How one SoCal city rose above with the courage to move forward and the leadership to make it happen
For the past year, cities throughout the U.S. have been forced to shut down and reduce community services, many small businesses have closed forever, residents were isolated inside their homes and people had to adapt to a new normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the City of Eastvale’s forward-thinking COVID-19 strategy, the City successfully balanced the priority of following important health and safety precautions, as well as supporting businesses to safely remain open, staying accessible to the public and encouraging a healthy mindset for residents through uniting the community.
While caution and safety were necessary during this fluid situation, the ripple effects of the damage from the abrupt changes were devastating to communities. The City of Eastvale, one of Southern California’s fastest-growing and newest cities, made an intentional choice to adapt to the situation differently and quickly pivoted its operational strategies to meet the needs of its communities using creative approaches that reflected its entrepreneurial spirit.
“We had never operated all of our services virtually, but the City Hall Team, with direction from City Council, made it possible with courageous, creative, collaborative results and unconventional thinking that’s not generally seen in a government agency; we couldn’t afford to operate how it’s always been without resulting in a devastating impact on our community, who rely on our services,” said Bryan Jones, City Manager.