November 2016
WRCOG BEYOND Framework Fund Program
WRCOG launched the BEYOND Program in 2015 to aid our member agencies with improving the quality of life in Western Riverside County by advancing sustainability in the areas of health, education, economic development, transportation, water, and the environment.  The first round of BEYOND kicked-off in January 2016, funding a total of 32 projects, many of which are underway or already completed.  Please read on to learn about our earliest BEYOND success stories! 
Perris Green City Farm

Perris Green City Farm : With support from WRCOG, Eastern Municipal Water District, Riverside University Health System, the Boys and Girls Club of Perris, and more, the City of Perris has completed Phase 1 of a community garden demonstration center on the City Hall  campus.  This phase is part of a long-range vision of an edible garden to facilitate horticultura l  and nutrition education.  The garden demonstrates a variety of produce growing systems ideal f or small areas or urban settings and opened April 23rd in conjunction with the 2016 Community Health and Wellness Fair.
 
Temecula Emergency Management Video Vignette : In an effort to harness technology to support the City's Public Safety Element, Temecula created an emergency management video to clarify the roles of citizens and various city responders during a catastrophic event.  The video first aired on local television, but has since been uploaded to YouTube and can now be viewed by anyone here. 
 
Moreno Valley Employment Resource Center (ERC): Initially launched with limited resources as part of the Hire MoVal initiative combating unemployment following the 2008 recession, the City jumped at the opportunity to reinvigorate the ERC with BEYOND funding.  The newly renovated and relaunched ERC now houses 38 new computers and a beautiful work space to provide integral services including resume assistance, workshops, and job listings.  Visit the ERC website for more information on their programming. 
 
Lake Elsinore Rosetta Canyon Community Park Artificial Turf Installation : In 2015, the City of Lake Elsinore took on the $7 million Rosetta Canyon Community Park improvements project.  The 21.6 acre park project included the installation of a two-story concession and restroom facility, gazebos, a tot lot, jogging track, clock and cell tower, upgraded dog park, community garden, and six sports fields.  The City applied it's BEYOND funding toward the installation of high grade artificial turf for the sports fields which the City anticipates will attract major tournament events, spurring economic development, in addition to boasting high water efficiency.  The park re-opened earlier this month and is open for play 7 days a week.  
 
For more information on BEYOND, please visit BEYOND online or contact Andrea Howard at [email protected] . 
Regional Streetlight Program demonstration areas allow residents to weigh in on streetlight preferences
WRCOG is working with jurisdictions in the subregion to help them purchase nearly 63,000 SCE-owned streetlights and then retrofit the old sodium lamps with efficient and energy-saving LED lights. The plan will help jurisdictions save millions in annual utility costs while also improving the look and safety of the communities during the evenings. In conjunction with the City of Hemet, WRCOG has established five Streetlight Demonstration Areas to showcase different types of LED streetlights.  These LED streetlights vary in brightness, color, street coverage, and other characteristics.  
 
The first two (of four) guided tours of the demonstration areas occurred on November 10th and 14th.  The next two tours are scheduled for November 29th and December 7th.  Residents can also tour the areas by themselves and take a survey (while scanning QR codes on individual light poles).  Below is a map of the tour route and images from the first two tours.

Streetlight Test Program: Source Press Enterprise
 
Streetlight presentation in Hemet

Elected officials, jurisdictional staff, public safety officials, community stakeholders, and residents are encouraged to attend and participate in a survey to weigh in on likes and dislikes.  Survey results will be used to help inform the decision-making process regarding which lights to select for the subregion.
 
For more information or to register for the guided tours, please contact Anthony Segura at [email protected]. 
Western Riverside Energy Leader Partnership activities
H emet and Moreno Valley recognized for energy savings: The Climate Re g i st ry h olds an annual awards ce remony called the Cool Planet Awards that recognizes the valued contribution of Southern California Edison (SCE) customers for their outstand ing leade rship in energy and c arbon management within their respective organ izations.
From left to right: Joanna Chang, SCE; Steve Wolny, City of Hemet, Anthony Segura, WRCOG

WRCOG congratulates the Cities of Hemet and Moreno Valley for receiving awards for thei r dedication in the energy field!  Both recipients of the award are members of SCE's Energy Leader Partnership and have conducted various energ y audits, participated in multiple Integrated Demand Side Management Strategies, an d have im plemented energy efficie ncy projects in their municipalities. The City of Hemet sav ed over 500,000 k Wh and received the Champions award for their leadership in the
 
From left to right: Ida Starr, SCE; Mia Aubrey, SCE; Rix Skonberg, City of Moreno Valley; Jeffrey Giba, City of Moreno Valley; David Rosenheim, The Climate Registry 
energy field. 

The City of Moreno Valley saved over 300,000 kWh and received a Cool Planet Award in the Gover nment and Institutional Sector. Congratulations to both the Cities of Hemet and Moreno Valley for being energy champions! 
 
2016 Holiday LED Light Excha nge events: WRCOG staff will be in attendance at a number of holiday gatherings throughout the subregion to provide FREE strings of LED holiday lights to SCE customers in exchange for their old inefficient holiday lights.  Th is exchange comes at no cost to the cities or its residents, and is valid for lighting strand counts of 50 or more. Participating is easy; each resident must bring old holiday lights for exchange, a recent copy of a SCE monthly bill (or proof of electr onic bill payment), and a license or picture identification matching customer name on the SCE bill.

At these holiday events, WRCOG staff will also be providing attendees with a FREE Energy Efficiency Start Kit on behalf of SoCal Gas.  These energy kits include three faucet aerators and a low-flow showerhead.  There will be a total of 50 kits per event.

Events are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

Date 
Event Location 
Time 
December 3 
City of Hemet: Chritmas in the Park 
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 
December 3 
City of Murrieta: Festival of Trees and Tree Lighting Ceremony 
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 
December 4 
City of Canyon Lake: Tree Lighting Ceremony 
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 
December 10 
City of Wildomar: Breakfast with Santa 
8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 
December 10 
City of Norco: Parade of Lights and Christmas Festival 
9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. 
Transportation activities
TUMF Program status:

Total TUMF revenues to date:
$695 million
Total TUMF revenues FY 2016/2017:
$8.5 million
Total TUMF revenues for July 2017:
$2.7 million
Projects completed:
87
Projects under construction:
13
Projects in the Planning/Design/Right-of-Way Phase:
33
2016 TUMF Nexus Study Update  

The last TUMF Program Update was complete d in October 2009, and WRCOG staff have been preparing a comprehensive update to the Nexus Study, which serves as the technical report that supports what is ultimately the fee structure for the TUMF Program.

In August 2016, the WRCOG Executive Committee directed staff to form an Ad Hoc Committee comprised of elected officials, with assistance by City Managers and Public Works Directors, to review a number of options and make a formal recommendation to WRCOG's committees on how proceed with the TUMF Nexus Study.
 
The TUMF Nexus Study Ad Hoc Committee has met twice to discuss various options to finalize the Nexus Study.  The previous meeting focused on different scenarios to implement any proposed fee increase with a focus on potential TUMF Network reductions after a comprehensive review of all facilities based on the criteria outlined in the TUMF Nexus Study.
 
WRCOG is scheduling a third Ad Hoc Committee meeting at the end of November/early December to discuss further phase-in scenarios and review a final set of options to consider.
PACE Programs
Additional PACE Providers in the Subregion :  In July 2016, WRCOG distributed a solicitation to all PACE Providers in California to offer an oppor tunity to operate their Program in the subregion under the WRC OG PACE "umbrella."  After completing the vetting process by the Ad Hoc Committee, Spruce was accepted by the Executive Committee at the October 3, 2016, meeting; Spruce's Residential PACE Program will be operational in the subregion in early 2017.
 
WRCOG-area HERO Activity Update: The snapshot below provides a summary of the total estimated economic and environmental impacts for projects completed in the WRCOG HERO Program to date:
 
Environmental Department outreach
Canyon Lake Annual Car Show.
Trunk or Treat event in the City of Wildomar.














Upcoming Used Oil and Community Events: The following is a listing of upcoming used oil events that WRCOG staff will be participating in. Additionally, the Environmental Department has partnered with Riverside County agencies to provide an America Recycles outreach event on November 19, 2016. That event is being coordinated by Riverside County District 5 Supervisor Marion Ashley's office.
 
 
Date
Event Location
Time
11/19/16 City  of Riverside: AutoZone, 3400 La Sierra Avenue 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 
12/3/16 City of Perris: O'Reilly, 119 Nuevo Road 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
12/10/16 City of Eastvale: Autozone, 14228 Schleisman Road 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
1/7/17 City of Murrieta: AutoZone, 40950 Calif Oaks Road 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
 
What's next for the Lake Elsinore Pilot Litter Program? RC Flood Control joins the Clean Team!
Lake Elsinore Pilot Litter Program kick-off
Over 75 r esidents signed a "Say No To Litter Pledge" at the October 15 , 20 16, Lake Elsinore City Wide Clean Up Event last month!  The number of people who have signed on NOT to litter has ticked up since then as the City's program has taken on a new partner:  Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.  The District's mission includes anti-illegal dumping and littering programs.  When Government Affairs Officer Darcy Kuenzi learned of the Lake Elsinore Pilot Program it soon became clear that there is power in numbers!  Between the City, WRCOG, and the County agency - along with the steady support of CR&R Environmental Services - the anti-litter program is gaining momentum! 

The Lake Elsinore Pilot Litter Program's main components are:
  • Community Education
  • Marketing
  • Signage
  • Staffing
  • Collaboration with outside agencies
Coming soon: Social Media Outreach, complete with interactive contests, and an Adopt a Highway Program.  Stay tuned to learn more as this program evolves into a regional program!
Water Quality Enhancement Framework 
To meet new storm water requirements, WRCOG is participating with Riverside County Flood Control, local jurisdictions, regional water boards, and the development community to identify potential regional solutions.  A Water Quality Enhancement Framework will develop a voluntary program that jurisdictions - and developers seeking permits in those jurisdictions - can elect to utilize if and when it is deemed to be troublesome for a developer to mitigate storm water requirements on site. 
Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency
The Riverside County Habitat Conservati on  Agency hosted four hundred students from the Hemet Unified, Perris Union, and Riverside Unified school districts September 21st and October 5th.  The September 21st event was held at the Lake Skinner County Park in Winchester, and at the Sycamore Highlands Park in River side on October 5th.

Students answer questions at the Endangered Species Day event held at Lake Skinner on September 21st
The students took guided hikes and explored h ands-on learning stations.  Plus, there were demonstra tions on the importance of conserving natural resources.  The Habitat Conservation Agency held t he e vents with the Western Riverside Council of  Governments, Riverside County Waste Management and Riverside C ounty Transportati on Land Management Agency. 

Executive Director's column 
Looking at you in a different light
 
Implementing a Regional Streetlight Program

Q:  What did the streetlight say to the car?  
 
A:  Don't look.  I'm changing.

At the direction of the Executive Committee, WRCOG has been working with its member jurisdictions to develop and implement a Regional Streetlight Program that will assist them with the acquisition and retrofit of their Southern California Edison (SCE)-owned and operated streetlights.  There are approximately 63,000 streetlights in the subregion, which cost local jurisdictions more than $10 million each year in utility and maintenance expenses.  Acquiring ownership of the streetlights, retrofitting them with LED technologies, and maintaining the system under a regional contract is estimated to save $6 million annually on those costs.

LEDs and jurisdiction-owned streetlights can do more than just save on energy bills. They can be a platform for a number of technologies that monitor what is going on in the vicinity of the light pole. Link intelligent street lights into a network, and a number of "smart city" opportunities arise. Intelligent street lamps can monitor weather, seismic activity, act as security systems, and monitor traffic and parking, for example.
They can tell drivers where parking spaces are available, measure pollution, and even provide information to consumers searching for deals at local retail outlets in the vicinity of the light poles.  Under local ownership, jurisdictions might also be able to generate revenues from private sector companies, such as telecommunications providers looking for co-location sites.   
Intelligent LEDs are part of a broader global trend in smart city technologies. Cities in Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia are implementing networks of sensor-based technology to monitor and manage everything from water usage to transportation. By 2020, cities around the world are expected to spend $20 billion on smart-city sensor technology, according to Navigant Research, a Chicago-based consulting firm.
 
LED Technologies

Q:  What did the anode say to the cathode?
 
A:  You're always so negative.
 
Major advantages of LEDs are that they have long lives - no filaments to quickly burn out - and they do not contain chemicals including sodium and mercury, unlike traditional, high-pressure, sodium lamps or mercury-vapor lamps.  LED lights can last 100,000 hours and as such are ideal for locations - like streetlight poles - where replacing light bulbs can be expensive and inconvenient.  LEDs are flexible, too.  Some jurisdictions have LED lights that increase in brightness when pedestrians are near, or that blink rapidly to signal to emergency responders.
 
But there can be LED downsides, too. Jurisdictions that were early adopters of LED technologies for streetlights used very bright lights due to limited LED technologies available at the time. These initial installations usually consisted of lights with a color temperature (CT) of 4,000k or 5,000k.  (Color temperature is a measure of the spectral content of light from a source; how much blue, green, yellow and red there is in it.  A higher CT rating generally means greater blue content, resulting in whiter and more glaring lights.)  LED lights  were so harsh in the City of Davis, CA, that, based on resident complaints, the City replaced nearly half of the 4,000k LED lights it had installed with warmer 2,800k LED lights.

Concerns about bright light impacts on human sleeping patterns and possible disruptions to wildlife migratory and nesting patterns gave way to a number of studies which have in part led the American Medical Association (AMA), in June 2016, to issue a policy statement on LEDs designed to "minimize potential harmful human health and environmental effects."  In sum, the AMA statement supported a "proper conversion" to LED lighting in order to reduce energy consumption and decrease the use of fossil fuels, and encourages the use of 3,000k or lower lighting for outdoor installations, such as roadways.
 
The LEDs being considered for the WRCOG subregion as part of this program are well within the AMA guidelines, having a CT of 2,700k or lower for residential areas, and 3,000k for non-residential collector and arterial streets.
 
LED's will change the way communities look
 
There was a woman, and she was under a street light searching for something. An officer stopped and said, "What are you looking for?" She said, "I lost my diamond ring and I can't find it." He asked her if she lost it there and she said, "No, I lost it a couple blocks away, but the light is better here."
 
O ne of the most striking benefits of converting the streetlights might be just how much better they make communities look at night.  Don't just take our word for it; come and see for yourself!  WRCOG and the City of Hemet have partnered to create a Streetlight Demonstration Area where you can view LED lights from a number of manufacturers and even take surveys of individual lights by scanning a QR code on each street pole and weigh in on which technologies you like or dislike.  WRCOG will compile the results and use them to help inform decisions on which kinds of LED lights are selected and installed throughout the region.  Two tours have already been conducted; remaining guided tours of the Demonstration Areas are scheduled for November 29th and December 7th.  Contact Tyler Masters at [email protected] or at (951) 955-8378 to reserve a seat for the tour.  Or, you can take the tour yourself using the map as a general guide.
 
Want a sneak preview of what you will see? Check out this Demonstration Area location in Hemet, before and after a LED retrofit:
 
Road in Hemet before LED retrofit

Road in Hemet after LED retrofit

Timeframe to completion

Q:  How many Californians does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A:  Eleven. One to turn the bulb, one for support, four to relate to the experience, and five to write the Environmental Impact Report.
Jurisdictions contemplating participation in the Regional Streetlight Program are currently in the process of reviewing acquisition and sales agreements for purchasing the streetlights from SCE.  Once purchased, the streetlamp retrofit process will commence.  Preliminary estimates are that all of the lights can be retrofitted within 1 to 1 ½ years after acquisition.

 

Calendar of events 
November 17 - Cancelled
WRCOG Technical Advisory Committee (9:30 a.m.), CANCELLED.
 
November 17
RCHCA Board of Directors (11:00 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 1st Floor Board Chambers, Riverside.
 
December 1
WRCOG Finance Directors' Committee (10:00 a.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 3rd Floor, Conf. Room A, Riverside.
 
December 5
WRCOG Executive Committee (2:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 1st Floor Board Chambers, Riverside.
 
December 8
WRCOG Planning Directors' Committee (9:00 a.m.), Temecula City Hall, 41000 Main Street, Great Oak Room, Temecula, 92590.
 
December 8
WRCOG Public Works Committee (2:00 p.m.), Transportation Annex, 14th Street, Conf. Room #3, Riverside.
 
December 14
WRCOG Administration & Finance Committee (12:00 p.m.), County of Riverside Admin. Ctr., 5th Floor, Conf. Room C, Riverside.
 
December 15 - Dark
WRCOG Technical Advisory Committee (9:30 a.m.), DARK.
 
December 21 - Cancelled
WRCOG Solid Waste Committee (1:00 p.m.), CANCELLED .    
 

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