Mayor Rigsby Wants Business to Thrive

Overcoming roadblocks to doing business and a brief update on what's going on in the city were the topics of discussion when Loma Linda Mayor Rhodes "Dusty" Rigsby headlined the free public Breakfast with the Mayor event hosted by the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, March 4. The Chamber of Commerce is the best option for local businesses to utilize for working in the city, said Rigsby, helping business owners navigate some government regulations. "I don't think cities are very good at dealing with businesses, other than getting out of their way," Rigsby said, to applause. "Governments always restrict and they very seldom make things easier, and that's one of the reasons why I say the Chamber is a good clearinghouse for discontent with what the city's doing." Led by Operations Manager Stephanie Mahé and chaired by Scott Stockdale, the Chamber of Commerce is a group of volunteers working to help businesses thrive. "What Dusty has brought up about the chamber being an earpiece for businesses approaching the city, that’s the direction that we’re working on going: to become more valuable to our members and a conduit to be able to solve some of (those problems)," Stockdale said, adding that all Chamber leadership are approachable. Mayor Rigsby also briefly discussed business signage in the city, asking for feedback on whether city signage regulations were too strict. "Our signage rules may be too tough and I’m supportive of modifying them so that businesses can succeed," said Rigsby. He also said he wanted Loma Linda to be a city where residents can easily locate its businesses. "Businesses need people to know that they're there, and signage is inexpensive advertising," Rigsby said, adding that government language in the business licensing process needs to be made more clear and easy to understand. Rigsby also talked about the possibility of water regulations in the wake of the current statewide drought and said if the city is moved from its current Stage II alert to a Stage III alert then water regulation and restrictions could be a reality in the city. Rigsby said improvements to the I-10/Anderson interchange were still ongoing and that the Loma Linda University Medical Center is gearing up to construct a new building by 2020 that is up to earthquake hazard regulations. In the meantime, patient parking, which will be taken up by the new medical center building, will need to be moved to the Emergency Department area. The breakfast meeting was attended by several business owners, Chamber board members and city leaders.