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Municipal Management
Community engagement is a top priority in Rancho Cucamonga By AMANDA DEMSTER | The Municipal
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., knows that, in order to build a healthy community, the focus needs to be, first and foremost, on the individuals who comprise it. Rancho Cucamonga was named a 2020 All-America City. That year’s theme focused on health and wellness, which the city has achieved over the years through the Healthy RC program and through close work with community organizations like Campeones Para La Comunidad, translated Champions for the Community. Healthy RC Nationwide, Healthy Communities programs have addressed health needs through things like exercise and nutrition. Healthy RC, which began in 2008, does this and more, also taking into account mental and emotional well-being. 60 THE MUNICIPAL | JUNE 2021
While Healthy RC is housed within the city manager’s office, it does not necessarily “belong” to one department alone, but encompasses all areas of the city. “Rancho is Healthy RC,” Joanna Marrufo, who oversees Healthy RC’s mental health subcommittee, said. “It’s embedded in the DNA of the city council’s goals and even our general plan … it’s in the DNA of all of our projects and programs and policies. We’re city employees, so just the structure of it is very grassroots, so that’s what makes us unique as a city, and it’s very progressive.” In other words, Healthy RC is visible and active in every aspect of Rancho Cucamonga, from the Etiwanda Heights neighborhood
