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MONDAY, JUNE 15-JUNE 21, 2026
San Bernardino County supervisors OK $10.9B budget for 2026–27
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he Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved San Bernardino County’s budget for fiscal year 2026-27 totaling $10.9 billion. Officials noted the budget, OK’d with a 5-0 vote, invests $273.7 million in targeted county priorities while maintaining core services and financial stability while positioning the county to deal with future fiscal challenges. The $10.9 billion in total spending obligations for all county departments and agencies represents a decrease of $26.1 million, or 0.24%, from the 2025-26 modified budget, which is “in practical terms, a flat budget,” officials said. “Despite a challenging fiscal climate statewide, San Bernardino County is delivering a steady, common-sense budget that protects essential services and keeps our county financially strong for years to come,” Board of Supervisors Chairman and 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe said in a statement. “That outcome reflects months of careful planning, public engagement and collaboration. We appreciate the residents who took the time to participate in the budget process and share their comments.” The county’s Chief Financial Officer Matthew Erickson and Assistant Chief Financial Officer Diana Atkeson, presented their recommended budget to the board. They said it reflects the county’s longstanding commitment to strategic financial planning and stewardship and despite slower revenue growth and ongoing economic uncertainty, this year’s spending plan balances investments in key priorities with the fiscal discipline required to hold onto the county’s strong fiscal position. “For us, prudent budget-
By Staff
NO. 280
VOL. 12,
Board boosts funding to hotels, motels for homeless housing By Joe Taglieri joet@civicnewsgroup.com
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an Bernardino County supervisors on Tuesday increased funding for interim housing at hotels and motels from $200,000 to more than $5.7 million. The Board of Supervisors OK’d contract amendments with eight hotel and motel owners effective through March 2029. Officials said the additional funding will expand access to interim housing and supportive services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the Central Valley, West Valley, High Desert, East Desert and mountain regions. The agreements provide
“non-congregate shelter options” — which means private rooms rather than beds in a one-room shelter facility. Hotel rooms offer immediate housing and connect unhoused county residents with case management, behavioral health services, housing navigation and resources to help them transition into permanent housing. Additional state and federal funding will help expand housing capacity and address housing needs throughout the county, officials said. The county Office of Homeless Services utilizes
See Homeless housing Page 27
Report: Inflation rises 1% across inland region
Supervisors prepare to vote on the 2026 county budget Tuesday. | Photo courtesy of San Bernardino County
ing means never overestimating our revenues and never underestimating our expenditures. We plan for every possible expenditure,” Erickson said in a statement. “Because we’ve been prudent over many years, we are positioned for a slowgrowth environment. This requires our discipline as an organization, and it takes the buy-in from all county departments and the board.” Atkeson noted the spending decrease is mainly the result of capital project timing and one-time funding from the prior year, not a reduction in county services. A total of 27,592 county jobs are on the ‘26-27 payroll, an increase of 94 positions overall that officials said are focused on operational, service delivery and legally mandated service needs. “This budget includes the county’s core services
while also making targeted investments in the priorities the board has discussed throughout the budget process,” Atkeson said in a statement. “It is designed not only to fund current operations, but also to ensure the county remains well-positioned to navigate a slower-growth and potentially a more uncertain fiscal environment in the years ahead.” Officials also noted budgetary attention to serving the county’s “most vulnerable residents.” The county’s Human Services group and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center represent approximately $4.3 billion, more than 40% of the budget, supporting services for residents that include health care, public assistance, behavioral health and child and family services. The Law and Justice See Budget Page 27
group represents another 15%, meaning that when combined with Human Services, more than half of the budget is directed toward services that protect, support and stabilize residents and communities. “This budget allows San Bernardino County to remain fiscally sound while continuing to address critical county needs,” Vice Chair and 5th District Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. said in a statement. “From significant investments in capital improvements and programs that support our most vulnerable residents, this budget positions us to meet today’s needs while preparing for the future.” Of the $273.7 million designated for county priorities, about $250 million is one-time funding for targeted investments instead of
By City News Service
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purred largely by energy price spikes, inflation throughout the Riverside metropolitan area jumped a full percentage point over the previous two months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency’s bimonthly report, based on metrics for western Riverside County and the cities of Ontario and San Bernardino, indicated that the Inland Empire’s Consumer Price Index was up exactly 1%. BLS officials said Wednesday the principal driver behind the increase was retail gasoline prices, which jumped 11.6% between the beginning of See Inflation Page 27
April and the end of May. That in turn pushed the energy component of the CPI up 8.6% for the entire two-month period. Prices went stratospheric as a result of the Mideast war. Other contributors to the index’s upward trajectory were food prices and apparel costs, which advanced 1.5% and 3.3%, respectively. Conversely, shelter costs — or property rents — trended marginally downward throughout the region in April and May, slipping 0.1%, and costs in the household furnishings category fell by 2.3%, according to the BLS.