UCR School of Public Policy's video: Councilmember Ronaldo Fierro: The Local Role in Economic Recovery

For the past two months, local governments have been tasked with the largely unprecedented role of not only responding in real-time to a quickly growing global pandemic but figuring out a path towards recovery. In the City of Riverside, City leaders have had an eye on relief and recovery since the very early stages of the pandemic, understanding the deep and painful economic effects the health crisis would have on the general public. Early on, the Riverside City Council quickly enacted significant relief measures, including a utility shut-off ban, a suspension of collection of all fees owed to the City, and an eviction moratorium to keep families in their homes and help shuttered businesses keep their storefronts. Now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, albeit a dim light at that. The general public has reached a breaking point and the State of California is slowly reopening the economy and easing health restrictions, with the knowledge that a resurgence of the virus will force localities to pull back. With little leadership from the Federal Government and a slightly decentralized approach by the Governor of California, the local role is more impactful than ever in economic recovery. With the sixth most cases and deaths out of 482 cities in California, Riverside officials are now tasked with the role of carefully balancing irreversible economic impacts of staying shut down and the very real threat to public health that COVID-19 imposes on the public. Councilmember Fierro discusses the City of Riverside’s approach and help envision what a “new normal” in Riverside will look.