State of the City: Mayor Rodriguez cites bold vision for 2023

Shining with community pride in a vivid red dress on the stage of Lakeside Church, Folsom Mayor Rosario Rodriguez delivered the 2023 State of the City address to a capacity- filled auditorium last Thursday. The event marked the first address for Rodriguez; the local businesswoman was named mayor in December after previously serving as vice- mayor. "I truly enjoyed delivering the State of the City. It was so awesome looking out at the audience and seeing so many familiar faces that I've interacted with over the past 15 years," said Rodriguez. "We have such a wonderful city and I'm excited to serve as mayor." At 4,937 words in total, Rodriguez' speech focused on getting to work and getting things done in the year to come, Rodriguez focused on the success of the year gone by as well as the bold vision ahead, all while recalling a special time after she opened her business, Sutter Street Taqueria, and learned what the Folsom community was truly all about. "I had taken a leap of faith and traded my six-figure healthcare job to pursue my dream of owning a taqueria in Historic Folsom," said Rodriguez. "As a new small-business owner, I worked dual jobs for a few months until the demand was too great. I was working around the clock 24-7, while also caring for my now late husband, Paul, during his aggressive chemotherapy treatments. It became clear to those closest to me that I was in high gear for a prolonged period." After observing the heavy workload Rodriguez was carrying at the time, it was members of the community who came together to help her get a break from the day-to-day stress so she could visit family and take a vacation to recharge. "Joe Gagliardi approached me in his best godfather manner saying, 'I have an offer you can't refuse.'" He offered to manage my restaurant while I took a vacation. The Telegraph titled it 'Taqueria Takeover' as Joe, with six other trusted friends, managed my restaurant for eight days. I was able to get away and recharge my batteries on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas. I rested easy, knowing full well that my new restaurant was in good hands. That, my friends, is the Folsom way." After opening her address with her personal experience she continues to cherish, Rodriguez went right into all the details a State of the City address could and should contain, compressing them into 10 key topics. She began with a focus on the city's ongoing economic development. "It is an exciting time for economic development in Folsom, as today we are becoming a growing medical hub brimming with healthcare opportunity," said Rodriguez. She highlighted the many new healthcare additions coming to the city, including Dignity Health's forward movement on a new medical complex on a 27-acre site south of Highway 50, along with UC Davis Health, which is expanding its care in Folsom with a 34.5-acre parcel and Kaiser Permanente's planned expansion that includes a 260,000-square-foot facility on Palladio Parkway. In addition to healthcare, Rodriguez praised technology and education as being a crucial part of the city's economic growth ahead with projects such as fiber optic broadband being built to reach every household to the expansion of Folsom Lake College and the continued growth in the local economy and the importance of the city's General Plan staying on track for the year to come and thereafter as the nation flirts with possible recession ahead. "Our local economy is growing modestly and we are proceeding with caution as the market stabilizes from record inflation rates, the ripple effects of the pandemic and a potential recession on the horizon," she said. Rodriguez shared that home sales are up more than 12.9 percent from the previous year and the average price of a home sold during 2022 was just shy of $800,000. "We've seen continued growth in our assessed value of property sitting at nearly 18 billion. This reflects a seven- percent increase over last year. There are nearly 43,000 jobs right here in Folsom, and our unemployment rate sits at 2.4 percent, among the lowest in the region," she added. She shared that development activity in Folsom remains high as the city issued more than 6,100 building permits in 2022 alone that will bring 841 new single-family homes, eight multifamily apartment projects and six new commercial buildings, including the new Hotel by Marriott at the Palladio. "We are committed to providing a range of housing choices to ensure Folsom is a community for all. We launched a study last year focusing on growth in key areas near jobs, transit and services. The goal is to reduce auto dependence and encourage higher density development and attainable housing opportunities," she said. When it comes to infrastructure in Folsom, Rodriguez explained that each new year affords the opportunity to say that Folsom is improving on the last. She highlighted multiple upgrades that will take place on area roads and intersections and the city will continue to work on its intelligent traffic management system, part of which is the considering of roundabouts to reduce speeding and improve traffic flow at key areas of Folsom. "We talk a lot about prevention in Folsom, because we understand the value. We are investing more than $2 million annually on pavement maintenance–filling potholes and repairing cracked pavement," she said. "As a result of these simple investments, we'll extend the life of our transportation infrastructure, saving millions in the coming years on road replacements we won't have to make." While roads and traffic are a big topic in Folsom, so is recycling as California's new SB1383 law changed the way we toss out our trash across the state. "I'm proud to report that in one year alone, the city's Waste & Recycling Division has diverted more than 11,000 tons of organic material from local landfills, making good progress on the greenhouse gas goals outlined in new California state law," she said. Perhaps the biggest talked-about commodity in Folsom these days is water and Rodriguez talked about that as well on Friday. "We continue to reinvest millions annually into water and wastewater infrastructure. The city has provided over 700 water-wise house calls and supported more than 350 customers with water conservation rebates," the mayor explained. "In the year ahead, we will develop a long-range strategy and action plan for Folsom's water reliability." Rodriguez praised the Folsom Police and Fire departments for their service over the past year, sharing eye-opening statistics of the workload they carried in 2022. "Thanks in large part to public safety, Folsom has long been known as one of the safest cities in the country," she said. "In 2022, the total crime rate in Folsom was -39.79-percent lower than California total crime rate." Rodriguez shared that of the top 50 cities in California in 2022, Folsom ranked 30th in a state that has 450 different cities. "You see, public safety is a team effort that requires an open dialogue between the community and those who enforce the law. Community policing strategies are working well, and residents and police officers regularly collaborate to find solutions to improve public safety, "said the mayor. "This grassroots approach to policing allows our officers to get to know the unique needs of the communities throughout Folsom and allows our residents to help be our eyes and ears." The mayor went on to remind the community of the many amenities the city has to offer, from current parks to future parks to miles of trails and recreational water ways, to historical sites and museums and everything in between. While Rodriguez talked about the fun Folsom has to offer, she too stressed the importance of the city's diligence in finance ahead. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us tap into the strength, the drive and the excellence of our community," Rodriguez said in closing. "The state of our city is strong. Join me as we leave our legacy on this great city of Folsom." Editor's note: You can watch the State of the City address on the city's website by clicking HERE.