EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 63, NO. 22
March 05, 2026
Inland Empire Cities Fail to Meet Warehouse Regulation Deadline, Advocates Warn By Christopher Salazar
T
he Moreno Valley library was enlivened by residents and planners who assessed the Inland Empire’s logistics future on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Freight Communities Action Coalition (FCAC) convened to dissect the rollout of Assembly Bill 98 (AB 98)—the 2024 warehouse siting law—and its new legislative partner passed in October 2025, Senate Bill 415 (SB 415), as cities scramble to comply with new county and statewide rules.
IECN.com
Fontana Unified Middle School Student Selected as Black History Month Parade Grand Marshal Pg. 4
PHOTO FRONTLINE OBSERVER City of Moreno Valley City Attorney Steve Quintanilla speaks to attendees of the Freight Communities Action Coalition's truck route summit at the Moreno Valley Library, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.
AB 98 was designed to shield neighborhoods from industrial sprawl by mandating that new warehouses align with designated truck routes by 2028 and January 1, 2026 for Warehouse Concentration Region (WCR) counties and cities, including Riverside County and San Bernardino County along with the cities of Chino, Colton, Fontana, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, Riverside and San Bernardino. The recent FCAC summit highlighted a growing urgency among Inland Empire advocates because, for those in
attendance, the event was a critical assessment of policy language and whether AB 98 and SB 415 can protect vulnerable frontline communities exposed to heavy diesel traffic. Inland Empire Community News (IECN) requested comments from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Neither agency responded by the time of publication. The summit began with organizers presenting a tier system ranking jurisdictions according to their compliance with AB 98. According to the presenters, little progress has been made in Riverside County, whereas San Bernardino County jurisdictions have mostly implemented truck routes in compliance with the new ordinances. Karla Cervantes, a Mead Valley resident and organizer with the Sierra Club and FCAC, said she was encouraged by the community turnout. But she remains frustrated with those cities and counties she says have not Warehouse Regulation, Cont. on next pg.
San Bernardino Valley College to Celebrate 100 Years with Centennial Gala
IE Leaders Unite to Launch the Kinetic AI Hub, Region’s First Applied AI Training Center Pg. 5
San Bernardino County’s First Diverging Diamond Interchange Opens Near CSUSB Pg. 5
Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
PHOTO SBVC A walkway of classic cars dating back to the 1920s will be on display at the gala on March 27th.
Community News
S
an Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding with a black-tie gala, “Centennial Journey” on March 27, 2026 on the SBVC campus. The gala will feature a walkway of classic cars dating back to the 1920s, featuring
a 1926 Buick Master Six that has been restored by SBVC automotive students. The car walkway is a tribute to Route 66, which opened the same year as the college. “SBVC’s Centennial Journey isn’t just about looking back on our first hundred years -- it’s about driving forward into the next century,” said San Bernardino Valley College Foundation Executive Director
Mike Layne. “For 100 years, students have come to SBVC with a dream and left with a future. From the Route 66-inspired classic car walkway and our students’ beautifully restored 1926 Buick to a night filled with music and storytelling, the gala will celebrate the people and moments that built SBVC while providing needed support for future students.” SBVC Gala, cont. next pg.