Jurupa Valley, California

Although there was no geographic feature or town officially named Jurupa Valley prior to the establishment of the city in 2011, the term Jurupa Valley is known to have been used as early as 1887 when referring to lands along the northeast side of the Santa Ana River opposite the city of Riverside.[6] The name Jurupa was derived from the 1838 Mexican land grant Rancho Jurupa, which the Jurupa Valley area had been part of. The Rancho in turn derived its name from a previous Jurupa rancho operated by the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, until the mission was disbanded through the Mexican secularization act of 1833.[7] The first rancho was named for the Native American village Jurupa that existed in the area prior to the arrival of European colonizers.[8] Both Serrano and Gabrieleño Indians lived in the area. The Gabrieleño referred to the village as Jurungna or Hurungna.[9]

The exact meaning of the word Jurupa is disputed. The 1890 book, An Illustrated History of Southern California, states that the word Jurupa was a greeting, meaning ″peace and friendship″, used by the Native Americans when the first Catholic priest visited the area.[10] In 1902 Father Juan Caballeria, in his History of San Bernardino Valley; From the Padres to the Pioneer, states that the word was derived from Jurumpa, meaning watering place.[7] Later linguistic studies concluded that the name likely refers to Juru, the Artemisia californica (California sagebrush), common in the area.[11]

On June 2, 1992, under measures E, F, and G, the first effort to form a city was voted down by the electorate. Measure E, whether or not to incorporate Jurupa and Mira Loma, lost 76% to 24%. Measure F, whether to vote city council members by district or at large, if incorporation passed, was 69% district, and 31% at large. Measure G, the selection of a city name, had the following results; Jurupa 40%, Rancho Jurupa 23%, West Riverside 21%, and Camino Real 16%.[12] At the time Jurupa was described as including the neighborhoods of Rubidoux, Pedley and Glen Avon.[13]

On March 8, 2011, a second proposal for incorporation was put before the voters. This time the measure passed with 54% voting yes, 46% voting no, and with an effective date of July 1, 2011. At the time the new city was estimated to have a population of 88,000, and included the communities of Mira Loma, Glen Avon, Sky Country, Indian Hills, Pedley, Rubidoux, Belltown, Jurupa, Jurupa Hills, and Sunnyslope.[14]

The city immediately faced the possibility of disincorporation when the State of California passed Senate Bill 89, which shifted millions of dollars of vehicle license fees away from cities.[15] The new city struggled for several years, and in 2014 notified the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission that it might be necessary to disincorporate. In September 2015, Senate Bill 25 was passed by the California Assembly and Senate to restore funding to cities, but was vetoed by then Governor Jerry Brown.[16] Later in the month Senate Bill 107 was signed by the governor. It remediated many of the outstanding debts of Jurupa Valley, as well as three other recently incorporated cities in Riverside County.[17]

• Between 1926 and 1928 the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders, a series of abductions and murders of young boys, took place within Jurupa Valley city limits. At the time the community of Wineville was unincorporated. Today it is the Jurupa Valley neighborhood of Mira Loma.[18]
• The Stringfellow Acid Pits, a toxic waste dump, and a Superfund site, became the center of national news coverage in the early 1980s.

Jurupa Valley is governed by a city council, whose members represent specific districts of the city. The city council is led by the mayor, who is elected by and among the councillors. The mayor serves a one-year term, while councilmembers serve for four years.

Jurupa Valley lies within District Two of Riverside County, represented by Supervisor Karen Spiegel.[21] Eastern Jurupa Valley will become part of District One in January 2025 due to redistricting.

City parks are served and maintained by the Jurupa Area Recreation and Parks District. Water and Sanitation is provided by the Jurupa Community Services District and Rubidoux Community Services District.

In the California State Legislature, Jurupa Valley is located in the 31st Senate District, represented by Democrat Richard Roth, and in the 58th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Sabrina Cervantes.

In the House of Representatives, Jurupa Valley lies entirely within the 39th Congressional District, represented by Democrat Mark Takano.

California is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla.

As of February 10, 2023, there are 51,709 registered voters in Jurupa Valley. Of these, 23,505 (45.5%) are registered Democrats, 13,254 (25.6%) are registered Republicans, 11,330 (21.9%) are independent, and 3,350 (6.5%) are registered with other parties.[22]

• Caballería y Collell, Juan (1902). History of San Bernardino Valley from the Padres to the Pioneers, 1810-1851. San Bernardino, CA: Times-Index Press. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
• Johnston, Bernice Eastman (1962). California's Gabrielino Indians. Los Angeles, CA: Southwest Museum. ISBN 978-0-8357-2758-7. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
• Lewis (1890). An Illustrated history of southern California: embracing the counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Orange, and the peninsula of lower California, from the earliest period of occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of their prospects, also, full-page portraits of some of their eminent men, and biographical mention of many of their pioneers and of prominent citizens of today (Public domain ed.). Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company. ISBN 978-5-87987-880-6. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
• Patterson, Tom (1971). A Colony for California: Riverside's First Hundred Years (1st ed.). Riverside, CA: Press-Enterprise Company. LCCN 73-172819. Retrieved February 1, 2021.