EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 63, NO. 48
September 03, 2026
San Bernardino County Documentary Reframes Dec. 2 Terror Attack Through Victims, Survivors
IECN.com
Feeding America Riverside Pantry Offers Families a Dignified GroceryStore Shopping Experience Pg. 4
PHOTO SB COUNTY The media still shows the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, where 14 people were killed in the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack.
By Manny Sandoval
M
ore than a decade after 14 people were killed in the Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center, three San Bernardino County filmmakers set out to tell a story they believed had too often been framed around the attackers rather than the people whose lives were changed. The result is “We Remember | December 2, 2015,” a county documentary released
PHOTO SB COUNTY Former San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon sits for an interview for the county’s documentary, offering his perspective on the Dec. 2 attack and the community’s response.
in July that took an entire year to create and centers on family members of those killed, survivors, first responders and community leaders. Rather than reconstructing the violence, the film focuses on remembrance, recovery and the ways people have carried the tragedy forward. San Bernardino County multimedia production specialists Shanele Alvarez, Branson Tay and Megan Perez began developing the project as the 10th anniversary approached. Alvarez said the team
was given an opportunity to pursue a passion project outside its normal assignments, and Tay suggested revisiting Dec. 2. “We realized that the incident had only ever been talked about through who did it and why they did it,” Alvarez said. “We wanted to really tell a story from that perspective of paying tribute to who these victims were and survivors, everyone that was involved.” Dec. 2nd Doc, Cont. next pg.
Chicano Elegance Gala Reframes Perceptions of Chicano Culture at San Bernardino’s Sole Alley Four San Bernardino City Schools Earn 2026 California Distinguished School Honors Pg. 4
Fontana Breaks Ground on 106-Unit Affordable Housing Community With $4M Federal Investment Pg. 8
Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Chicano Elegance Foundation board members Freddy Calderon, left, and Sus Chiprez stand outside Sole Alley in downtown San Bernardino, where the Chicano Elegance Gala will be held Sept. 26.
By Manny Sandoval
A
fter presenting its blend of fashion, art and Chicano culture in Los Angeles, on the East Coast and in Mexico City, Chicano Elegance is bringing its signature gala to a place organizers say carries particular meaning: San Bernardino. The Chicano Elegance Gala will take over Sole Alley in downtown San Bernardino on Sept. 26, bringing together
PHOTO CHICANO ELEGANCE A model walks the runway during a previous Chicano Elegance Gala wearing a Mexican flag-inspired design, reflecting the event’s emphasis on fashion as an expression of Chicano cultural identity.
a runway fashion show, visual art, live music, Indigenous cultural elements, food and intricately customized lowriders displayed as works of art. For Chicano Elegance Foundation board members Sus and Freddy Calderon, both San Bernardino natives, bringing the event to their hometown is about more than selecting another stop for the traveling cultural showcase. “Los Angeles has seen it. All these other
places have seen it. San Bernardino has not,” Sus said. “So I think it’s time to do that.” Organizers say each Chicano Elegance event is intentionally shaped by the community hosting it rather than replicated city to city. In San Bernardino, that means incorporating local artists, musicians, dancers, businesses and organizations while drawing from the city’s distinct history and culture. Gala cont. on next pg.