Colton Courier 01/22/26

COLTON COURIER WWe

By Nick Zupkofska, Contributing Writer

The Colton Woman’s Club drew 75 members to its monthly meeting last week at its clubhouse, 475 N. Seventh St., where leaders marked the organization’s long-running work in the community and accepted a local recognition award.

During the meeting, Dr. G made a presen-

tation on behalf of “CITYTALK w/DrG,” honoring the Colton Woman’s Club for 125 years of service to the city of Colton and what organizers described as a positive contribution to the community.

The recognition, known as the “Community Impact Award,” is given to groups or individuals cited for effective community engagement and making a positive impact, according to information shared with the club.

By Manny Sandoval

Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez opened a San Bernardino County town hall on the creative economy with a challenge: treat arts and culture as essential infrastructure — and match celebration with responsibility.

“As artists, culture bearers, educators, and community partners that are here today, we have a shared responsibility not

“The 125th Anniversary Celebration last year was a testament to our commitment to the community,” said club President Delma Ledesma.

The Colton Woman’s Club reported a current membership total of 112 and said it sponsors and organizes events and activities for both the community and its members.

On a larger scale, the group said it hosts

to acknowledge it, but to work for accountability and support Indigenous sovereignty and uplifting Native voices, artists and culture bearers,” said Gutierrez Chavez, executive director of Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County.

The “Creative Economies in Action: Statewide Engagement Tour” stop was held Wednesday, Jan. 7, at the West End Educational Service Center in Rancho

Cucamonga, bringing together the California Arts Council and California for the Arts with local partners including Arts Connection, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

Gutierrez Chavez told the room that creativity is not confined to galleries or stages in the Inland Empire, but shows up “in the classrooms, our neighborhoods,

Women’s Club (cont.)

- monthly luncheons, participates in city events including Christmas Wonderland, the public library and Veterans Day, and partners with local service organizations such as Seed of Hope, Santa Claus Incorporated and CITYTALK w/DrG.

On a smaller scale, the club said it provides scholarships, helps with decorations, and organizes regular events including Bingo, Bunco and craft days.

Members also emphasized the group’s social bonds and the hands-on support that keeps its calendar active.

“They all pitch in when they can,” said club member Tish Ochoa. “They are very good at supporting the club with their membership and participation.”

Lorna Whitaker, who has been a member for more than 30 years, said she values the organization’s community and camaraderie.

“The women are friendly and very interesting,” Whitaker said. “I love being a part of this organization.”

Looking ahead, Ledesma is winding down her term this year along with several other officers, and the club said it is developing a new slate of officers expected to take over in June.

CITYTALK said the Community Impact Award was established in 2019 to recognize efforts by groups and individuals working “behind the scenes” to improve the city of Colton. Dr. G is the founder of CITY TALK and a Colton City Council member, according to information provided.

For more information about the Colton Woman’s Club, contact President Delma Ledesma at 909-506-7496. For more information about CITY TALK, text or call Dr. G at 909-213-3730.

Creative Townhall (cont.)

- our public spaces like parks, trails, bus benches, and small businesses,” woven into how the region understands itself. At the same time, he described the daily strain he sees among artists and cultural workers who keep creating while working long hours in an economy shaped by logistics and warehousing.

“I work with artists and culture barriers every day and I see them juggling multiple jobs, working from nine to five, working late nights, whether it’s in the most dominant industries such as the warehouse industry, logistics industries,” he said. “And they still make time for their creative careers because they know the value that their work has for our communities.”

From there, state leaders positioned the gathering as part of a broader push to convert that local reality into statewide policy and investment — with a plan they said is meant to drive concrete outcomes, not sit on a shelf.

Rebecca Ratzkin, equity measures and evaluation manager at the California Arts Council, told attendees the strategic plan was not optional.

“So doing this plan actually wasn’t a choice,” Ratzkin said. “It was legislatively mandated.”

Ratzkin said lawmakers funded the California Arts Council to assemble a Creative Economy workgroup “made up of experts from across different sectors of the creative economies and across the entire state,” and required the agency to produce a strategic plan based on that cross-sector work.

She laid out the plan’s goals as a mix of economic development and equity commitments: “To attract Creative Economy business, retain talent within the state,” she said, adding, “So attraction, retention, growth.” The plan also focuses on “sustaining, developing marketable content that can be exported for national and international consumption,” which she described as a strategy “to actually generate revenue.”

Ratzkin added that the plan is also designed to ensure participation and benefits extend to communities historically left out of state investment. The goals include “to make sure that we’re reaching marginalized communities, that we’re living up to our race, equity promise as a state, and to incorporate the diversity of the multiple perspectives of communities across the state.”

Ratzkin described the plan’s development as a phased process. Phase one, she said, built the framework — including establishing the workgroup and partnering with Institute for the Future, a nonprofit consultant, to guide the work through a “foresight, insight and action” methodology.

She said background research and statewide listening fed into workgroup meetings in 2024, and that the state moved into generating and consolidating action ideas in 2025 — ultimately submitting the report with the governor’s approval in summer 2025.

The plan’s “North Star,” Ratzkin said, is to “lead an inclusive and resilient creative economy that empowers artists, cultural workers and entrepreneurs to drive culture, creativity and innovation.”

She said the plan treats the creative economy as an ecosystem — the people who create, the institutions that support them, and the places where culture is produced and experienced. She also highlighted five “future forces” shaping that ecosystem: mental

health and belonging; access to capital and risk taking; technology and tradition; climate impacts; and affordability and livability.

Ratzkin summarized six overarching goals the plan organizes its strategies around: preparing and supporting the workforce; stabilizing and growing creative economy businesses; increasing statewide revenue through cultural identity and tourism; leveraging state opportunities for local cultural and creative development; defining and tracking ROI — which she said includes “return on investment,” “return on imagination,” and “return on innovation”; and developing capacity and infrastructure at both the state and local levels.

As she connected the framework to San Bernardino County, Ratzkin pointed to recent funding that flowed into the region through state programs administered locally.

“Arts Connection was one of the creative core administering organizations,” she said, adding that through that program “they were able to… put in over $4 million in the creative sector here between 2022 and 2024.”

She said the town hall series is part of phase two — an engagement push meant to capture what communities say is missing and what they need to implement the plan. Phase three, she said, is expected to focus on implementation and evaluation, aligned with the state’s fiscal calendar.

The statewide effort arrives with an explicit economic framing from state officials: the California Arts Council has said the plan is designed to strengthen California’s $288 billion creative sectors and support more than 820,000 creative workers statewide.

For local institutions, speakers said that statewide framing matches what they see when arts funding reaches the Inland Empire.

Manny Saucedo, director of development and strategic relations at KVCR, said his station has already seen what targeted investment can do for local hiring and local storytelling.

“A couple years ago, we actually got some funding from the Arts Council… And through that work, we were able to hire a number of different artists and creatives,” Saucedo said. He pointed to a recent example of local talent rising through that support: “We ended up hiring a TV producer who won an Emmy Award for The Warehouse Empire.”

Saucedo said investment matters not only for cultural output, but for whether creative workers can build stable lives in the Inland Empire.

Saucedo said the investment helps diversify the region’s economy and create local jobs for creative workers. “It’s kind of a spur of the economy, but also to give a different economy or region of folks that can find some work and really stay here locally,” he said. “Instead of them going to LA or San Francisco, they can stay here locally and make a living.”

That retention argument was echoed in the education sector, where county leaders described arts programming as both student development and workforce preparation.

Norm Nunez, community relations manager for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre “is very, very supportive of the arts programs,” describing arts education as something that develops students “from pre-K through high school” and helps prepare them for college.

Nunez described countywide arts pathways including Poetry Out Loud, visual arts competitions, and honor band and honor orchestra programs that draw students from districts across the county. He said those ensembles span elementary through high school and culminate in an annual performance at the University of Redlands.

Nunez said the county’s size makes arts investment a regional concern. “Being the largest county, San Bernardino County, we want to have that involvement and be at the table and look at what’s the vision for the next generations,” he said, adding that the county serves about 400,000 students across 33 school districts.

He also addressed a recurring public criticism — the idea that arts investment competes with more urgent needs — describing arts participation as essential support for students.

“The emotional support that it gives students, the freedom that it gives them to think and use their imagination… mental health is important to our students,” Nunez said. “So I think there’s a place and on an equal balance with the other things that they’re doing. No difference than somebody playing sports.”

Terry Ball, senior programs manager for California for the Arts, said California’s arts funding is often treated as optional — even as the state brands itself as a creative powerhouse — and she argued that mindset keeps the arts from being recognized as both an economic driver and a practical tool for addressing other challenges.

Ball said she wants the arts to stop being viewed as “something peripheral” and instead be treated like other workforce and economic development priorities. “We hope that the arts are seen as a solution because the arts can help with a lot of the other problems,” she said, citing social issues, criminal justice challenges and health problems.

Ball said California’s funding for the California Arts Council is about $24 million — “ridiculous” for a state its size — and she argued that the state still isn’t investing even “a dollar” per resident. She said California’s arts funding ranks behind a long list of states, including Florida. “As a state, we rank below Alabama and Florida and Texas and a very large number of states in our arts funding,” she said.

Ball cited what she described as a California study on the economic ripple effects of performing arts employment. “For every hundred dollars invested in arts workers in a community, it pays out at least $115,” she said.

Recent national data illustrates the gap Ball described. In the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ FY2025 table of per-capita legislative appropriations, California is listed at $0.82 per person, compared with $1.31 in Florida. The highest per-capita figure is Hawai‘i at $11.10, and Minnesota is listed at $10.07.

For Gutierrez Chavez, the case for San Bernardino County was both personal and structural: a region with deep creative roots that needs sustained investment to make creative careers livable.

“It makes me really excited that we’re here today… having a conversation around how can we together, cross sector partners, come together to support the creative economy, our artists, our culture bearers,” he said. “This shared space is the first step that I truly believe can serve as a catalyst for collective work.”

Op-Ed

There Is No Middle Ground When Our Communities Are Under Attack

PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL

San Bernardino County Library, First 5 Expand “1000

Books Before Kinder” to Boost Early Literacy Countywide

Community News

For many years, the San Bernardino County Library and First 5 San Bernardino have worked together to champion early literacy, and this enduring partnership continues with the expansion of the celebrated “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” initiative — an early literacy program designed to inspire parents and caregivers to read aloud to their children and prepare young learners for lifelong academic success.

The “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” program supports families in building reading habits from the earliest years of life. By engaging in daily reading, families not only strengthen early literacy skills, but build meaningful connections that help prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. The program is free and accessible at all San Bernardino County Library branches.

As part of the countywide Vision2Read initiative, the County Library continues its mission to improve literacy and expand access to high-quality learning opportunities for families across the region.

Vision2Read emphasizes the importance of early reading habits and supports programs that help children build the six essential early literacy skills:

ters at every chance you get and tell your child the name and sound. See if they can repeat it back to you.

Phonological awareness: Rhyming is a wonderful way to introduce phonics and word sounds to your child. Singing is a fun way to introduce rhyming as well.

Through this initiative, programs like “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” play a vital role in preparing young learners for academic success while fostering a culture of reading throughout San Bernardino County.

Through this collaboration, participating families will enjoy:

Free registration at any library branch.

A dedicated reading log system, both physical and digital, to track progress.

Milestone incentives to celebrate achievements along the way.

Access to early learning resources provided by First 5 SB. Family-friendly programs, storytimes and hands-on early literacy activities.

By Javier Hernandez, Executive Director, Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice

There are moments in history when people are forced to choose a side, when the stakes are too high, the violence too severe, and the truth too urgent for anyone to stand in the middle. Today, as immigrants across the Inland Empire face unprecedented attacks, we have reached one of those moments. And let me be absolutely clear: when it comes to growing authoritarianism and the humanity of immigrants, there is no middle ground.

For decades, immigrants in Riverside and San Bernardino counties have endured abuse, harassment, and violence at the hands of government agencies and local law enforcement. Our region has been a testing ground for some of the most aggressive and dehumanizing tactics used anywhere in California. But what we are witnessing now, the escalation and normalization of violence, demands a new level of political courage.

Families have been shot at by federal agents in broad daylight. Workers have been chased into medical clinics. Children have watched their parents detained in parking lots and grocery store aisles. Cars have been rammed, homes surveilled, and entire neighborhoods terrorized by federal agencies acting with impunity. These are not isolated incidents. This is a pattern. A sys-

tem. A growing authoritarian impulse that sees immigrants not as people, but as targets.

Authoritarianism doesn’t always arrive in uniforms or tanks; it arrives through normalized cruelty, unchecked power, and silence from those who know better. Authoritarianism thrives in silence. It thrives in hesitation. And it thrives when leaders are more afraid of political backlash than they are of the suffering of their own constituents.

Yet too many leaders in both major parties continue to search for a so-called “middle ground,” remaining silent or speaking softly about injustice to avoid controversy, calculating political risks rather than confronting reality.

At the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, we refuse to stand in the middle. Our movement was built on resistance, on exposing the realities of this inhumanity and confronting the machinery of violence that has taken hold in our communities. We will continue to shine a light on the abuse that has been ignored, the trauma that has been hidden, and the bipartisan political cowardice that has allowed this harm to continue. Our work is about truth and accountability. It is about honoring the stories of families who have been harmed and refusing to let their pain be erased by political convenience.

In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, our history is filled with both cruelty and

courage. For every raid, every wrongful arrest, and every act of state violence, there have been organizers, families, and advocates who fought back and who refused to be silent and demanded dignity. That legacy continues today.

ICIJ confronts authoritarianism every day. Through our immigrant defense hotline, legal support, rapid response teams, community workshops, and advocacy, we stand with immigrants not only in moments of crisis, but in the long, exhausting struggle for recognition and respect.

But the fight ahead requires more from all of us. It requires clarity. It requires resolve. It requires choosing the side of humanity… even when it is uncomfortable, unpopular, or politically risky.

There is no middle ground. Not when families are being hunted. Not when children are being traumatized. Not when government agencies operate like a domestic secret police force, with the support of California legislators.

This is the moment we are in. We cannot pretend otherwise.

To every elected official, every organization, and every community leader, the days of silence, neutrality, and half-measures are over. The line has been drawn. And history will remember where we stood when immigrant families in the Inland Empire needed us most.

Vocabulary building: Reading regularly expands your child’s vocabulary by introducing words that may not come in everyday conversations.

Print motivation: Having access to plenty of books as well as modeling an enjoyment of reading helps keep a young child excited about reading.

Print awareness: Words are everywhere, take the time to point them out to your child!

Narrative skills: Ask questions before, during and after reading to help build comprehension. Make up stories with your child to also build these skills.

Letter knowledge: Point out let-

Families can sign up today by visiting any one of the 32 County Library branches. Upon registering, each child receives a reading log and a welcome gift. As books are read and milestones are met, participants earn additional rewards to encourage continued progress toward the 1000-book goal.

For more information about the San Bernardino County Library system, visit library.sbcounty.gov, call 909387-2220 or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

The San Bernardino County Library system is a dynamic network of 32 branch libraries that serve a diverse population over a vast geographic area. The County Library strives to provide equal access to information, technology, events and services for all people who call San Bernardino County home.

Weekend Guide: Five Upscale Vegas Experiences That Deliver Value for Inland Travelers in 2026

By Manny Sandoval

Las Vegas is in a strange moment: still packed with spectacle, but facing a very real tourism slump that has pushed hotels and attractions to compete harder for visitors. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority data shows visitation trended down through 2025, and local reporting has put the year’s decline at about 7% compared with 2024.

For Inland Empire residents, that softness can translate into something practical: more deals, more elbow room, and a “do it big without doing it reckless” kind of weekend — especially when you keep the trip tight, pick one or two splurges, and build the rest around experiences that feel premium without forcing a premium budget.

And the Inland Empire-to-Vegas pipeline is still real. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s 2024 visitor profile found that a sizable share of Las Vegas visitors live in Southern California (including large numbers who arrive by ground transportation), underscoring how much the region fuels Las Vegas weekends.

Here are five experiences that made my New Year 2026 trip feel upscale, fun, and still surprisingly budget-conscious — built for couples and families (with a few age notes where they matter).

1) Stay “on the Strip” without feeling swallowed by it: W Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay

A smart Vegas weekend starts with a hotel that actually helps you recover, and W Las Vegas is built for that. It’s an all-suite, smoke-free property, which made the stay noticeably quieter and cleaner-feeling than much of the Strip — especially at night.

Our suite also made the “attainable luxury” idea feel real. Even the standard rooms start at about 725 square feet, and ours had floor-to-ceiling windows that made the Strip feel present without making the room feel chaotic. The layout included one full bathroom plus a separate half bath, a small detail that mattered more than expected when getting ready to go out and winding down afterward.

When we wanted a rooftop-view moment without turning it into a big spend, we went to Skyfall on the 64th floor — an easy, elevated stop that didn’t come with a cover charge or a minimum spend, which is exactly the kind of “Vegas” experience that

still fits a budget-conscious trip.

Best for: couples who want calm with access, families who want space and a quieter end of the Strip Budget move: use Skyfall as your one rooftop-view stop—one drink, the view, then keep the night moving.

2) The Mob Museum: the most “worth the ticket” deep-dive downtown — with a smart discount window

Downtown Las Vegas is where you go when you want history, personality, and less of the Strip’s “everything costs $24 now” energy. The Mob Museum (officially the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement) is the rare attraction that feels genuinely world-class: four floors, heavy artifacts, immersive multimedia, and exhibits that don’t sanitize the darker parts of the story.

It’s also a strong value if you time it right. General admission is listed at $34.95, with a cheaper “after 5 p.m.” ticket option at $27.95 (plus discounts for certain groups).

On New Year’s Day, my visit lined up with a packed special program featuring Frank Calabrese Jr., whose story is tied to the Chicago Outfit and the “Family Secrets” era of organized-crime prosecutions. The talk turned a museum visit into something closer to live history — part true crime, part civic lesson, part “how did people actually survive this world?”

Don’t skip the basement: The Underground speakeasy is a full-on Prohibitionera set, and the espresso martinis were balanced enough that my group immediately wanted a second.

Family note: It’s museum-style educational, but parts are intense and some content is graphic — I’d use discretion with kids under 12, and lean older teen/adult for the full experience.

Budget move: go after 5 p.m. for the lower ticket, and treat it as your “main event” for the day.

3) Arts District nights without Strip pricing: Bad Beat Brewing

Las Vegas’ Arts District has become the antidote to the Strip for a lot of locals and repeat visitors: murals and street art, smaller rooms, and a walkable grid of bars and restaurants that feels more neighborhood than tourist corridor.

Bad Beat Brewing is a strong anchor stop — especially in winter, when you want indoor seating that doesn’t feel cramped. The space leans rustic-industrial with natural touches, plenty of room to spread out, and music set at a level where you can still hold a conversation. The brewery’s story also fits the district’s reinvention energy: Bad Beat launched in Henderson in 2014, then relocated into the Arts District after selling its original location, carrying its craft focus downtown.

On my trip, the holiday cocktail menu was the standout, led by a seasonal drink called Big Nick Energy — built with bourbon crème, amaro, coffee liqueur and crème de cacao, finished with a Biscoff cookie. It drank like dessert without becoming overly sweet, and it was made by Kevin, a bartender who was equal parts friendly and insightful — the kind of person who makes a new place feel instantly welcoming. Bad Beat’s year-round Moscow mules were another surprise. Served in copper mugs the way they’re supposed to be, they were elevated by the brewery’s house-made ginger and ginger-chew garnish — a small detail that turned a standard drink into something people at our table kept talking about. And as a stout drinker, I appreciated getting an early taste of a marshmallow stout ahead of its early January debut: strong, balanced, and finishing with a clean marshmallow note rather than a sugar-heavy aftertaste.

Budget move: Make the Arts District your “drinks and atmosphere” night — you can linger in one spot, spend less than you would hopping Strip lounges, and still feel like you found something special.

4) A steakhouse splurge that doesn’t have to break you: Bavette’s at Park MGM

The one “we’re doing it” meal — Chicago-born, Vegas-polished

Every Vegas trip needs one meal that feels like a night out — but that doesn’t mean chasing the most expensive cut on the menu. Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar, a Chicago-style steakhouse at Park MGM, is built for the classic “speakeasy steakhouse” mood: low light, dark wood, a busy bar, and a room that hums even when people aren’t being loud.

The concept comes out of Chicago as Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, and the brand describes itself as a French-leaning twist on a traditional steakhouse — “without the formality.” That’s exactly how it feels in Las

Vegas: romantic enough for couples, energetic enough for a celebration, and comfortable enough that you don’t feel like you have to whisper.

If you’re doing this as a budget-aware splurge, the move is simple: order something that still feels like Bavette’s without turning it into an all-out blowout. A strong value play is the Ribeye Steak Frites — 10 ounces with béarnaise and hand-cut fries listed at $49.99. It’s rich, satisfying, and built for sharing, especially if you add one salad or side for the table.

Best for: couples, anniversaries, “one big dinner” nights

Budget move: split the ribeye steak frites and add one shared side or salad — you get the full steakhouse experience without the sticker shock.

5) Diner Ross (and the dance-floor surprise) at The LINQ

Not every Vegas night needs to be formal. Diner Ross at The LINQ leans into a full 1970s New York theme — the kind of place that makes dinner feel like you walked onto a set. It’s from Spiegelworld (the team behind Absinthe), and even the entrance is part of it: guests are routed through a “99 Prince” subway-style entry point before emerging into the diner universe.

If you followed the news about DISCOSHOW: yes, the production ended its run Jan. 3, 2026. But here’s what matters for 2026 visitors: Diner Ross remains open (and the adjoining bar concepts continue), meaning you can still catch the spirit of that immersive discoera energy even without buying a show ticket.

On my way out, I got pulled into one of those only-in-Vegas moments — the kind where you’re leaving dinner and suddenly you’re dancing for five minutes because a live DJ is sending people into the night on a high note.

Budget move: go early (right at opening) and keep it as your “fun dinner” — especially if your trip already includes one higher-end meal elsewhere. Diner Ross lists hours Wednesday through Sunday.

Disclosure The Mob Museum and Bad Beat Brewing provided complimentary considerations as part of a media arrangement. The experiences above reflect my reporting and personal impressions from the trip.

HPV Testing Via Easy Self-Collection Now Available to Patients at Planned Parenthood

An HPV self-collection test kit that PPOSBC is using.

By IECN Staff

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness

Month, and patients of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties (PPOSBC) now have access to a compassionate, lower-stress method of getting tested for human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer.

Self-collection HPV testing is now available as an option for patients aged 30 years and older at all nine of PPOSBC’s health centers in Orange and San Bernardino Counties. Self-collection HPV testing is FDA-approved, performed by the patient in privacy at a PPOSBC health center, and can be easily added to any existing appointment; no pelvic examination is necessary.

HPV, which is extremely common in the

U.S., has multiple strains, some of which can cause cancer. HPV vaccination protects against many of these strains, and most HPV infections (9 out of 10) clear on their own within two years. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV still infects about 13 million Americans and causes 36,000 new cancer cases each year, so it’s essential for every adult to be screened as recommended.

PPOSBC is one of the first Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state of California to offer self-collection HPV testing to patients. Previously, patients were required to do a full pelvic exam just to test for cervical cancer. Now, patients over 30 will be offered the option to self-collect.

Those who elect to do so are given a test kit and instructions, along with privacy to collect the sample themselves in the exam

room. The test results will be sent off to a lab for diagnostics. Test results are ready within three days. Patients who test positive for HPV are called back for further screening, which may include a pelvic exam and a test to find abnormal cells (often called a Pap test). If the HPV test is positive for certain strains or abnormal cells are found, then a colposcopy or LEEP procedure is recommended. All of these services are available through PPOSBC.

PPOSBC providers have reported that many patients appreciate having the option for self-collection HPV testing, and hope it will lead to earlier detection of possible cervical cancers.

“At Planned Parenthood, we prioritize patient choice, compassionate care, and effective cancer screening programs that save lives,” said Janet Jacobson, M.D., medical director, PPOSBC. “Pelvic exams

aren’t an easy experience for anyone, and they are particularly stressful for patients who are not prepared or have a history of sexual trauma or pain. Self-screening lowers this barrier, and we are pleased to offer it to all patients over 30. The earlier we can catch HPV, the easier it is for patients to monitor their health via regular screening and get any treatment they may need.”

“Our doors are open, and we are here to provide care no matter what,” said Krista Hollinger, President and CEO, PPOSBC. “We are proud to offer this level of compassionate, patient-centered care that makes it easier for women to get lifesaving cervical cancer screenings. If you are as committed as we are to ensuring that all patients have choices and access to quality, comprehensive healthcare, we need–and are incredibly grateful for–all the help and support you can provide.”

By Manny Sandoval

The Riverside City Council voted 4-3 on Jan. 13 to reject a state Homekey+ award of up to $20,137,410, halting a plan to convert a University Avenue motel into 114 studio apartments that supporters said would have brought permanent supportive housing online quickly — and touched off a tense finish to a meeting where most speakers urged approval.

Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, who represents Ward 2 where the project site sits, voted yes alongside Councilmembers Jim Perry and Steve Hemenway. Councilmembers Philip Falcone, Steven Robillard, Chuck Conder and Sean Mill voted no.

As the final votes landed, frustration in the chamber rose. Some attendees shouted remarks at councilmembers as they left, angry that a project with broad public support had been rejected. The meeting drew more than 100 people in person and the mayor shortened public comment amid heavy participation.

After the vote, Inland Empire Community News contacted the four councilmembers who voted no and asked what influenced their decisions. Falcone responded saying: “I spoke at length on this topic at the May City Council meeting when the grant application was discussed. Those comments remain true.” Robillard did not comment; his assistant, Sol Garay, said: “Unfortunately, Councilmember Robillard is unable for a comment. We encourage you to review the City Council recording for the full discussion and context.” Conder did not respond.

The project — University Terrace Homes — would have acquired and rehabilitated the Quality Inn at 1590 University Ave., converting existing rooms into 114 studio units with kitchens, bathrooms and living areas. Residents would sign 12-month leases, and there would be no limit on length of stay so long as tenants complied with lease terms and paid rent.

The plan included space for on-site operations — including offices for property management and case managers — along with a resident meeting and training room. The development team also proposed a gated perimeter, roundthe-clock security, and on-site staff. The conversion would have produced 94 permanent supportive housing units affordable at 30% of area median income and 20 affordable units at 50% of area median income. Priority would have been given to local seniors and veterans. Eighteen units were slated to be reserved for residents with mobility disabilities and 12 for residents with hearing or vision disabilities.

The Homekey+ program, tied to Proposition 1 approved by voters in March 2024, is intended to increase housing for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness who also face behavioral health challenges, including serious mental illness or substance use disorder.

Councilwoman Cervantes argued the council’s vote amounted to turning away a rare, time-sensitive chance to add a meaningful number of units in a short window — and she said the project’s target population had been misunderstood.

“People were calling it a homeless shelter,” Cervantes said in an interview after the vote. “That’s not what this is and that’s not what it was going to be.”

Instead, she said, the units were intended for people al-

ready moving through the housing system and seeking placement.

“These are people on a wait list that are preapproved, that are seeking to be housed, that want to call one of these units home,” she said. “We should applaud that.”

She also said the project’s design was unusually serviceheavy, and she pointed to the staffing plan as evidence that the development team had tried to anticipate community concerns.

“This project would have had one of the highest casemanager-to-resident ratios in the county,” Cervantes said.

The project also came with a public-safety argument from city staff: the existing motel has generated significant police activity, including 97 police service calls requiring 222 officer responses between Jan. 1, 2024, and April 26, 2025, plus 67 additional calls from April 27 through Oct. 31, 2025. City staff cited incidents ranging from 911 hang-ups to auto theft and aggravated assault, and said adaptive reuse could stabilize a property that has long strained resources.

But Tuesday’s vote was shaped as much by politics and public trust as by project design.

Cervantes said opposition surged in May after what she described as misinformation spread quickly, forcing her office and city housing staff to spend months in damage control — explaining eligibility rules, services, security and operations.

“When misinformation goes out, it spreads like wildfire,” she said.

She said that over time, outreach efforts shifted some nearby stakeholders from opposition to neutral, and in some cases to support. She singled out the Farmhouse Collective as one of the most persistent critics, describing its owners as a loud voice pressing the council to oppose the conversion.

“Unfortunately the Farmhouse Collective was one of the primary and loudest voices that went to the council in objection to this project,” she said, adding that she believed the business and its owners influenced the political pressure around the vote.

Inside the council chamber, Cervantes said support appeared dominant. She said she asked supporters to stand and estimated that 80% to 90% of those present rose. She also said public input leaned heavily toward approval.

Still, the council majority voted it down — and Cervantes said what bothered her most was the silence that followed.

“I was very shocked and disappointed to notice that two of my colleagues who voted no didn’t even say why or justify their vote,” she said, referring to Falcone and Conder. “They didn’t ask any questions. They didn’t state why they were in opposition to this project. They simply voted no.”

Cervantes said other councilmembers had raised concerns months earlier, but she argued those issues had been addressed through the project’s operations plan, security commitments and staffing structure.

“It felt like, unfortunately, folks came with premeditated

decisions or had already made their mind up,” she said. “That’s not a fair public hearing for an item like this.”

She framed the vote as a test of whether the city’s stated commitment to reducing homelessness extends to accepting permanent supportive housing in real neighborhoods.

“If we don’t want homelessness, if we don’t want to see unhoused people in our streets, we have to be open to building housing to get them off the streets,” she said. “And unfortunately, that was part of the narrative tonight — ‘I don’t oppose affordable housing, but this isn’t the right site.’ And it’s like nowhere feels good.”

Cervantes also emphasized the human stakes she said were lost in the debate, pointing to the project’s senior and disability focus. “I just don’t understand how we could say no to housing seniors, veterans and people with disabilities,” she said.

The financial structure had been one of the core flashpoints in public discussion. The total project budget was $31,710,096, including $26,622,300 in total development costs and $5,050,000 in 10-year operating costs. The city’s capital match contribution was $6,484,890 from Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funds. The operating match totaled $2,750,000, funded through a blend of federal sources and HHAP.

The project also had rental assistance lined up. On Sept. 3, 2025, Riverside Housing Development Corporation was notified that the project would receive 94 Section 8 project-based vouchers, which tie subsidies to units and help keep rents affordable for eligible tenants.

City documents also underscored the demand pressure: as of Nov. 20, 2025, 312 individuals had been prescreened and preapproved for housing through the Coordinated Entry System, with 219 awaiting a permanent supportive housing referral. Ninety-one of those waiting were aged 55 or older.

After the council’s rejection, Cervantes said the city would have to notify the state that Riverside would not accept the award, ending the opportunity.

“We are essentially going to have to decline the $21 million that they have awarded us,” she said.

She argued the consequences could ripple beyond this project, warning that rejecting a major state award could weaken Riverside’s credibility in future grant cycles.

“When a big city says no to funding, the state usually doesn’t then take your future applications seriously,” Cervantes said. “Why are we going to award you if you’re going to say no?”

Despite the loss, Cervantes said the months-long campaign revealed something she views as a path forward: a sizable coalition of residents, nonprofit leaders, housing advocates and local voices willing to publicly support permanent supportive housing — even when it draws political heat.

“I want to give a deep bow of gratitude to our community,” she said. “I’m grateful to everyone who sees the humanity in our unhoused community and those that are struggling.” Then she offered the line she said she returns to when the politics turn cold. “We’re closer to becoming homeless than we are to becoming billionaires,” Cervantes concluded.