COLTON COURIER Weekly
July 31, 2025
Vol 153, NO. 32
Is Art Investment a Waste of Money in the IE? Garcia Center Weighs In on Funding, Gentrification By Manny Sandoval
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IECN.com
San Bernardino Opens Cooling Centers at Libraries, Parks, and Senior Sites Amid Summer Heat Pg. 3
ichael Segura, executive director of the Garcia Center for the Arts, didn’t mince words when IECN pointed out the chorus of social-media comments claiming arts investment here is a waste of money. “Are the people saying this the police?” Segura quipped on IECN’s Inland Insight podcast on July 18th. “Our police take so much of our budget in a lot of communities. If you want to make communities safer, invest in social programs — arts and culture included — that give people alternatives to being on the streets.” Segura joined the podcast to discuss the center’s operations, the challenges of funding, and controversies ranging from gentrification fears to public safety concerns. Hired in January 2025, he has spent the past six months restructuring programs and building systems for sustainability, data collection and community impact. Founded nearly a decade ago by Ernie Garcia, the nonprofit
center leases its main building from the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District for $1 per year and owns the adjacent lot that houses its community garden. The garden offers seasonal produce, a seed library and, eventually, culinary workshops aimed at teaching residents how to prepare fresh food — a component Segura says can help address food-desert issues in the city. “We grow together,” Segura explained. “We’ve had peaches, nectarines, grapes, lettuce and strawberries. Soon we’ll be teaching cooking classes so people know what to do with the fruits and vegetables they pick.” He added that the garden program is funded in part by a stipend from the IECF’s CIELO Fund, but is seeking broader health and nutrition grants. Building Sustainable Programming Upon arriving at the center this year, Segura said his first priority was “listening” — holding listening sessions with Art, cont. next pg.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Garcia Center for the Arts Executive Director Michael Segura taping an ideation board to the wall in the new Sole Alley during a community listening session in July 2025 – as San Bernardino prepares for a California Cultural District designation.
Colton High Senior Ava Diaz Appointed Chair of Colton Youth Council, Named Youth Commissioner Birdcage Comics Cafe Announces Closure Days After Union Deal, Leaving Workers Reeling Pg. 4
Feeding America Riverside CEO Warns SNAP Cuts Will Devastate Families: “We Can’t Fill the Gap” Pg. 5
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PHOTO DR G. L to R: Dr. G, Council Member; and Ava Diaz, Youth Commissioner and Chair of Colton Youth Council.
By Dr. G (Dr. Luis S. González), community writer
Colton’s fiscal calendar and the Colton Joint Unified School District school year.
report, though she serves in a non-voting capacity.
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Following her swearing-in by the deputy city clerk, Diaz took her seat on the dais alongside the five voting members of the Recreation and Parks Commission.
“I’m really excited for this opportunity,” Diaz said following her first Commission meeting on July 16.
Both appointments align with the City of
As Youth Commissioner, she receives meeting agendas, may ask questions, and is required to present a Youth Council
olton High School senior Ava Diaz was appointed chair of the Colton Youth Council for the 2025-26 fiscal year, just days after being sworn in as Youth Commissioner for the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission.
Diaz was also appointed to chair the Youth Council by retired educator and community leader Dr. G, who founded the Youth Council cont. next pg.