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San Manuel Awards $1.1 Million for California Wildfire Recovery Efforts

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Recent awards to nonprofits and tribes support critical needs in aftermath of destruction

San Bernardino, Calif., (December 17, 2019) – The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, in partnership with government agencies, a coalition of nonprofits, and tribal governments are supporting broad wildfire relief efforts to ensure Indian tribes, communities, and displaced animals find the support they need this holiday season.

The immediate effects of wildfires on individuals and their property can be distressing, but the crisis is not over after the flames are out. Property losses, structural damages, displaced families, lost animals, economic shocks, and a variety of unknown consequences can arise once the flames are put out.

“With the $1.1M in Wildfire Relief, San Manuel is providing support to communities who have been affected by the wildfires,” Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said. “While an immediate influx of funding may flood into communities in the days and weeks following the disaster, the recovery efforts often take years to be completed. We continue to stand with survivors in communities affected by these wildfires with this support for recovery as they endeavor to rebuild their lives.”

In October, wildfires in California scorched thousands of acres, prompted mass evacuations, and caused millions of dollars in damage and property losses. The fires especially impacted vulnerable tribal communities that often face an increased risk due to their proximity to wildlands.

San Manuel will be partnering with the following tribes and non-profit organizations:

American Red Cross – $600,000: The Red Cross will provide additional supportive services and financial assistance for those in the impacted regions. Reaching out directly to residents using a combination of Red Cross damage assessment information and FEMA inspection data, the Red Cross has already begun providing recovery assistance to the most severely impacted households.

“As an Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) member, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians also pre-invests in emergency response, enabling the Red Cross to help when it’s needed most before, during and after disasters,” said Yevette Baysinger, Executive Director of the American Red Cross serving San Bernardino.

California Fire Foundation – $100,000: The California Fire Foundation’s programs provide on-site emergency financial aid to those affected by fire and natural disaster. This aid is administered by frontline firefighters in the form of gift cards that help the victims of fire and natural disasters by providing them with the immediate means to purchase necessities such as food, clothing or medicine.

California Community Foundation (CCF) – $100,000: The CCF has prioritized support around the highest need for vulnerable and low-income individuals and families affected by wildfires through the Wildfire Relief Fund. The CCF will be involved in relief and recovery efforts across the State including the Getty, Tick, and Saddleridge Fires in Southern California, and the Kincade Fire in Northern California. The funding will support affordable and supportive housing options for low-income individuals and families; free or low-cost mental and behavioral health care; economic recovery and workforce development; and continuity or expansion of other vital safety net services.

Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and Dry Creek Rancheria – $100,000: Provides emergency financial assistance to tribal members directly impacted by the Kincade Fire.

Sonoma County Animal Services – $50,000: The Sonoma County Animal Services was able to respond to approximately 1700+ calls and inquiries for services since the fires began – nearly 4.5-times the normal call volume. Animal Services along with partner agencies provided thousands of welfare checks during the wildfires for livestock, equine, and other animals left behind in evacuation areas. After evacuation orders, Animal Services took in 105 animals, 48 of those animals were provided at no-cost, temporary boarding was also provided to those families who had been evacuated.

Family Service Association of Redlands – $100,000: Families who lost their home and/or need financial assistance are eligible to receive emergency motel vouchers, rental assistance, and emergency financial assistance resources at Family Services.

“Family Service Association of Redlands recognizes that losing everything in a fire is traumatic and devastating. We are pulling efforts together to rebuild the lives of the Inland Empire fire victims not only physically, but also for their mental health after of losing everything,” said Kyra Stewart, Family Service Association of Redlands. “Through the partnership with San Manuel Band of Mission Indians we are hosting a series of service orientations; the opportunity to provide move in deposits; motel vouchers; and supplies as well as vital mental health support.”

“San Manuel is committed through all phases of emergency from immediate disaster response to recovery,” said Yevette Baysinger, Executive Director of the American Red Cross serving San Bernardino. “We appreciate San Manuel’s understanding that we need partners who will go beyond the first few days to help communities rise out of the ashes.”

About San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is a federally-recognized Indian tribe located on the San Manuel Indian Reservation near Highland, California. San Manuel exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services, and promoting social, economic and cultural development. As descendants of the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys, mountains and high deserts, the Serrano people of San Manuel have called this area home since time immemorial and are committed to remaining a productive partner in the San Bernardino region.

The Inland Empire Business Journal (IEBJ) is the official business news publication of Southern California’s Inland Empire region - covering San Bernardino & Riverside Counties.

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By Press Release

Newmark Negotiates 864,000-Square-Foot Industrial Lease Renewal in Perris, California

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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.

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County prepares for the storms ahead

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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.”

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By Press Release

Rebuilt Second Street Bridge Opens in Downtown San Bernardino

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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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