City Manager's Report October 2023

• The City held its second design charrette week for the Historic Whittier Boulevard Revitalization Program where staff held a series of pop-up events, stakeholder trips, and a community-wide open house.
• The city and its consultants presented alternatives for the future roadway configuration on Whittier Boulevard in addition to development options with varied heights, densities and uses.
• Residents, business owners, and stakeholders provided the city with valuable feedback which will be incorporated into the draft Specific Plan and Multimodal Plan for Whittier Boulevard.

Office of Sustainability/PRIME

Bigbelly Smart Waste Bins Pilot Program

The City is excited to announce the launch of a Bigbelly Smart Waste Bins Pilot Program, which plans to install 50 smart waste bins throughout Smith Park this January 2024. This project has the primary goals of: 1) Meeting SB 1383 organic diversion mandates; 2) Improving operational efficiency; and 3) Furthering environmental stewardship.

Some of the expected benefits of this project are:

• Work towards meeting SB 1383 mandates of diverting organic waste disposal to a target of 75% by 2025.
• Improve aesthetics by replacing damaged, outdated bins.
• Eliminate trash overflow and reduce littering by fully enclosing waste bins.
• Reduce waste collections per month, which will increase operational efficiency by alleviating labor hours that can be dedicated to other maintenance needs (i.e., cleaning bathrooms, repairs, field maintenance, etc.).
• Further environmental stewardship by reducing annual waste to landfills by 69%; increasing recycling by 112%; decreasing the use of plastic bags by 86%; reducing vehicle miles traveled by 78%; and reducing carbon dioxide annually by 78%.

PRIME Power Choice Program

• The City is excited to announce the newly approved PRIME Power Choice program, a residential roof solar and battery program that aims to democratize solar equipment and participation, and reduce monthly energy bills for the Pico Rivera community.
• This program entails a partnership between Tesla and Participate Energy. Tesla will assess, design, install and maintain the equipment, while P.E. is responsible for the financials.
• The City, through PRIME, will lend its creditworthiness to PRIME customers, ensuring that participants benefit from no upfront costs and no credit checks; in other words, all residential PRIME customers will qualify.
• Residential solar is a self-generated renewable energy resource, and when paired with battery storage it creates a home back-up and emergency power system.
• Power Choice will give homeowners the freedom of affordable solar and battery storage for just $115 per month.
• Additionally, participants will secure consistent low energy prices of $0.145 kWh throughout the day and see significant savings in comparison to paying variable Time of Use (TOU) rates. PRIME customers can sign-up later this year through the Tesla website.

Community and Economic Development

Washington and Rosemead Boulevards Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan

The Washington and Rosemead Boulevards Transit Oriented Development Specific Plan will host its public scoping meeting for its upcoming Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The public is invited to join for a brief presentation on the project and provide comments on the scope of the information and analysis to be included in the (EIR).

• What: CEQA Scoping Meeting
• When: October 25, 2023 at 5:00 PM
• Where: Pico Rivera City Council Chambers, 6615 Passons Blvd, Pico Rivera CA, 90660

Clearman's Steak and Stein

• The 77-year-old Clearman’s Steak ‘N Stein Inn in Pico Rivera, known as “The Stein” by longtime diners, has undergone a design refresh and reopened on Friday, October 6.
• The remodel preserves the restaurant’s old-school ambiance while introducing more seating, a brand-new bar, and an updated layout.
• Some of the restaurant’s original 1946 design elements are also being restored. While the food menu remains largely the same, the Stein is introducing a slew of new cocktails to the beverage menu including an update on the classic Old Fashioned.

The restaurant business hours are:

• 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Thursday
• 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM, Friday through Saturday
• 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Sunday

Rise Apartments

• The Regional Bikeway Project's first phase has started. Please expect traffic delays when driving around Mines Avenue from Paramount Boulevard up to the east of Rimbank Avenue.
• Residents and commuters are encouraged to use alternate routes during construction. Construction will be completed in phases to limit the impacts on the residents and businesses.
• The project's overall goal is to provide a safe regional bicycle connection to existing trails, promote active transportation, promote stormwater quality, and beautify the community.
• In addition to the bicycle lanes, improvements within the project limits include pavement reconstruction, construction of bio-swales for stormwater capture, ADA improvements, traffic signal modifications at the intersections of Paramount Boulevard at Mines Avenue and Rosemead Boulevard at Mines Avenue, landscaping improvements, and signage.
• The Project will utilize sustainable native and drought-tolerant plants, shrubs, and trees to limit water usage. The project is anticipated to be completed in Summer 2024.

Rivera Park Gym Light Upgrade

• Rivera Park basketball gym has received interior lighting upgrades.
• The light fixture upgrades consisted of replacing existing lights with new LED fixtures, replacing aged electrical conduit and wiring, and replacing mounting harnesses.
• The new lighting upgrades aim to enhance visibility and have energy-saving benefits.
• These improvements will allow residents and visitors alike to enjoy our amenities for years to come.

PFAS Construction Update

• The annual Halloween Spooktacular will take place on Saturday, October 28th at Smith Park from 5:30 PM-8:30 PM Average attendance is over 7,500 patrons.

Veteran's Day Ceremony - November 13, 2023