ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Roseville Mayor Krista Bernasconi delivered the 2022 State of the City address at West Park High School Friday.
The speech was dedicated to two local Marines who were killed in Afghanistan: Sgt. Nicole Gee from Roseville was killed on Aug. 26, 2021, along with 12 other U.S. service members in the bombing at a Kabul airport. Cpl. Gurpreet Singh from Antelope was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
Bernasconi, who served in the U.S. Navy herself, held a moment of silence to honor Gee and Singh.
Bernasconi outlined 10 reasons in her speech why Roseville is unique including the city’s growth, safety and commitment to quality education, among others.
Roseville's received several awards including being ranked the 8th best place to live by Livability.com in 2021. More than 6,000 people moved to Roseville during the pandemic, which shows the attractiveness of the city, according to Bernasconi. Besides growth, safety is another big priority for the city.
“While crimes in our region and state have increased, our crime rates are down. With our growing city, though, I’m especially proud that this council’s budget has allowed for the hiring of 12 new police positions in our police department,” Bernasconi said.
Those positions include 10 police officers, an animal control officer and a communications department position.
As part of safety, the city has social services incorporated in its police department. Bernasconi said although the city has not seen an increase in the number of unhoused people in the past three years, homelessness requires ongoing attention and collective action.
“We are the only city in Placer County to have social service workers integrated within our police department to provide services they need. This approach addresses causes and in effect prevents situations that require law enforcement action,” Bernasconi said.
In terms of education, the mayor said that 95% of adult residents have a high school diploma and 39% of them hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The Roseville Joint Union High School District is one of the top 10 largest employers in the city.
“We’re growing in the right direction and I’m very proud of where we are and I’m very thankful every day to be able to serve,” Bernasconi said.
For more information on Roseville, visit the city’s website.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Roseville Marine, Nicole Gee, killed in suicide bomb attack, Folsom Marine Tyler Andrews wounded
