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VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
MONDAY, JUNE 08-JUNE 14, 2026
NO. 279
VOL. 12,
County opens communications hub for public safety agencies
Primary election: Governor, county
By Staff
joet@civicnewsgroup.com
S
an Bernardino County on Tuesday opened the Valley Communications Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance communications and coordination among public safety agencies for swifter, more effective response regionwide. The facility covers about 75,000 square feet at 153 S. Lena Road in San Bernardino and houses the county Office of Emergency Services’ Emergency Operations Center, the Sheriff’s Department Valley Dispatch Center and dispatch operations for Consolidated Fire Agencies, or CONFIRE, officials said. The new hub for daily emergency communications also will support coordination efforts during wildfires, floods, earthquakes, severe storms and other major public safety incidents. Construction costs totaled $125.6 million, which officials said was a major investment in public safety and emergency management. Funding for the project included $106 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, $19 million in county discretionary general funding and about $600,000 from the Office of Emergency Services, Sheriff’s Department and CONFIRE. “The ability to have the County Office of Emergency Services, the Sheriff’s Department’s dispatch center and CONFIRE dispatch operations working together under one roof is tremendous,” Board of Supervisors Chairman and 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe said in a statement. “The Valley Communications Center will support faster response, more effective planning, stronger coordination and sustained operations during emergencies.” Officials said that by centrally housing emergency management and public safety dispatch opera-
races head for November runoffs By Joe Taglieri
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The Valley Communications Center. | Photo courtesy of County of San Bernardino/YouTube
tions improves information sharing, “situational awareness” and coordination among agencies tasked with protecting residents across the county’s more than 20,000 square miles. “San Bernardino County faces a wide range of emergencies, from floods and storms to earthquakes and wildfires,” board Vice Chair and 5th District Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. said in a statement. “It’s not just about technology. It’s about giving our dispatchers, emergency management personnel and first responders the best possible environment so they can take care of our communities when it matters most.” The heart of the new facility is a modern Emergency Operations Center where county departments, public safety agencies and civilian organizations will coordinate resources and response efforts during emergencies. The Joint Information Center at the facility allows communications teams to work alongside operational leaders to provide timely, accurate and factually consistent information to the public, according to the county.
“The Valley Communications Center represents a new chapter in how we care for one another,” District 2 Supervisor Jesse Armendarez said in a statement. “It equips us with modern systems that will turn confusion into clarity and delays into decisive action. This is a major investment in preparedness, coordination and public trust.” Throughout the last decade, the Emergency Operations Center has activated nearly 70 times because of wildfires, intense winter storms and other public safety threats, officials reported. Lessons learned from those emergencies went into the Valley Communications Center’s design with the goal of enabling effective support for management and coordination efforts during incidents of all sizes. “When this project began, the Board of Supervisors made a commitment to build for the future, not just for today’s needs,” District 4 Supervisor Curt Hagman said in a statement. “This facility was designed to evolve alongSee Public safety Page 28
side emerging technology and strengthen our ability to respond to emergencies going forward.” The Valley Communications Center also bolsters collaboration among the many agencies and organizations involved in emergency response. In addition to being a base for emergency management personnel, the facility will serve as a place for county departments to centrally coordinate with local jurisdictions, public safety agencies, state and federal partners, nonprofit organizations and trained volunteers during large-scale mobilizations. “The Valley Communications Center is strengthening those partnerships by bringing key public safety and emergency coordination functions closer together,” Crisanta Gonzalez, director of emergency management for the Office of Emergency Services, said in a statement. “This facility provides the space, technology and coordination needed to bring partners together, share
s vote counting continues following Tuesday’s statewide primary election, Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton are headed for a gubernatorial runoff in November, while a number of county and congressional races were in play. Hilton and Becerra outpaced a large field of competitors in the primary. With returns still being counted throughout California, Hilton had 1,387,459 votes, or 27.8%, as of Wednesday afternoon, while Becerra had 1,267,375 votes, or 25.4%, according to the latest election results from California Secretary of State’s Office. Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, a Democrat, was in third place with 979,265 votes, or 19.6%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was fourth with 567,033, or 11.3% of counted votes. Hilton is a political strategist and observer who worked for former British Prime Minister David Cameron and Fox News. A California resident for 15 years, his central campaign themes have been tax reductions, spending limits and reducing bureaucratic red tape. Hilton addressed supporters Tuesday night in Huntington Beach, standing on a stage with the words “Change is Coming” behind him. “It looks very much as if Californians really will have the chance to vote for change in November and take our state in a new direction, a fresh start for our state, which is long overdue,” Hilton said. “But I just want to say something to every single person who voted for me, and every single person who voted in this election, whether you voted for me or not. I am here See Primary election Page 04
for you, for every single one of you.” Hilton has criticized Becerra over a campaign finance scandal involving two employees caught misappropriating funds. Becerra has denied any knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing. Becerra listed his priorities if elected — “fighting Donald Trump”; delivering affordable healthcare “without debt or delays”; building more affordable housing; using “the power of the state to lower prices where the market has failed,” ensuring artificial intelligence “that works for everyone” and governing “differently” in the effort to curb homelessness, which he said was “a moral emergency and policy failure.” Becerra is a former state attorney general and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The California dream? It’s alive tonight,” Becerra told his supporters in Los Angeles Tuesday. He said his campaign was “fueled by little more than grassroots support, some sweat equity and the full faith and confidence that California is always worth the fight.” Becerra characterized himself as an earlier outlier in the race who went on to become the front-runner. “Almost immediately, he’s counted out, an afterthought, overlooked by many, outspent by a ton,” Becerra said. “Even called along the way to drop out and save us all the trouble. Well guess what, the underdog stayed in the fight. Like my parents, I never gave up, never stopped putting one foot in front of the other, never stopped believing in the beacon-like goodness of California, and thankfully, neither did you. Because we