Staying Engaged

Five months into this “locked-down” lifestyle, our community continues to explore ways we can safely connect, commune, stay informed, and move forward.

In our virtual Town Hall meetings over the past three months via ZOOM, citizens have shared time with community leaders like Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong (Jun 17) and Police Chief Lt. Jackson Harris (Jul 27). Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, our ZOOM time with Chief Harris did not record. We were honored to have him share his perspective and answer questions on how COVID-19 is impacting our community and police work, how his department is connecting with and protecting our citizens, and updates on the department and their priorities. You can view Chief Harris on facebook.com/RioVistaPoliceDepartmentCA/as he provided an update last Friday morning on the LNU Lightning Fire Complex.

RioVision is offering two Virtual Town Halls with our Rio Vista city council candidates on September 21^st and the mayoral candidates on September 28^th. Watch the weekly “What’s Happening in Rio Vista” calendar and https://www.facebook.com/riovistavision/ for more details. Early balloting begins on October 5^th for the November 3^rd elections. Vote by Mail requests must be received by the County no later than October 27^thto receive a mailed ballot. October 19^th is the deadline to Register to Vote online. Registrations after that must be done in person at the County Registrar’s Office. More information on 2020 voting is available here: https://www.solanocounty.com/depts/rov/default.asp, including deadlines, non-USPS ballot drop off and curb drop off sites, in-person polling locations, etc. VOTE!

We welcome our recently elected 2020-21 RioVision Board of Directors: President-Edwin Okamura, Vice President-Art Darden, Executive Director-Tom Surh, Secretary-Chris Quan, and Treasurer-Donna Armanino. Board members include Jeanne McCormack, Jim Pezzaglia, Rich Pettijohn, Linda Solomon, Brian Spradling, and Amy Schmidt. To work with us as a volunteer or for more info about our organization, write us at info@riovistavision.com or contact 707-360-5244. We are planning for the time when we can resume (and current ways to proceed with) our work together, such as Egbert Field upgrades in collaboration with the City of Rio Vista, Rio Vista Little League, and others.

We are pleased to announce a new initiative to recognize in a small but visible way those citizens and businesses whose improvements, decorations, clean up, or good deeds are making a difference in, and lift the spirits of our community. This “Vitality Award” blue ribbon is bestowed quietly and anonymously as a gesture of appreciation from RioVision who is focused on making our city more attractive, vital, livable, and welcoming. If you find one on your door or gate, we want you to know that someone noticed!! You’ll find a brief note highlighting what you have been recognized for.

A reminder that https://www.facebook.com/discoverriovista/ is another resource for community information. Look for the Sep-Dec 2020 issue of Discover Rio Vista magazine available September 2^nd.

RioVision Gallery IS OPEN Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-3pm! A new artist is featured every month among a variety of displays. Come in to meet an artist, browse, or buy in a safe environment that meets all current mandates. We look forward to visiting with you. Keep us all safe; wear a mask.