Happy New Year Downey!

Being on the City Council has truly been a rewarding experience and I am looking forward to serving as your Mayor.  I want to thank everyone who attended my swearing-in ceremony in December and to outgoing Mayor Rick Rodriguez for his service. I definitely have big shoes to fill. 

It is my pleasure to be selected by my council colleagues to serve as the Mayor for 2020, and I want to thank you for having the confidence in me. This is an exciting time for Downey, as it has been well over a decade since we’ve had a female Mayor and this is the first time Downey has had a Latina Mayor. 

Also, equally as monumental is that this will be the first time that we’ve had two females serving as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem in Downey.  I am looking forward to serving with Mayor Pro Tem Claudia M. Frometa and making it a historic year.  

This year will continue to be an extremely busy year in our city. You will continue to see improvements on local streets, city parks and city facilities from projects planned from the year five year capital improvement plan and Measure S. Measure S is a ½ cent sales tax that was approved by 63% of the voters in 2016.  It is expected to generate approximately $10.2 million for Fiscal Year 2019-2020.   

This marks the 50th anniversary of the Downey Civic Theatre. With funding made available through Measure S, we are conducting a complete renovation of the theatre plaza to create a vibrant public gathering place for patrons and visitors. 

The theater’s perimeter wall will have new art display alcoves. The entrance from the Civic Center parking lot will have a new ADA drop-off area and new ramp. There will be an elevator installed to connect the plaza to the second floor of the theatre.New landscaping will be put in including majestic 30 foot tall palm trees. The star of the renovation will be a circular infinity fountain to display a unique “Tree of Life” sculpture.  

A celebratory event, “Imagine! Downey ~ 50th Anniversary of the Downey Theatre” will celebrate the theatre’s history, the vibrant arts in Downey and looking to the future of the theatre. This open house event will be held on April 18th from 3 pm to 8 pm and will be free to the public. 

There will be indoor and outdoor activities including live music and performances with strolling entertainment in the newly renovated patio and plaza. A ribbon cutting and dedication with the Downey Chamber of Commerce will open the event. Multiple art exhibits are to be featured in the lobby and upstairs gallery, arts & crafts area for kids, beer & wine garden in the patio area and food trucks invited on 2nd Street.  

The theatre stage will be programmed with various vignettes with a wide range of local community talent including the Southern California Dance Theatre Ballet, the Downey Symphony, Downey High School Drama department, a medley of musical theatre songs paying homage to the Downey Civic Light Opera, the Downey Children’s Theatre and the Downey Teen Theatre.

The patio stage will include a special performance by Downey’s own, The Blasters, Te Varua Ori ~ high energy Polynesian dance troupe and more. Join us as we celebrate this special occasion!

To continue the tradition of giving back to the community, we will hold our third One Day of Service event on April 25th at 9 am at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. With our busy lives, it can be hard to find time to volunteer. However, this day gives us an opportunity to come out and help for a worthy cause.  

For more information or to sign up please visit the city’s website or call 562-904-7284. I look forward to seeing our residents, businesses and local service groups in attendance.  

This year our Public Works Department will be holding a Touch-a-Truck event at Independence Park. Come learn about the emergency vehicles, transport vehicles, tow trucks, public health and safety trucks and buses that service our city. Children will get a chance to climb inside, honk horns, and flash the lights. Plus, you can interact with the men and women who drive these amazing trucks and learn all about their jobs. 

There will be crafts, games and educational exhibits that the whole family can enjoy. There will also be the opportunity to explore the many booths of businesses, organizations and clubs that are dedicated to improving our quality of life. Lastly food trucks will be onsite for food purchase so bring your picnic blankets and enjoy our city park.  Event will be held on May 9th from 10 am to 2 pm. 

The next Ride & Stride event will take place on May 17th. With funding made possible through a grant from METRO, our local streets will be transformed into safe open spaces for thousands of residents and visitors to ride their bikes, walk and play and spend quality time with family, friends and neighbors. 

This is a great event, as it gets our community active and healthy. There will be food vendors, music, and fun activities for everyone to enjoy. This year the Downey Chamber of Commerce will hold their Annual Street Faire on the same day. More information about both events will follow. 

Every summer we hold our Summer Concerts Series at Furman Park. For an exciting change this year we plan to add family games and activities. Expect fun games like bean bag toss, jenga and connect four. Along with the food vendors and music entertainment, this summer already looks to be something to look forward to. 

I also plan to bring back the Mayor’s Movie Night at the Columbia Memorial Space Center.  Last year’s first event was a huge success. This year we will again have food vendors and a family friendly movie, but also plan to incorporate the Girls in Stem program. 

My Mayor’s Award for this year will be the “Mayor’s Impact Award”.  Every person adds to the greatness within our community yet there are certain individuals whose contributions in improving the quality of life of Downey residents are particularly noteworthy. 

I want to recognize those individuals who have made an impact in your life. This could be another resident in the community or a Downey city employee who has made an impact. The recipient of the Mayor’s Impact Award will be recognized at a city council meeting for their exceptional service to the Downey community through outstanding volunteerism, an act of heroism, mentorship, or any other display of strong community partnership which has had an impact in the quality of life of Downey residents. 

For a nomination form, please visit downeyca.org.

Lastly, I am launching the Mayor’s Instagram Photo Contest. There will be different themes introduced and will change per season. Simply take a picture depicting the current theme. Upload it to your Instagram with the current hashtag and follow us @cityofdowney.  

For more information please visit downeyca.org/instacontest.

I look forward to a great year!

Blanca Pacheco

Mayor

562-904-7274

bpacheco@downeyca.org