“When Jim Steiner ran for the Corona City Council in 2018, he promised to make the preservation of outdoor recreational opportunities and open space a priority.

The Skyline Trail is a jewel located in Corona’s District 4 and one of many reasons we love living in Corona. Over the years, it’s become a popular recreational resource enjoyed by hikers, mountain bikers, and trails enthusiasts from around the region. The Skyline Trail provides access to the Cleveland National Forest and network of trails, including the Tin Mine, Skinsuit, and Hagador Canyon Trails.

With a proposed new housing development threatening to block access to Skyline trails, Jim took action. Then serving as Mayor, Jim spearheaded the city’s effort to acquire 292 acres of open space in the Skyline area to ensure Corona residents continued to enjoy these precious natural resources. The acquisition nearly doubled the amount of open space owned and controlled by the city.

With Jim serving on the Corona City Council, we know the needs of our city today, and well into the future, will be looked after. Our family is grateful for his leadership.”

— Matt and Jenny Olsen, District 4 residents, Parents of 4 Children

“Before Jim was elected to the Corona City Council, he took the time to listen and learn about our city’s homeless problem. Jim sat down to meet with me as well as other homeless advocates.

To see what worked and what didn’t, he toured homeless shelters and permanent supportive housing units from Coachella Valley to Orange County and places in between. Jim has attended a number of seminars to learn best practices in addressing homelessness. Jim participates in the annual homeless Point-In-Time Count which has allowed him the opportunity to speak directly with our homeless neighbors and listen to their stories and struggles.

During his campaign in 2018, Jim made a promise that, if elected, he would make it a priority to address Corona’s homeless situation. Jim committed to seek out real solutions, including additional homeless services as well as provide opportunities for the unsheltered to receive temporary and permanent supportive housing.

As a member of the Corona Council, Jim has suggested and supported strategic policies to allow Corona Police Officers to enforce our anti-camping laws, which has benefited many businesses and residents who have been negatively affected by our homeless citizens.

Jim has addressed our homeless situation with just the right combination of tough love and compassion. He’s recognized the desire residents have to live in a safe community and enjoy city parks, while never forgetting the humanity of our unsheltered population.

His leadership on the city council has made a significant difference to our citizens and homeless neighbors. Jim kept his promises and turned them into action.”

— Virginia Coriddi, Corona resident, Homeless advocate

California League of Cities:

Corona’s strategic homeless plan decreases homelessness by 33%

Steiner, a retired Corona firefighter who spent years assisting people experiencing homelessness, was determined to change the paradigm. The mayor tapped Steiner and former Council Member Yolanda Carrillo to lead Corona’s new homeless response. The two had the energy and motivation but lacked the expertise needed to make real change. In fact, the city did not even have staff with the right expertise.  

“You can’t just make that a collateral assignment for an assistant city manager or something: It’s a full-time job,” Steiner said. “What I learned as an elected is hire the right people and get out of their way. … On an issue like this, politicians better not think that they know more, and they know how to deal with this because they don’t.” 

Read more: https://www.calcities.org/news/post/2022/08/03/corona-s-strategic-homeless-plan-decreases-homelessness-by-33

Unfunded pension liabilities are a major concern for most municipalities in California. In Corona, the excessive payments that we are obligated to pay to PERS on a regular basis was limiting the city’s ability to improve services to the levels that most residents want and expect.

During Jim’s first term in office, the city council issued a pension obligation bond and refinanced our $277 million unfunded pension liability from 7% to 2.18%. This will save Corona taxpayers more than $166 million over the next 20 years. The city council is also choosing to make additional payments of $2 million each year, resulting in an expected payoff of this liability in 10-12 years, which will add a significant and reoccurring influx of monies into the general fund, which will allow future city councils to continue to improve services or weather potential downturns in the economy.

Taking it even a step further, the city council established a Pension Obligation Trust and front loaded it with $30 million to get ahead of any potential future unfunded liabilities, which are expected to be significantly less, due to the State’s pension benefit adjustments in 2013.

As a 31-year veteran of the Corona Fire Department, I have seen firsthand how critical our local public safety personnel are to keeping our residents safe. When I ran for the city council, I told voters that protecting Corona families would always be one of my top priorities.

I am proud of our record in responding to Corona’s public safety challenges by providing the resources our police and fire department require. Our police force has added 15 sworn officers since I joined the city council. That includes two officers assigned to our HOPE team and an additional school resource officer.

Corona’s fire department has added 10 new sworn positions since I was elected. That includes a fire inspector with a wildland focus, and six new firefighter/paramedics. Last year, we launched a Part Time Fire Cadet program to help increase recruitment and retention.

As we have seen in other cities around California, we simply can’t take our safety for granted. We must continue to be pro-active and willing to invest in both people and programs that will keep Corona safe.