COLTON COURIER Weekly
August 14, 2025
Vol 153, NO. 34
Colton Families Pack National Night Out as Chief Vega Highlights Record Staffing By Manny Sandoval
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undreds of residents braved a sweltering 110-degree afternoon Thursday for the Colton Police Department’s annual National Night Out, which began at 6 p.m. and slowly cooled as the evening breeze rolled in.
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The nationwide observance took place Aug. 5, but Colton’s celebration was held Aug. 7 to avoid conflicting with the City Council meeting and other nearby events. “We didn’t want to compete with Rialto PD or SBPD,” Police Chief Anthony Vega said.
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“Many families like to attend multiple National Night Out events, and this gave residents the chance to enjoy more than one this year.”
Pg. 4 PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Colton Police Chief Anthony Vega shakes hands with a young attendee during the Aug. 7 National Night Out.
By 7:30 p.m., several hundred attendees had gathered, with children shooting hoops
on a basketball arcade game, families visiting craft and information booths, and officers mingling with community members. A live band kept the crowd entertained, playing through the lingering heat. Vega joined in the festivities, chatting with residents and even taking a few basketball shots alongside local kids. Vega also noted that the department recently filled more officer positions, reaching its highest staffing levels since the 2008 recession. “We’re growing, and more details on that will be coming soon,” he said. National Night Out, held annually across the country, fosters police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make communities safer.
Inland Empire Summit Reveals Majority of Rent-Burdened Households Spend Over 50% of Income During Humane Housing Panel By Manny Sandoval
Fontana Unified Kicks Off 2025-26 School Year with New Beginnings, Historic Milestones Pg. 5
Assemblymember Ramos Donates $10K to Support San Bernardino Student Backpack Giveaway Pg. 8
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n the Inland Empire, most renter households considered rent-burdened — paying at least 35 percent of their income on rent — actually spend more than half of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. The finding underscored urgent conversations at the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s Policy & Philanthropy Summit, held Aug. 6–7 at the Riverside Convention Center. The two-day event drew nearly 500 nonprofit leaders, policymakers, and advocates from across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and even beyond, under the theme “Common Ground for the Common Good.” Conversations throughout the summit were framed by the “vital conditions” — seven interconnected pillars for building thriving communities: basic needs for health and safety, humane housing, meaningful work and wealth, lifelong learning, reliable transportation, belonging and civic muscle, and a thriving natural world. During a humane housing panel, California
Assemblymembers Dr. Corey Jackson and Robert Garcia tackled the Inland Empire’s affordability crisis head-on. Jackson stressed the need for government, nonprofits, and the private sector to end siloed work and coordinate strategies. “There isn’t a single report, study, or recommendation that doesn’t say we have to stop operating in silos,” Jackson said. “If we're all serving the same population, we should be coordinating, sharing information, and creating spaces where nonprofits, government, and business can hear the same message and work together. That’s when we can truly call ourselves a community and deliver for the people we profess to care about.” Pressed on why developers continue building larger, costlier homes, Jackson pointed to the economics of land value and profit margins. He highlighted his bill, AB 317, which incentivizes smaller, more affordable homes so younger generations can buy in the communities where they grew up. Garcia said decades of underbuilding are a key driver of Summit cont. next pg.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Dr. Corey Jackson speaks with Inland Empire Community News and KVCR backstage after his panel with Assemblymember Robert Garcia on affordable housing.