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VISIT CORONANEWSPRESS.COM
MONDAY, MARCH 04- MARCH 10, 2024
VOL. 8,
NO. 161
Housing complex for formerly homeless Corona residents officially opens
McCallum Theatre’s Open Call Talent Project to be held April 20-21
By Staff
By City News Service
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housing complex for people experiencing homelessness has officially opened in Corona, officials announced last week. Vista Dorada features 53 homes at the site of what was formerly the Ayers Hotel, 1900 Frontage Road. Vista Dorada reached 100% occupancy in June, “providing critical housing and supportive services to people previously experiencing chronic homelessness in the City of Corona,” officials said. “Through compassionate outreach and engagement provided by the Corona Police Department Homeless Outreach & Psychological Evaluation (HOPE) Team in collaboration with City Net, a nonprofit funded by the City of Corona, people who had lived on the streets of Corona for many years now call Vista Dorada their home!” The city partnered with Riverside County and nonprofit owner/operator Abode Communities, to transform the hotel into a permanent supportive housing facility as part of efforts to develop a comprehensive system of services to address homelessness in Corona, according to the city’s announcement. The Vista Dorada project aligns with the county’s Homeless Action Plan, “which takes a regional approach to addressing homelessness by working with cities to expand capacity and increase housing and services to better support residents in each region,” officials said. Vista Dorada provides a range of services that help residents maintain stable lifestyles and stay housed, including mental health and substance use services, connections to medical
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The Vista Dorada ribbon cutting ceremony. | Photo courtesy of the city of Corona
care, education, workforce development, ongoing case management and other forms of assistance. The services are provided by the Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health Department in collaboration with City Net. “This project exemplifies the joint vision of the City and the County to end homelessness through public/private partnerships and integration of resources,” officials said. “Publicprivate partnerships pave the road to transformation.” In addition to the city of Corona, officials listed the agencies involved in Vista Dorada’s operation and provision of services: Abode Communities, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health Department, Riverside County’s Housing and Workforce Solutions Department, Housing Authority and Continuum of Care and Corona’s two contracted partners, City Net and Mercy House Living Centers. Nearly $12 million from the state’s Project HomeKey funds Vista Dorada, along
with $2.5 million in matching grant funds from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation, according to the city’s announcement. “The Housing Authority has allocated 52 Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers to ensure the long-term viability of Vista Dorada,” officials said. “These vouchers will provide rental subsidies for both current and future tenants residing at the property.” The vouchers’ combined value totals $16 million over a 20-year period. The city of Corona provided $25,000 in home furnishing move-in kits, $10,000 in essential items gift bags, $70,000 in resident security deposits, as well as all services officials described as “outreach/ engagement, bridge emergency shelter, and case management services for the residents.” City Net and Mercy House Living Centers, the city’s nonprofit partners, provided the aforementioned services and support. “This initiative serves
as a pivotal component in the ongoing endeavors of the County and City teams to create opportunities to move individuals from street living to permanent housing with services,” Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel said in a statement. “Establishing permanent housing constitutes a crucial element in the homeless action plans of both the County and the City of Corona.” Corona Mayor Tom Richins said, “The City of Corona is grateful to the State and County for supplying the financial resources that transformed this project from an idea to a reality. The Vista Dorada partnership is a game changer for the City and contributed to our dramatic reduction in street homelessness.” Nonprofit developer Abode Communities will own and operate Vista Dorada in perpetuity, officials said. “We know the greatest single way to reduce homelessness is to create more housing,” Adobe Communi-
See Homeless Corona residents Page 23
he McCallum Theatre’s Open Call Talent Project, an annual competition featuring local, non-professional artists and groups, will be held in April, officials announced Thursday. The competition will feature three performances on April 20 and 21 in the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive. Tickets, which will become available Friday, can be purchased at the theater’s box office and online at mccallumtheatre.org. “To have local aspiring artists collaborate, learn, and perform on the McCallum stage and share their work with the larger community is the main goal of Open Call,” theatre officials wrote in a statement. “And McCallum Theatre Education leans on the support of a large group of generous sponsors and returning audience members who help make Open Call a reality on an annual basis.” The show will feature 42 community members between 8 and 79 years old, performing solo as or as members of a groups. The finalists include Doug Arbulu, Michael Blake, Richard Caldera, Kimberly Cofer, Isabella Gaxiola, Vincenza Gist, Victoria Mendoza, Isabelle Martinez, Lara Marriott and Daniel Stewart. See Talent Project Page 23
Anza man who killed dad with shotgun gets 40-yearsto-life sentence By City News Service
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26-year-old Anza man who gunned down his father when the victim tried to intervene in a dispute between the defendant and his girlfriend was sentenced Thursday to 40 years to life in state prison. A Murrieta jury in November convicted Anthony David Holguin of first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2019 slaying of 40-year-old David Jose Holguin in the 39000 block of Cary Road. During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Thursday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer imposed the sentence required by law. According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, Holguin was living in a trailer on his father’s property at the time of the attack, sharing space with his girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed. Holguin and the woman were engaged in an ongoing dispute about her lack of attention to her pets, culminating in a confrontation in which the defendant slapped her on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 2019, while high on methamphetamine, court papers said. See Anza man Page 24