The City of Eastvale prioritizes the ongoing dissemination of innovative, transparent, and engaging public information. Under the direction of the City Manager’s Office, the Communications Division is responsible for providing the community with timely and accurate information about City events, programs, and news.
Our division has thrived for years as we have continued to push forward through hardship while simultaneously reflecting and learning from our past. So, what does a 360-degree view of our division look like? It looks like bringing new ideas to the table each day, hoping that our residents will be better served because of our efforts.
Eastvale’s latest passion project is its new podcast, Good Morning Eastvale. Our monthly podcast series features guests like our City Council, City Manager, directors, staff, business owners, and community members! Guests are invited to give a day-to-day, behind-the-scenes look at their life in Eastvale and to talk about common misconceptions they encounter in their role. Good Morning Eastvale can be downloaded or streamed from Spotify, YouTube, and Anchor.
Our first episode featured Mayor Todd Rigby and Council <ember Clint Lorimore as they walked viewers and listeners through Eastvale’s public safety, financial stability and the future downtown center. They finished the episode addressing common misconceptions of being on the City Council. (Residents were shocked to know being a Council Member is not their full-time job).
The Communications Division also utilizes social media as a crucial tool to connect with its community members. We have multiple social media platforms that cater to diverse audiences, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Maintaining a strong presence on these channels enables us to engage and communicate with our followers effectively in sharing updates, events, and news. Facebook and Instagram are the primary social media platforms for our city, serving as our biggest tools for connecting with our audience. Our Facebook page boasts an impressive following of over 25,000 individuals who more than frequently engage with our content. Our Facebook page has a large female following, accounting for 70.4% of our audience, while men make up 29.6%. Eastvale’s Instagram page boasts an impressive following of over 19,400 individuals with a larger female followership at 66.5% and male followers making up 33.5%.
Our team recognizes the importance of leveraging these platforms to communicate with our community, and to foster engagement. We continue to invest in creating quality content and optimizing our strategies to ensure that we maximize our social media presence and deliver valuable information to our audience.
What’s New Eastvale is the City’s informative e-newsletter that keeps residents connected with ongoing projects, programs, and events. It covers a wide range of topics such as upcoming events, economic development updates, city programs, public works projects, police and fire updates and library news. Whether you’re a local resident or a resident in a surrounding city looking for updates, this newsletter is an excellent source of information. With over 4,000 subscribers, many older residents in the community call the newsletter their go-to news source.
As all local government communications professionals know, an overwhelming portion of the job is collaborating with internal departments. One division our team works with heavily is the Community Services Division. We help them promote their wide range of inclusive, diverse, and family-friendly events. These events foster a sense of togetherness among community members and celebrate the unique talents and cultural backgrounds within the community.
These events include a Lantern Festival, International Food Festival, Eek!vale Halloween Event, and Miracle on Citrus Street holiday event. They are a great way for community members and visitors to come together and enjoy the city’s diverse culture, food and festivities. Whether it’s celebrating the Lunar New Year with lanterns and traditional performances, or sampling different cuisines at the food festivals, these events are not to be missed. Ultimately, building a more vibrant, cohesive and connected community is Eastvale’s goal and the Communications team is proud to support that initiative.
As previously mentioned, Eastvale’s Communications Division continues to thrive as it learns from previous mistakes and uses those mistakes to propel the department forward. Only from that 360-degree view can our division truly succeed. When we saw gaps in demographics, we introduced a podcast, revamped our newsletter, and created more written content. When younger residents felt disconnected, we invited them to City Hall to share their thoughts on engagement. We are not always perfect, but we are always trying, and above all else, always thriving together.