Board actions – March 12, 2024 – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proclamation declaring each April through 2029 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in San Bernardino County.

“All children have the right to receive the care, protection and guidance a family provides; they have the right to be free from harm and to have their physical, emotional, and educational needs met,” the proclamation states.

The blue ribbon is the international symbol for child abuse prevention. The San Bernardino County Children’s Network has planned a blue ribbon media campaign, educational materials distribution and the 25th Annual Shine A Light on Child Abuse Prevention Awards Ceremony to increase awareness about child abuse during April.

Also, a Children’s Memorial Flag raising event will be conducted on April 26 from 10 to 11 a.m. in front of the County Government Center in San Bernardino. The Children’s Memorial flag is raised in honor of young lives lost to abuse and neglect. The event and a moment of silence are part of a statewide effort to increase awareness of child abuse and neglect during Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2023, more than 31,000 children in San Bernardino County were referred to San Bernardino County Children and Family Services for suspected child abuse and neglect.

Children’s Assessment Center staff, Children and Family Services social workers, Public Health nurses, law enforcement officers, educators, behavioral health clinicians and others are dedicated, compassionate and skilled individuals working to protect children. The prevention of child abuse requires rigorous solutions, energy, strength, determination and commitment on the part of concerned citizens and the community as well.

Effective child abuse prevention activities succeed because of the partnerships created between the Children’s Network and Children’s Fund in partnership with Children and Family Services, Department of Public Health, First 5 San Bernardino, Community Action Partnership, County Superintendent of Schools, Sheriff’s Department, Child Care Planning Council, Department of Behavioral Health, Preschool Services Department, County Library, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Children’s Assessment Center, Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and County Fire Department.

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Support for 92 new affordable housing units and a community center

The Board of Supervisors committed up to $5 million in federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds to assist the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) and its development partner, National Community Renaissance, to develop a total of 92 affordable housing units and a community center as part of Phase IV of the Arrowhead Grove Inclusive Redevelopment Project in San Bernardino.

Arrowhead Grove is the redevelopment of the former Waterman Gardens public housing site located on the southeast corner of Waterman Avenue and Baseline Street in San Bernardino. Waterman Gardens was developed in 1943 by HACSB and consisted of 252 units of affordable housing located on 38 acres of land.

Since 2018, HACSB has pursued an aggressive revitalization plan for the site, which has included the demolition of the 76-year-old buildings and the development of a mixed-used, mixed-income, sustainable community that, at full buildout, will consist of 534 new units of housing, commercial space, an onsite Head Start preschool program and a new community center.

HACSB continues to own all 38 acres of land, subdividing into separate parcels, by phase. Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III of the project have resulted in the development of 322 affordable housing units. Phase IV of the project will include 22 one-bedroom, 46 two-bedroom, and 24 three-bedroom housing units, for a total of 92 new affordable units, targeting income levels at 80 percent and below the Area Median Income. This phase will also include the development of a community center that will lease office space to nonprofit organizations to provide co-located services for low-income residents.

Preliminary plans for the community center include a partnership with Dignity Health, a major healthcare provider in California, which would lease the west wing of the building to open a new Federally Qualified Health Center.

Arrowhead Grove, a collaborative effort with numerous stakeholders, furthers the objectives of the Countywide Vision and the Homeless Strategic Action Plan through the creation of new affordable housing units, which are a critical component of the homeless continuum of care, offering safe, affordable sources of permanent housing that are needed to resolve and prevent homelessness.

The $5 million approved by the board will be leveraged with funding from various federal, state and local sources, as well as third-party financing, to construct the project.

The project has also been reviewed for consistency with the Board of Supervisors’ Housing Development Guidelines and expands housing capacity through the creation of new affordable housing units within San Bernardino County, which has the highest concentration of unsheltered homeless, the highest concentration of homeless K-12 students as identified by school district data, and one of the highest concentrations of poverty and households at risk of homelessness.

It is estimated that the Project will start construction during the first quarter of 2026 and approach completion in the fourth quarter of 2027.

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New exhibit at the San Bernardino County Museum

The Board of Supervisors cleared the way for a new exhibit at the San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

The board authorized the museum to accept a $100,000 donation from the San Bernardino County Museum Foundation to install the exhibit.

The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the museum. This donation is the result of a grant written and received by the Museum Foundation from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians on behalf of the museum for the development of an interactive exhibit designed to explore the concepts of STEAM through hands-on activities.

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Country Campout coming back to Prado

The Board of Supervisors is bringing the Country Campout back to Prado Regional Park in Chino.

The board approved a Revenue Interim Use Permit with Skyline Production Group, LLC and Total Production Group, LLC for the partial use of Prado Regional Park to hold the event from Oct. 29 through Nov. 4. The event was successfully held last year at Prado from Nov. 8 through Nov. 12, with the permittee adhering to park rules and county contract stipulations.

San Bernardino County Regional Parks operates and maintains eight regional parks throughout the county, including Prado, and provides for the rental of park property through board-approved fees. Regional Parks will receive a minimum of $56,230 in revenue for the Country Campout event, which will not impact the areas generally used by the public for day-use activities, such as the soccer and baseball fields, playground, disc golf course, trails and the front area of the park.

The Country Campout is a two-day event for which tickets are purchased in advance. Amenities include camping, food and various vendors, as well as an outdoor country concert featuring various artists. The permittee will provide portable restrooms and trash receptacles for the event.

The permittee is expected to return the park to its original condition when the event concludes.

Revenue from events like the Country Campout helps Regional Parks support park operations and maintain and add park amenities.

Additional County Update News – March 14, 2024