W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 23, NO. 34
April 17, 2025
“Stewie the Duck” Returns to Rialto Classrooms as Firefighters Teach Life-Saving Water Safety to Bemis First-Graders
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Time for Change Honors Taraji P. Henson, Jon Pardi, and Chiara Tilesi at Sold-Out Gala Pg. 3
PHOTO RUSD
Stewie the Duck and members of the Rialto Fire Department received a warm welcome from first-grade students during a water safety assembly at Bemis Elementary School on April 9.
By IECN Staff
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ide eyes, excited laughter, and curious questions filled the air at Levi A. Bemis Elementary as first-grade students recently learned water safety from the Rialto Fire Department — with a little help from “Stewie the Duck.”
PHOTO RUSD
Rialto Unified School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy White presents a ceremonial duck plush to Rialto Fire Chief Brian Park during the kickoff of the Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim program at Bemis Elementary School on April 9.
This powerful partnership between schools and first responders took center stage as the Rialto Unified School District and the Rialto Fire Department relaunched the beloved Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim program. The program returned with a kickoff event at Bemis Elementary on April 9.
First-grade students were treated to an engaging video lesson, a tour of a fire truck and fire equipment, and a surprise visit from Stewie, which delighted students while delivering a safety message that could save lives. “It was really cool visiting Bemis RUSD, cont. on next pg.
Teamsters Launch Petition to Rename Seccombe Lake Park After Civil Rights Icon Ignacio Lopez During Car Show By Manny Sandoval
Riverside County Unites for Child Abuse Prevention Month
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hat began as a vibrant celebration of labor, culture, and classic cars evolved into a profound call for justice Saturday, as Teamsters Local 1932 hosted its Spring Fling Car Show and launched a petition. The petition is to rename Seccombe Lake Park in honor of local Mexican American civil rights pioneer Ignacio Lopez.
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The April 12 event drew more than 3,000 people—including 2,000 registered car owners and vendors—to downtown San Bernardino. Amid the chrome bumpers and community camaraderie, the union’s Hispanic Caucus unveiled a grassroots initiative to rename the park, which closed March 3 for a yearlong $13.8 million renovation. Their goal: replace the name of former Mayor William C. Seccombe with that of Lopez, whose legal action helped strike down racial segregation in public facilities.
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PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL A classic lowrider making its way down Fourth Street and N Sierra Way ahead of the petition signing to change the name of Seccombe Lake Park to Ignacio Lopez Park.
“Right now, while the park is being revitalized, is the perfect time to rename it and honor someone who fought so that all people—regardless of ethnicity—could enjoy these public
spaces,” said Carlos Gonzales, Teamsters staff coordinator and president of the Hispanic Caucus. Seccombe, who served as mayor from May 1941 to May 1947, was named as a defendant in the landmark 1944 civil rights case Lopez v. Seccombe (71 F. Supp. 769, S.D. Cal. 1944). At the time, San Bernardino’s Mexican American residents were barred from using public pools except on Sundays—the day before the water was drained. After two teens were denied entry to the Perris Hill Park plunge, Lopez, editor of El Espectador, joined forces with fellow journalists and clergy to form the Mexican American Defense Committee and filed a class-action lawsuit representing roughly 8,000 Mexican American residents. With legal support from civil rights attorney David C. Marcus, the plaintiffs argued that the city’s segregation policy violated the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Federal Judge Leon R. Yankwich ruled in their favor, issuing a permanent injunction that prohibited San Bernardino Teamsters cont. on next pg.