W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 24, NO. 21
December 25, 2025
Inland Empire’s First Women’s Film Festival, Ella Film Fest, Sold Out with IECN’s Denise Berver Moderating Panel
IECN.com
Redlands Orange Drop Costs Up 40% to $70K—New Year’s Eve Event Still Free
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL From left: Ella Film Fest Founders Monet Sprague, Mariana Lapizco, IECN’s Denise Berver, Briana Navarro, and Mars Clara.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL IECN Co-publisher Denise Berver (far-left) moderating a panel on Women in Film featuring pros, such as Arianna Lemus, Sahar Khadjenoury, and Sahvannah Rae.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Ella Film Fest founders Mars Clara, Monet Sprague, Briana Navarro, and Mariana Lapizco kicking off the festivities at KVCR Public Media on Dec. 19th in San Bernardino.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Los Angeles based filmmaker Arianna Lemus expressing her experience as a filmmaker on commercial sets in Hollywood.
Pg. 3
California Road Deaths Surge as Inland Empire Attorney Urges Stronger DUI Enforcement, Insurance Safeguards Pg. 8
Displaced Rialto Families Navigate Red Tape and Poor Living Conditions By Christopher Salazar
M
Inland
Riverside’s Arts and Empire Community Culture District Newspapers Named One of 10 Office: (909) 381-9898 New California Cultural Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: sales@iecn.com Districts, Unlocking Statewide Support Pg. 8
HOW TO REACH US Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
ore than a month after the Vista View fire destroyed 16 units, many of the 76 displaced residents are settling into new apartments within the same complex, although five families are still without permanent housing. But while the city of Rialto begins to disperse disaster relief funds, some tenants and city officials say the relocation process has been haphazard and stressful. On Friday, Nov. 21, at approximately 5:15 pm, a haze of smoke and flames engulfed the structure located at 1031 S Cactus Avenue. Within hours of the inferno, shelter and community support were given to victims. For example, the Rialto Unified School District (RUSD) partnered with the Red Cross to open Simpson Elementary as an emergency evacuation site. The school’s administration, PTA and parent volunteers
worked through the night to support the displaced families. In addition, local advocacy groups, including the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ) and the Hispanic Small Business Coalition (HSBC), stepped in to fill a void, placing victims in nearby hotels, providing food and, once relocated, mattresses. The weeks-long assistance campaign amounted to roughly $42,000 in aid for 15 families according to Ana Gonzalez, executive director of CCAEJ, as the city moved to make amends, which came in the form of a disaster relief fund. By a stint of fortune and the heroic efforts of first responders, no one lost their life. And community advocates provided essential aid. In the aftermath, however, dignity remains paramount. Lisette TK, who is still displaced, explained to the council during their Dec.
9 meeting with the aid of a Spanish translator, that the apartment she was shown was infested with “roaches, spiders and have doors that are falling off,” creating a safety hazard for her small children. She alleged that the management has no plans to fix the units she was shown. “I’m feeling lost,” TK said. “This is not a home for families.” Gonzalez anticipated this sentiment at the podium, citing emergencies as tragedies and tools to prevent future fallout, objecting to the tedious disaster relief application process and any mention that tax payer funds must be distributed carefully without acknowledging that victims are also taxpaying residents. “They’re not outsiders,” she said. ‘They’re not opportunists.”
Apartment Fire, cont. on next pg.