EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 63, NO. 09
December 04, 2025
Our IE Campaign Fights Inland Empire’s Negative Stereotypes With Polling, Canvassing, Finds Voters Feel Powerless
IECN.com
When Your Backyard Becomes a Warehouse: IE Communities Are Paying the Price for Convenience Pg. 3
PHOTO COPE COPE staff and volunteers wearing “Our IE – Beauty in Our Fight” shirts pose for a selfie during door-to-door canvassing in San Bernardino in October 2025.
PHOTO COPE From left, COPE civic engagement project manager Stanette Dixon and civic engagement coordinator T.S. “Tamez” Nolley prep to talk with residents about Prop 50 and what they love about the IE.
By Manny Sandoval
change it.
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The campaign brings together Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ) and Starting Over Inc., a Riverside-based organization led by formerly incarcerated people. The three groups teamed up after attending a narrative change convening in Long Beach as part of a Million Voters Project grant
ired of hearing the Inland Empire reduced to crime, homelessness and warehouses, three community-led nonprofits have launched the Our IE campaign, using polling, canvassing, billboards and roughly 900,000 digital ad impressions to shift how residents see their 49-city region — and their power to
and its MVP Echoes Academy, deciding to build a regional effort focused squarely on how people talk and think about the Inland Empire. “Our participation in this, Our IE, is really to combat the negativity that circles around San Bernardino, Riverside counties, the totality of the Inland Empire,” Our IE, cont. on next pg.
San Bernardino Names Vanessa Carder as Parks Director
Can Tree Wonderland Turns Canned Goods into Holiday Meals at Feeding America in Riverside Pg. 4
State Housing Inland Empire Community Newspapers Secretary Visits SB Office: (909) 381-9898 County Sites as Affordable Housing Investments Top $84 Million Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: sales@iecn.com Legals : iecnlegals@hotmail.com
Pg. 8
HOW TO REACH US Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com
PHOTO CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO Vanessa Carder is San Bernardino’s latest Parks Director.
Community News
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he City of San Bernardino has announced that Vanessa Carder has joined its leadership team as the new Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services.
Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals: iecnlegals@gmail.com
“Vanessa Carder has a long history of delivering impactful recreation programs
and services to the residents of San Bernardino, said City Manager Eric Levitt. “We are thrilled to have her take the Parks Department to the next level.” Carder has served as San Bernardino’s Acting Parks Director since May. She has worked for the City of San Bernardino’s Parks Department since 2021, serving as Deputy Director, as well as Community
Recreation Manager. “I am truly honored to step into the role of Director and continue serving the community that I care so deeply about,” said Carder. “This is more than a professional opportunity — it’s a chance to deepen the relationships that make our city strong and vibrant.” Parks Director, Cont. on next pg.