COLTON COURIER Weekly
February 05, 2026
Vol 154, NO. 10
Senator Reyes Unveils SB 951 Requiring 90-Day Notice to Workers, EDD Before AI-Driven Mass Layoffs By IECN Staff
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San Bernardino Receives $1.031 Million in Federal Funds to Expand the Use of Tech in the Police Department Pg. 3
People’s State of the City Highlights Gaps in Riverside’s “Leveling Up” Vision
n Feb. 2, Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes (D–Colton), introduced legislation requiring employers to provide at least 90 days’ notice to workers and the California Department of Employment Development (EDD) before conducting mass layoffs driven by the development of artificial intelligence (AI). SB 951 is modeled on the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act and is designed to address the growing economic disruption caused by rapid advances in workplace automation. Data collected through the implementation of SB 951 will inform future policymaking on the role of technology in California’s widening wage and opportunity gap. “The reach and speed at which AI is transforming our economy is astounding,” said Senator Reyes. “Recent announcements that tens of thousands of jobs will once again be sacrificed to automation is a stark reminder that we cannot rely on CEOs of the richest and most powerful companies in the world to pro-
tect workers and communities. Lawmakers must step in to do that work.” “Billionaire CEOs using technology to replace their workers is nothing new. NAFTA and unchecked deindustrialization devastated working class communities, leading to mass unemployment. Artificial intelligence threatens to do worse. Every passing month, more employers are using AI to automate, erode, and eliminate jobs with zero oversight,” said Lorena Gonzalez, President of California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. “We need data on which jobs and industries are impacted by AI layoffs and hiring freezes and what tools are being used to replace workers. SB 951 will track the real impact AI is having on workers’ livelihoods and help rein in automation before it devastates another generation of workers.” SB 951 would require employers to provide written notice at least 90 days in advance to affected workers, local governments, and EDD when AI-related layoffs or hiring reductions impact 25 or more workers – or 25 percent of the workforce, AI Jobs, cont. next pg.
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PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Eloise Gómez Reyes speaks at the reopening of the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge in San Bernardino in August 2025, as she now advances legislation aimed at protecting workers from AI-driven mass layoffs.
Aguilar Calls for Noem’s Removal After Ruiz Says Adelanto ICE Facility Barred Oversight Visit
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Happy Black History Month! Pg. 8
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz speaks at a Jan. 28 news conference in downtown San Bernardino, describing how Adelanto ICE officials denied him entry for an oversight visit despite his office sending advance notice emails and receiving no confirmation.
By Manny Sandoval
Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
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ep. Pete Aguilar opened an emergency press conference in downtown San Bernardino on Jan. 28 with four demands for the Trump administration: remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, halt federal immigration operations in Minnesota and Maine, bar the Department of Homeland Security from interfering in investigations
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Rep. Pete Aguilar speaks during a Jan. 28 press conference across from the ICE field office in downtown San Bernardino, calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s removal and sweeping ICE reforms.
into the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, and pass reforms aimed at stricter accountability for immigration enforcement. “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must be fired or we will remove her through impeachment,” Aguilar said. Aguilar, joined by Rep. Mark Takano and Rep. Dr. Raul Ruiz, delivered the
message from across the street from the ICE field office, alongside immigrantrights advocates including the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), and the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. Aguilar framed the press conference around what he described as a rapidly
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