city of Riverside, is welcome to attend their meetings. Gratitude was extended to the people who provided the meeting room for free. Attendees were encouraged to partake in the buffet dinner and bar available at the venue, as buying meals helps pay for the facility. Attendees were also reminded to sign in. The rules of conduct stated that participants should respect each other, raise their hands to speak, and use microphones provided. Questions after the meeting can be emailed for answers.

  2. "Dignitaries, Mayoral Candidates, Patricia Lock Dawson, Jessica Qattawi" (00:03:55 - 00:05:07)
    In the gathering, recognition was given to all attendees as dignitaries. The meeting's main speaker was the mayoral candidates; initially, there were three - the incumbent mayor and two challengers. However, one challenger was unreachable and possibly didn't finalize his paperwork. Therefore, Jessica Qattawi remains the sole challenger to the current mayor, Patricia Lock Dawson.  Jessica Qattawi, who runs an ad agency and marketing firm in Riverside, is entering the mayoral race for the first time. Qattawi, who also hosts a podcast, was introduced to the audience. Attendees were asked to be patient with her.  The Mayor, Patricia Lock Dawson had a scheduling conflict and could not attend the meeting.

  3. Public Meeting, Candidate Introduction, Internet Research, Election Platform (00:05:07 - 00:05:47)
    This is the first public meeting since Qattawi, officially became a candidate and was sworn in as a candidate recently. The organizers did not know much about her prior to the event, aside from internet research they conducted. The purpose of the meeting is for her to introduce herself, present her platform, and articulate why she is running for an unspecified position.

  4. Mayor Candidate, Speaking, Group, First Time (00:05:47 - 00:06:00)
    The mayoral candidate addressed a group for the first time and expressed gratitude for the opportunity, appreciating their presence that evening.

  5. Riverside Mayor Election, Jessica Qattawi's Candidacy, Social Media Marketing, Homelessness in Riverside (00:06:00 - 00:33:24)
    Jessica Qattawi, a local entrepreneur, shared her vision for the city of Riverside at a meeting held by the Mission Growth Neighborhood Association. As a mayoral candidate, Qattawi proposed innovative solutions to ongoing issues in Riverside, emphasizing her own background as a businesswoman and her insight into the struggles of local businesses. She lauded her experience, which ranged from founding the first social media marketing company in the Inland Empire to owning the Canyon Crest Winery. Qattawi also highlighted her philanthropic work and her podcast, which is dedicated to local nonprofits. As mayor, she aims to tackle the issue of homelessness, the financial burdens on residents, and the decline of local businesses. Qattawi proposed evaluating the city's financial resources to better address such issues, additionally suggesting a plan she refers to as the "homeless hub." She also vowed to veto unjust city council decisions and support additional police funding. Her campaign encourages residents to vote and to be proactive in shaping their city's future.

  6. Police Academy Course, Volunteer Work, Community Meetings, City Development Projects (00:33:26 - 01:27:23)
    The meeting covered multiple topics such as a forthcoming Police Academy course capped at 40 people and scheduled to launch in mid-January. Opportunities for attendants to volunteer post-course were entertained. Plans about developing the city's Kmart property and the forthcoming construction of a Panera drive-thru and a Starbucks were revealed. The necessity of business taxation, the city's autonomous electric vehicle initiative, and prospective changes to city council operations were also discussed. Plans for meetings with city council candidates were announced. An event with prizes, including a grand prize of a Lenovo laptop sponsored by Tectonics, was detailed. Despite initial difficulties, corporate support was secured for prizes. The organizer concluded the event with an appeal to attendees to promote an upcoming event featuring four county supervisor candidates.

Potential Actions

  • Encourage more people to sign up to the Mission Grove Neighborhood Association email list. [1]

  • Attend and partake in meals at Mission Grove meetings to help pay for the facility. [2]

  • Check out the Mission Grove map and understand more about the surrounding areas. [3]

  • Ensure that you sign the attendance sheet during the meeting. [4]

  • Direct any post-meeting questions via email for clarification or further discussion.

  • Give the new candidate a few minutes to introduce herself. [5]

  • Learn more about the candidate based on her introduction. [6]

  • Research and find more information about the candidate online. [7]

  • Understand her platform and why she is running for office. [8]

  • Hold another public meeting featuring the new candidate so that she can explain her platform. [9]

  • Jessica Qattawi needs to continue her campaign for Mayor, focusing on sharing her vision and drumming up support for the election on March 5th, 2024. [10][11][12]

  • Jessica and her team need to organize more speaking engagements and public appearances to connect with potential voters. [13][14][15]

  • Michael and the group R-now need to prepare comments for the environmental justice workshop happening December 19th at the Air Force museum. [16][17][18]

  • The Mission Growth Neighborhood Association needs to submit their application for city neighborhood engagement grants. [19][20][21]

  • The Association is planning to bring in members from the Citizens Police Academy for their meetings, so they need to organize and schedule these sessions. [22][23][24]

  • Interested participants need to send an email to express interest in joining the Police Academy course. [25][26][27]

  • Attend the Safety, Wellness, and Youth committee meeting on December 20th. [28][29][30]

  • Attend the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) meeting to learn more about the proposed tax on driving. [31][32][33]

  • Volunteers need to check out the mission and bylaws of the group posted by the Christmas tree and provide feedback. [34][35][36]

  • Sign up for the proposed volunteer training course for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which will focus on handling emergencies. [37]

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Video of December 13, 2023







 

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