City, Police and Fire News

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City, Police and Fire News

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Rachel Tolber named Chief of Police, effective June 12

Official photo of newly appointed Police Chief Rachel Tolber

Redlands City Manager Charles Duggan has named Rachel Tolber the new Chief of Police for the Redlands Police Department. Tolber’s appointment will become effective Monday, June 12.

Tolber was named interim chief following the March 1 announcement that Chief Chris Catren would retire due to disability as the result of a work-related back injury. Catren’s retirement will become official on June 9.

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City accepting applications for Treasurer appointment

The City of Redlands is accepting applications for temporary appointment to fill the office of the City Treasurer. The appointee will hold office until the next General Municipal Election scheduled for November 2024. The term of the appointed City Treasurer is from the date of appointment to the date a newly elected City Treasurer is sworn in, which will occur in December 2024.

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New art celebrates historic Redlands event

Partial image of sculpture, Peloton Takes the Classic Curve

A 26-foot tall steel sculpture left a little town near Camp Pendleton in the fog and dark of night to arrive at the corner of Garden Street and Rossmont Drive as the sun rose Tuesday morning over Redlands.

City crews were waiting in a corner of a small park called Simond’s Parkway to install and hide the art.

“Peloton Takes the Classic Curve” was created by artist Kathleen King-Page to honor the historic and worldwide presence of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, which kicks off its 37th year April 12.

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Spend $10, get $10 with SNAP/EBT at Morning Market

The new Downtown’s Morning Market starting March 4 will accept SNAP/EBT benefits for fruits and vegetables from any certified farmer in our market. Customers using SNAP/EBT benefits can also benefit from Market Match to double food dollars, dollar-for-dollar up to $10 per day!

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City Attorney Dan McHugh announces his retirement

After 28 years as the principal legal advisor to the City Council, the City Manager and all City operations, Dan McHugh has announced his retirement as City Attorney, effective before the end of the fiscal year.

McHugh was appointed as the City Attorney in 1994 and has served with 18 separate City Councils and seen more than 20 Council Members sworn in over that time.

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Help us understand COVID’s effects on your business
Take our survey

The City of Redlands is reaching out to local businesses to better understand the lingering effects of COVID-19 on the businesses community. The primary goal of the survey is to gather information that the City will use to determine what the needs are and how the City can help.

Please take 5-10 minutes to complete this survey.

Thank you for your participation!

https://www.cityofredlands.org/sbs

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Community invited to submit Council redistricting maps

Members of the public interested in submitting draft maps as part of Redlands’ City Council redistricting process can now access online tools on the City’s website for creating maps. In addition, information from the 2020 Census showing demographic changes in the current City Council districts is also available.

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Redlands Police raising funds again for Heroes and Helpers

The Redlands Police Community Foundation (RPCF) is currently raising funds for the annual Heroes and Helpers to take deserving local students on a holiday shopping spree.

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Virtual visioning workshops scheduled to create Strategic Plan

The City of Redlands continues to seek community input in the process of preparing a Six-Year Strategic Plan. This resulting Strategic Plan will establish the City’s mission and values and guide the City’s course over the next six years and help align funding with values and priorities. 

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Residents invited to learn about redistricting and share ideas

The City of Redlands invites residents and community members to learn about redistricting and share their ideas about how shifts in population might affect the boundaries of the five City Council districts based on 2020 Federal Census data.

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Redlands City Council meetings to reopen to public

For the first time since March 2020, meetings of the Redlands City Council will be open to in-person attendance by members of the public beginning with the July 6 meeting.

In response to public health restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council imposed restrictions last year, first limiting public attendance to allow for social distancing at the March 17, 2020, meeting and then closing the meetings to public attendance beginning in April 2020.

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As heat wave hits, cooling Centers will be open this week

In response to a local heat advisory from the National Weather Service, the City of Redlands will offer Cooling Center hours for the public at the Redlands Community Senior Center and the Joslyn Senior Center.

During days when temperatures are expected to reach at least 100 degrees, the Redlands Community Senior Center, 111 W. Lugonia Ave., and the Joslyn Senior Center, 21 Grant St., will open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Designated cooling areas will be available and occupancy will be restricted to encourage social distancing.

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Same day COVID-19 vaccinations are available at Redlands Community Hospital

Redlands Community Hospital has online COVID-19 Vaccination Registration. Immediate appointments are available. Once your registration is confirmed, you will be contacted to schedule your appointment.

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Emergency rent relief soon available for county residents

San Bernardino County has established the San Bernardino County Rent Relief Partnership, an emergency rental assistance program that will leverage more than $46.8 million in federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 funds to provide rental and utility assistance to county residents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The County has teamed up with Inland SoCal 211+ (ISC211) to administer the San Bernardino County RRP, which will provide up to 12 months of rental arrears and/or prospective rent payments, as well as utility arrears and prospective assistance. 

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City seeks public input on General Plan Housing Element

The City of Redlands has begun updating the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan. The current Housing Element details the City’s housing goals from the year 2013 through 2021 and must be updated every eight years.

The Housing Element performs the following functions:

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Redlands residents warned against utility payment scam

The City of Redlands wishes to warn residents about a phone scam reported by a City water utility customer recently.

A resident contacted the City’s Customer Service office this week to report multiple phone calls from a local telephone number demanding payment of past due utility bills and threatening to disconnect the customer’s water service if the bill is not paid immediately.

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Smiley Library closes in-person services through Jan. 4, 2021

As a result of new State public health orders and increased COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Inland Empire, the Board of Trustees of the A.K. Smiley Public Library voted unanimously Tuesday, Dec. 8, to suspend in-person library services through at least Jan. 4, 2021.

“We regret having to take this step and are hopeful that conditions will allow us to resume in-person services sometime early in the new year,” said Board of Trustees President Bill Hatfield.

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City Hall, facilities to close for holiday season

Most Redlands City Hall administrative offices will be closed beginning Monday, Dec. 21, reopening Monday, Jan. 4. Essential City services, including public safety, Code Enforcement, water distribution and solid waste collection will be in full operation. The City Manager, Assistant City Manager, department directors, City Attorney, Public Information Officer and other executive staff will continue to monitor operations, provide appropriate staff direction and respond to emails and messages as necessary.

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Stationary COVID-19 test site to open at University of Redlands

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health will open a new stationary COVID-19 testing site at the University of Redlands University Hall beginning Nov. 30. The Department of Public Health is currently taking appointments for the site.

Free testing for the coronavirus will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the campus, located at 1200 E. Colton Ave. The site has capacity for up to 800 appointments a day.

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City begins preparations to implement Measure T in spring 2021

With the apparent passage of Measure T, the City of Redlands has begun preparations for next year’s implementation of the one percent local sales tax.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the Nov. 3 ballot measure passed with more than 57 percent of the vote to approximately 43 percent of votes against. The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters is expected to certify the election results in December.