Mayor's Corner: Significant progress in 2023
Hello Downey,
Our city continues to make significant progress. I am happy to report 32 (thirty-two) miles have been paved during the first quarter of 2023. Many of you continue to express concern over the condition of streets in and around your neighborhoods.
During my first year as Mayor in 2021, the council voted unanimously to invest over $30 million on infrastructure improvements (street rehabilitation and repaving) over the next few years. I realize many streets have not been repaved in 25-30 years, and believe me, we will get to your street. I thank you for your patience in advance as there will be disruptions and intermittent street closures as these streets get rehabilitated. Certainly, the abundance of rain we have received this winter has made it challenging to complete some projects within the scheduled timeframes. How do we prioritize streets throughout our city you may ask? The city has a Street Repaving Management Plan that guides the prioritization of streets and neighborhoods throughout our city.
I had the pleasure of welcoming Governor Gavin Newsom to Downey last weekend as he announced California will take the lead in slashing insulin prices by entering a 10-year partnership with Civica, to manufacture insulin and reduce prices by 90%, to $30 dollars a vial. This is good news for the people of California and certainly residents of Downey. People should not have to choose between providing for their families and obtaining life-saving medication.
We also had a mayor’s roundtable with our newly elected Assemblywoman Blanca Pacheco. Mayors representing her district met in Downey to discuss issues of concern and legislative priorities, including housing, fentanyl, and homelessness. I want to extend my gratitude to Assemblymember Pacheco’s office and Cal Cities for bringing us together to discuss our priorities.
Update on Fire Station #4
I have continued to hear from residents of District-4 about their frustration and displeasure at the ongoing delays with the reopening of the fire station. The contractor is ready to install a new roof, unfortunately the heavy rains have continued to delay the project. We will need two weeks without rain for the roof completion. The new timeline for occupancy and re-opening is end of April.
Community/Economic Development
Businesses and residential developments continue to flock to our city. Currently, there are thirteen (13) large projects in Planning and year-to-date, there have been 3,164 residential and commercial plan checks completed. As Mayor, I am engaged, collaborating with staff looking to attract new businesses and/or developments to empty spaces. It is an ongoing process, and I am grateful to have our new City Manager Roger Bradley who will be directing staff on several great opportunities. We are pursuing Sprouts and staff continue to work with our business community to bring quality developments to our city.
Public Safety, Community Engagement & Speed Enforcement
The Downey Police Department continues to conduct speed enforcement activities throughout our city and look for illegal street racing and individuals utilizing empty parking lots/areas to do donuts. Drivers involved in street racing will have their vehicles impounded and will face steep fines. Year-to-date, seven vehicles were impounded because of street racing activities. I would like to encourage our residents to get involved with the Neighborhood Watch program. Currently, we have over 230+ groups throughout our city. To find out more information or to apply, please contact Neighborhood Watch Coordinator Stephanie Arroyo at (562) 904-2374 or sarroyo@downeyca.org.
Also, the next Coffee with a Cop event is taking place on Tuesday, March 28 from 8am-10am at the Starbucks located on 7954 Imperial Hwy.
Downey’s anti-litter campaign #BINIT, this campaign started during my first Mayoral year in 2021 and continues strong. Residents may call CalMet/Athens services at 562.259.1239 to arrange a bulky item pick up. Additional important numbers to save on your phones:
• Graffiti Hotline: (562) 923-4484
• Abandoned Shopping Carts: (800) 252-4613
• Illegal Dumping: (562) 904-7194
The Keep Downey Beautiful Clean Ups continue to bring together residents who want to make a change and help beautify our city. The next clean-up is scheduled for 9 am on Saturday, April 8 at the Quick-Shor located at 13217 Laurendale Avenue
Community Engagement
We had a busy Saturday last week, the city was proud to host the TLC 5K last Saturday and I was happy to join my council colleagues, Hector Sosa, Timothy Horn, and our new City Manager Roger Bradley.
We also had the annual Step into Spring Street Faire organized by the Downey Chamber of Commerce and Downey Patriot. Several hundred people attended and close to 150 booths were present. Thank you to all that made the event a success.
I will continue to work diligently for our city in 2023. I look forward to seeing you at my first Coffee with the Mayor on Thursday, March 23 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center 6pm-8pm
Our City of STEM festival kicks off its month-long celebration on April 1st at the State Historic Park near Downtown LA. This year’s event will be done in partnership with the Los Angeles Public Library and Maker Faire. Mark your calendars for this great event.
Please Save the Date and join me for this year’s One Day of Service on Saturday, April 22 at 9am in our Civic Center as we dedicate three hours to clean up our Downey!
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 49th Mayor. Please contact my office with any questions or concerns at 562-904-7274 or email me at cfrometa@downeyca.org. Also, look for Mayor Frometa’s 90 Second Round up every two weeks! I welcome appointments for in-person visits. You can also follow my Facebook page for regular updates at Claudia M. Frometa Mayor, City of Downey, along with our City’s Facebook page, City of Downey Government Agency, for regular updates. Please also download the Downey App on your mobile device. Through this App, you can immediately report illegally dumped items, street repairs, trash, graffiti removal, neighborhood light repairs, etc.
#DowneyStrong #EngagedCommunitiesAreStrongCommunities #ThisIsDowney #CityofDowney #OperationRestoreOrder #MayorFrometa
Claudia M. Frometa
Mayor