By Press Release
Bank of America Invests $750,000 to Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art

The company’s largest grant ever awarded in the region will shape The Cheech
For more information, visit www.thecheechcenter.org
Riverside, Calif. (December 17, 2019) – The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry of the Riverside Art Museum has received a $750,000 philanthropic investment from Bank of America. This comes as museum fundraising for the campaign is nearing its winter deadline. The grant is the bank’s single largest award to an organization in the Inland Empire.
Nicknamed “The Cheech”, the museum will be one of the first dedicated to Chicano art, featuring approximately 700 paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works Mr. Marin has collected over 30 years. The collection is considered the largest private collection focused on Chicano art. It will be housed in a refurbished 61,420-square foot building next door to the historic Mission Inn that opened as the Riverside Public Library in 1964. Bank of America’s contribution brings the total amount raised to date to nearly $14 million.
Bank of America SVP, Market President, Inland Empire, Al Arguello presents Cheech Marin with the monumental $750,000 gift to The Cheech.
“I am very grateful to Bank of America for its commitment and for seeing the promise of The Cheech,” says comedian, actor and collector Cheech Marin. “This significant leadership gift from a major corporation known worldwide signals how much this Center is needed not only regionally, but nationally and internationally.”
“The Cheech is estimated to generate over $20 million annually for the region, which is another demonstration of the power of the arts in helping our local economy thrive, while educating and enriching our community,” said Al Arguello, Bank of America, Senior Vice President, Market President, Inland Empire. “This philanthropic capital investment is aimed to spur capital campaigns to attract the remaining funds needed to make Riverside the next world class arts destination.”
In addition to the Bank of America grant, The Cheech continues to draw the interest from individual donors across Southern California. Since June 2018, nearly 500 individuals and 43 organizations have invested in the project and/or various Cheech fundraiser events.
Cheech expresses his gratitude to Bank of America and all of the funders that helped The Cheech reach its fundraising goal.
Bank of America is a leading corporate supporter of the arts. Among its many programs is the Art in our Communities® program, through which local museums and nonprofit galleries can borrow complete exhibitions at no cost from the bank, including several Latino shows such as the recent “Luces y Sombras,” helping them increase traffic and revenue. Bank of America has also supported the restoration and conservation of dozens of art works by Latino artists through the Bank of America Art Conservation Project.
The city of Riverside will go out to bid for renovation contractors this winter, with project renovations slated to begin Fall 2020 and an estimated opening date in Fall 2021.
“We look forward to The Cheech becoming a major addition to our arts and culture corridor in downtown Riverside,” Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “This world-class institution will give people yet another reason to come to the downtown of Inland Southern California while boosting the economic fortunes of our existing businesses.”
About the Riverside Art Museum
The Riverside Art Museum (RAM) integrates art into the lives of people in a way that engages, inspires, and builds community by providing high quality exhibits and art education programs that instill a lifelong love of the arts. RAM relies on the generosity of members and donors to support its exhibitions, education programs, and special events. A 60-plus-year-old, nonprofit cultural arts institution housed in a National Historic 1929 building designed by Hearst Castle and AIA Gold Medal-winning architect Julia Morgan, the museum welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. For information on exhibits, events, classes, memberships, or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.RiversideArtMuseum.org. For information about the proposed Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry of the Riverside Art Museum, visit www.riversideartmuseum.org/cheech. To learn more about The Cheech and the collection, visit https://thecheechcenter.org.
About Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin is recognized today as a preeminent Chicano art advocate. In the mid-1980s, he began developing what is now arguably the finest private collection of Chicano art. In addition to artwork loans to numerous institutions, this notable collection has been featured in over a dozen exhibitions produced and shown at more than 50 museums in the U.S. and Europe to date, including the Smithsonian, LACMA, and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Comprised of mostly paintings, followed by drawings, prints, and mixed-media artworks, then sculptures and photography, the collection will serve as the core of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture & Industry of Riverside Art Museum. A long-term goal of The Cheech is to supplement and expand the collection with Chicano artists, media, and subject matter not currently included through acquisitions and donations from artists and their estates, art collectors and dealers, and institutions.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
By Press Release
Newmark Negotiates 864,000-Square-Foot Industrial Lease Renewal in Perris, California

Newmark announces the 864,000-square-foot industrial lease renewal with NFI Industries, a supply chain solutions provider, at Perris Distribution Center in Perris, California.
Newmark Executive Managing Directors Mark Kegans, SIOR and Ron Washle, SIOR and Managing Director Dean Washle represented the landlord, Ares Management, formerly known as Black Creek Group.
“Our team was pleased to represent Ares Management in such this substantial lease renewal,” said Kegans. “Perris Distribution Center is in a prime location for logistics and distribution, as evidenced by the location’s top-tier tenant roster.”
Located at 657 Nance Street in Perris, Perris Distribution Center is a two-story cross-dock facility expandable to ±1,137,000 square feet. Building features include approximately 7,000 square feet of office space, minimum 36’ warehouse clearance height, ESFR sprinkler system, LED warehouse lighting, 112 dock-high loading doors and concrete truck courts. The ±43-acre parcel offers 298 auto parking spaces and 224 trailer parking spaces, including an auxiliary parcel to accommodate up to 154 trailer parking spaces or approximately 530 auto parking spaces.
Perris Distribution Center is proximate to Freeway 215, with on and off-ramps at Harley Knox Boulevard to the north and Ramona Expressway to the south. Neighboring industrial tenants include The Home Depot, General Mills, Ross, iHerb, Amazon and Wayfair, to name a few.
The national industrial market has remained resilient despite recent economic and geopolitical headwinds, according to Newmark Research. For the fifth consecutive quarter, national industrial absorption topped 100 million square feet. The persistent imbalance between demand and new deliveries has pushed vacancy down to 3.7%, likely a cyclical low. Demand remains strong for industrial space with absorption continuing to outpace deliveries.
By Press Release
County prepares for the storms ahead

With more rain on the way this weekend and even more next week, County Public Works crews have been busy in the mountains and elsewhere in the county cleaning up from this morning’s rain and preparing flood control facilities for the storms ahead both in the mountains and in recently burned areas.
After having cleared a path through all 500-plus miles of County roads in a little over a week, crews this week have widened nearly every one of those roads to two lanes while also ensuring 150 high-priority culverts were clear. That was not an easy task considering many were hidden by massive snow berms. Crews relied on GIS technology and old photos to find many of the culverts. Public Works teams also cleared out debris basins and made sure channels and other waterways were clear.
County Public Works coordinated with the Rim of the World School District to improve access to bus stops and clear bus routes so mountain schools can return to normal operations. Crews also plowed Rim of the World High School parking lots for students and staff when they return.
Public Works upgraded its GIS map to a Snow Road Widened Status Dashboard so the public can get daily updates on which County and non-County maintained roads have been widened. Also included in the dashboard are resources to find food and supply distribution centers, shelter, and more.
See all of today’s highlights in our daily storm recovery video.
Residents are urged to be prepared and make sure they are signed up for emergency notifications and also download the SB Ready app. Residents can do both on the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District website.
Mountain residents urged to report property damage
Damage estimates are the strongest tool local communities have in convincing state and federal agencies to provide relief. That’s why the County is encouraging mountain property owners to use an online property damage reporting tool developed by the County Fire District to report moderate to major damage to residential and commercial buildings caused by the winter storms.
The information reported by property owners will be part of the total damage estimate provided to the state, which will then decide whether to seek aid from federal agencies such as FEMA.
Property owners seeking to repair or rebuild their storm-damaged structures are eligible for to have up to $500 in County planning and building fees waived thanks to action taken yesterday by the Board of Supervisors. Those looking to rebuild should consult the County’s new Mountain Region Snowstorm Rebuild Questions & Answers document.
Funding approved by the Board is also making is possible for the County to reimburse residents up to $500 toward the cost of removing snow from their property.
A complete list of resources and links is available on the County Snow Information website.
Teamwork frees snowbound mountain residents
Twin Peaks resident Michelle Munoz expresses her gratitude to the members of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program who worked diligently to remove the snow that had piled up around her home.
Wrightwood residents reach out to recognize unsung heroes
As the community of Wrightwood recovers from the recent blizzard, it’s important to recognize all of the unsung heroes who went above and beyond to help their neighbors in need.
Laurey Aydelotte, a Wrightwood resident since 2004, reached out to the office of their First District County Supervisor, Col. Paul Cook (Ret.), to praise these community members.
“Friends with snow removal equipment quickly stepped up to help some of our trapped residents,” said Aydelotte. “This included Sadie Albers, John Kearn and Jeremy Norman of Hesperia. Residents were helping each other get food, pick up medicine from various pharmacies, and other essentials.”
Renee Olson, a lifelong Wrightwood resident, echoed Aydelotte’s comments. She and friends Dionne Burns and Julie LaFever enlisted the help of local teens to assist seniors who were unable to clear the large amounts of snow. “There were so many great kids who helped shovel seniors’ driveways throughout the neighborhood: Cade LaFever, Alexia and Sienna Burns, Cameron Coombs, Cash Littlefield, Ethan Olson, and Devun Moore,” said Olson. “I’d also like to recognize Owen Todhunter and the Serrano High School Explorers, who dug out several driveways. It was definitely a group effort!”
Wendi Swanson, another longtime Wrightwood resident, agreed. “Everyone worked together to help seniors on our street, clearing their berm or at least a foot path in case of emergency,” she said. “I know neighbors helped me and I helped them. It was true Wrightwood cohesion.”
By Press Release
Rebuilt Second Street Bridge Opens in Downtown San Bernardino

The City of San Bernardino celebrated the reopening of Second Street between Arrowhead Avenue and Mountain View Avenue on Tuesday, March 14, restoring vehicle and pedestrian traffic to a key downtown corridor. The road had been closed for three years for the demolition and reconstruction of the Second Street Bridge, which passes over Warm Creek and was found to have structural issues in 2020.
At a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the bridge, Mayor Helen Tran stated, “I share in the excitement of our residents and businesses in the reopening of Second Street. It is a small bridge, but a big connection point.”
When Caltrans found structural issues with the bridge in March of 2020 and ordered it closed to vehicles and pedestrians, plans were already underway to replace it. In February of 2021, the City awarded a contract to Ortiz Construction to construct a new bridge. Construction began in June of 2021.
“I would often get asked by constituents when Second Street would re-open,” said Council Member Damon Alexander. “We are pleased that today is that day.”
Completion of the project was delayed by over a year due to supply chain issues experienced by both the contractor and Southern California Edison, who needed to construct new electricity connections through the new bridge to downtown San Bernardino.
“This project was the poster child for the supply chain issues experienced at the height of the pandemic,” said San Bernardino Public Works Director Daniel Hernandez. “I’d like to thank our contractors and utility partners for their flexibility and patience with each other.”
The project was further delayed last summer to ensure the existing electricity connection remained in place to meet peak load demand downtown.
The cost to replace the four-lane bridge was just over $3.2 million. Approximately $2.6 million was funded by the City, and $600,000 was funded for project design, inspections, and contingencies by Caltrans.
Note: The individuals in the attached ribbon cutting photo from left to right are Public Works Director Daniel Hernandez, Council Member Damon Alexander, Mayor Helen Tran, Council Member Ben Reynoso, and Assistant City Manager Edelia Eveland.
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