Supervisors support public safety, health, literacy and wellness through discretionary funding
The Board of Supervisors approved $465,000 in discretionary funding allocations through the District-Specific Priorities Program, including:
- $320,000 from First District Supervisor Col. Paul Cook (Ret.)’s District-Specific Priorities Program to New Leaf Ministries to establish a mobile health clinic serving rural and underserved communities, purchase a forklift to expand food and beverage distribution services, and support ongoing operations of both initiatives.
- $75,000 from Second District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez’s District-Specific Priorities Program to the Fontana Unified School District to purchase equipment for the Fontana School Police Department, including training monitors, radios, appliances, and furniture for the department’s breakroom and emergency operations center.
- $35,000 from Fourth District Supervisor Curt Hagman’s District-Specific Priorities Program to the Ontario-Montclair School District to purchase books and literacy materials for the Read, Explore and Develop into Kinder (R.E.A.D.) program, which supports preschool and transitional kindergarten students and their families with early literacy tools and strategies.
- $35,000 total to Wellness Ranch Equine Assisted Therapy, including $25,000 from Armendarez’s District-Specific Priorities Program and $10,000 from Board of Supervisors Chairman and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe’s District-Specific Priorities Program, to support phase one of a new equine wellness site in Rancho Cucamonga and surrounding areas. The funding will support the purchase of a prefabricated ADA-accessible unit to be used as a therapy office, a 50-foot enclosed pen for equine therapy, shade canopy, outdoor seating, signage, grading and other site preparation services.
These investments reflect the supervisors’ commitment to meeting the health, safety, educational and wellness needs of county residents to advance the goal of the Countywide Vision.
Head Start contracts promote early childhood education
To support access to early education and family services for low-income children and families, the San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department approved delegate agency agreements with six partners through June 30, 2030, including:
- A New Beginning Foster Family Agency for approximately $7.6 million
- Child Care Resource Center for approximately $11.2 million
- Colton Joint Unified School District for approximately $6.3 million
- Easter Seals of Southern California for approximately $26 million
- Needles Unified School District for approximately $2.4 million
- Rim of the World Unified School District, which is non-financial and includes the use of facility space, as the school district has secured separate funding
These agreements allow Preschool Services to deliver Head Start and Early Head Start programming throughout the county. Delegate agencies will provide a wide range of services including center-based preschool, in-home education visits, special needs support, family engagement, and connections to health and nutrition resources.
These programs help the county to achieve Countywide Vision and the Cradle2Career goal by preparing children to thrive in school and life.
County secures grant funding to support early education, behavioral health, workforce development and public safety initiatives
The board accepted over $24.3 million in federal and state grant funding to support prosecution, substance use recovery, job access for people with disabilities, and early education services for low-income families.
Grant awards and agreements include:
- Approximately $19.4 million in federal Head Start and Early Head Start grant funding awarded to the San Bernardino County Preschool Services Department, with a term from Aug. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026. The funds support comprehensive school readiness, health and family services to children ages 0–5 and their families and are administered in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- $3 million in state funding to San Bernardino County Behavioral Health for the Victorville Crisis Residential Treatment Campus, supporting 16 residential beds and 24-hour recovery-focused mental health care. This agreement with the California Department of Health Care Services runs through June 30, 2027, and helps advance the department’s goal of providing community-based mental health treatment.
- $993,000 from the state Employment Development Department, awarded to the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department, to implement the Department of Rehabilitation-America’s Job Center of California Collaboration Grant, with a term through April 30, 2027. This program enhances employment services for individuals with disabilities through staffing, training, and co-case management with the Department of Rehabilitation. An estimated 450 participants will be served over the grant period.
- Approximately $943,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety to the District Attorney’s Office for the Alcohol and Drug Impaired Driver Vertical Prosecution Program, effective Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026. The funding will support dedicated prosecution of DUI cases involving alcohol and drug impairment, with a focus on repeat offenders and those causing injuries or fatalities.
County expands career pathways through internship and training partnerships
The county continues to strengthen workforce development and educational partnerships by partnering with local colleges, universities and professional institutions, including:
- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) is entering into an approximately $8 million professional services agreement with the California University of Science and Medicine to provide neurology and educational services from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028. Through this partnership, the university will deliver specialized care for patients with nervous system disorders at ARMC’s hospital and outpatient clinics. In addition to direct patient care, the university will provide clinical instruction to medical students rotating through ARMC, expanding hands-on training opportunities for future physicians. This agreement supports ARMC’s commitment to health education and care excellence and is funded through state Medi-Cal, federal Medicare, private insurance, and other departmental revenue—not discretionary general fund funding.
- San Bernardino County Behavioral Health is entering into a non-financial internship agreement with California State University San Marcos to provide social work students with hands-on field experience through June 30, 2029. This partnership allows students pursuing careers in social work to gain valuable clinical training in areas such as triage, crisis intervention, assessment, therapy, and case management under the supervision of behavioral health professionals. Students may also participate in multidisciplinary teams working with agencies like County Probation, law enforcement, and San Bernardino County Children and Family Services, as well as serve on crisis response and homeless outreach teams.
- San Bernardino County Behavioral Health has entered into a non-financial internship agreement with the University of Southern California to provide clinical training and field experience for graduate-level social work students from Sept. 9, 2025, through June 30, 2029. The partnership allows students to earn required internship hours while gaining hands-on experience in mental health services, including crisis assessment and intervention, case management, therapy, and care coordination across department sites. Interns will work under the supervision of behavioral health professionals and participate in interdisciplinary collaborations with County Probation, law enforcement, and Children and Family Services.
- The San Bernardino County Fleet Management Department is establishing a non-financial standard student facilities use agreement with private schools and other institutions to allow students in automotive and fleet-related programs to access county Fleet facilities for training, mentorship, and hands-on skill development. This five-year agreement, effective from Sept. 10, 2025, through Sept. 10, 2030, provides students with real-world experience working with skilled professionals like vehicle technicians and parts specialists, qualifying them for entry-level roles in automotive maintenance.
Together, these internship and training partnerships reflect the county’s proactive approach to workforce development. They offer students classroom-to-career exposure, along with mentorship in a public service setting. By leveraging county infrastructure and interagency collaboration, these agreements help enable the Countywide Vision of building a skilled and diverse workforce.
Multi-year contracts support snow removal readiness
San Bernardino County Public Works is entering into on-call snow removal contracts with six vendors to ensure road access and public safety in the unincorporated mountains during severe winter storms through June 30, 2030. These contracts have a combined not-to-exceed value of $12 million, including:
- Altmeyer, Inc. in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1.5 million
- Robert Moss dba Arrowhead Engineering in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2 million
- Bear Valley Paving in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3 million
- Kirtley Construction, Inc., dba TK Construction in an aggregate amount not to exceed $2 million
- S. Porter, Inc. in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3 million
- Lake Arrowhead Construction, Inc. dba Trinity Construction in an aggregate amount not to exceed $1.5 million
Additional County Update News – September 11, 2025
- Board actions, Sept. 9
- Supervisors approve ordinance related to camping on public property and public rights of way
- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center offers mobile health care services
- San Bernardino County Code Enforcement strengthens community ties
- San Bernardino County partners with Count the Kicks to launch stillbirth prevention effort
- San Bernardino County Animal Care adopters receive 30 days of pet insurance through MetLife
- Inspire our Future Leaders During High School Voter Education Weeks
- Turning Challenges into Opportunities: A Business Legacy of Recycling and Renewal
- San Bernardino County Library earns three prestigious NACo Achievement Awards
- Did You Know: Cucamonga Valley Water District
- San Bernardino County destinations: Pioneertown
- Call for submissions: Share your favorite San Bernardino County destinations
- San Bernardino County history: Zzyzx, CA
- Things to do in San Bernardino County
- Pet of the Week