Reflections on what makes this city worth noticing, celebrating, and calling home.
Read the essaysLife in MoVal is a journal of 8 essays on what makes Moreno Valley a remarkable place to live. Recent stories: “Where to find independent coffee in Moreno Valley”, “Where to try birria in Moreno Valley”, “Moreno Valley's Police and Fire Services Are Contracted — What Does That Mean for Residents?”.
Thoughts on place, community, and the small details that make Moreno Valley feel like home.
Three independent coffee shops, each for a different mood: matcha and a meetup at the mall, a small roastery pouring on weekend afternoons, and a daytime stop on Sunnymead. This is a researched starting point, not a claim that we have tasted or ranked them.
Three birria-focused stops, each for a different craving: Tijuana-style beef tacos, a choice of beef or goat, and a goat-birria plate. This is a researched starting point, not a claim that we have tasted or ranked them.
Moreno Valley doesn't run its own police or fire department — it contracts with Riverside County. Here's what that means for cost, coverage, and accountability.
Last week I emceed the ribbon cutting of Shop 4 A Cause, the new thrift store operated by the Building Up Lives Foundation on Perris Boulevard. What I saw there wasn't just the opening of another storefront — it was proof that Moreno Valley is a community, not just a city.
If you've ever lived in Moreno Valley, you know the sound — that low rumble overhead, a C-17 banking toward March Air Reserve Base. For those of us who've worn the uniform, it's the heartbeat of this town.
Whether you've lived in Moreno Valley for decades or you're relatively new to the area, one thing becomes clear quickly: MoVal's local food scene has a character all its own.
I'm grateful to businesses like SkyZone for choosing to invest here.
Sitting in traffic on the 60 freeway this week, I was reminded of how much of our daily stress is self-manufactured.
