Board actions – Aug. 6 – Welcome to San Bernardino County

Board places public safety measure on Nov. 5 ballot

Voters will soon have an opportunity to ensure consistent protection for San Bernardino County’s many unincorporated communities.

The Board of Supervisors granted final approval to a proposal to place the San Bernardino County Law Enforcement Staffing and Community Protection Act of 2024 on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot.

If approved by a majority of voters, the act will establish a funding formula for law enforcement resources in unincorporated communities and make it difficult for future boards to reduce law enforcement funding.

The act would require the board to allocate a minimum amount of funding in its annual budget to fund Sheriff’s Department operations in the unincorporated areas of the county. The minimum amount would be the average of actual patrol personnel costs in the unincorporated area of the county in the three preceding fiscal years.

The board could suspend the requirement for no more than 12 months only if it declares a fiscal emergency by at least a four-fifths vote. Funding during a fiscal emergency would not be factored into future three-year averages unless authorized by a five-fifths vote of the board.

The act would also ensure appropriate compensation for the Sheriff and District Attorney by modernizing the formula used to set their base salaries. The existing formula is based on the salaries paid in Kern, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties. The act would delete Kern County and add Los Angeles County to the formula.

The change would also apply to San Bernardino County’s Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk and Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector.

Board brings in youth ambassadors to assist with child welfare efforts

San Bernardino County’s Children and Family Services will soon benefit from the perspectives of current and former foster youth in the development of child welfare policies, programs, and practices.

The board approved an agreement with the nonprofit Child and Family Policy Institute of California, CFPIC, to participate in the Youth Engagement Project, which connects current and former foster youth – Youth Ambassadors – who have been participants in county child welfare systems with local child welfare leaders. The goal is to utilize the lived experience of current and former foster youth for local projects designed to improve child welfare systems.

The mission of San Bernardino County Children and Family Services, or CFS, is to protect endangered children, preserve and strengthen their families, and develop alternative family settings when needed. Services are provided in the least intrusive manner with a family-centered focus. This mission is accomplished in collaboration with the family, a wide variety of public and private agencies, and members of the community.

CFPIC is responsible for recruiting Youth Ambassadors and matching them to counties based on skill set, project, description and county need. CFS will be responsible for designating a project that would benefit from a youth ambassador’s perspective, as well as providing guidance and support to the youth ambassador while engaged in the project.

The overall goal is to solicit the youth ambassador’s perspective on child welfare issues with the aim of improving outcomes. A youth ambassador might assist in reviewing and providing feedback on county policies that directly impact youth in care, help improve a website for current and former foster youth or participate in Independent Learning Program meetings to provide perspective on developing and expanding ILP resources.

Through collaboration with YEP, CFS will have the opportunity to engage a subsection of the community with direct experience in the child welfare system and utilize their perspective to identify areas where CFS can develop and improve programs and practices in alignment with its mission.

Supervisors ensure zoo residents and visitors have it made in the shade

Animals and the people who love them will soon have protection from the sun at the county’s world-renowned Big Bear Alpine Zoo thanks to the nonprofit Friends of the Big Bear Alpine Zoo and the Board of Supervisors.

In 2022, FOBBAZ administrated a fundraising campaign to provide shade for the animals and guests at the zoo. The shade structures will improve animal welfare and would offer a more comfortable experience for guests as hotter days become more frequent. The Big Bear Alpine Zoo Shade Structures Project will be funded through the cash donation of $256,100 from FOBBAZ and slightly more than $1 million in county funding.

The project involves the construction of new shade structures that will be able to withstand the weather patterns that are typical for the Big Bear Lake area and provide protection from the weather for zoo animals. The shelters will be part of the zoo’s main buildings and animal enclosures.

Hosting grizzly bears, mountain lions, snow leopards, wolves, eagles, bobcats and more, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo is a rehabilitation facility offering injured, orphaned and imprinted wild animals a second chance. The vast majority of animals brought to the zoo for rehabilitation are successfully released back into their native environment. Those that remain are either too injured or have been imprinted by humans and cannot be released back into the wild to care for themselves.

Board gives a boost to public art

Supervisors approved a proposal by Second District Supervisor Jesse Armendarez to provide up to $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to Rancho Cucamonga for the city’s Art Program Integration Project

The Rancho Cucamonga Art Program Integration Project will support public art while promoting local and regional artists and expanding access for disadvantaged communities and youth. The funding recommended by Armendarez and approved by the Board will support the construction of the city’s Victoria Gardens Civic Plaza project, taking a primarily passive, outdoor space with little shade and seating and redesigning it to encourage greater pedestrian access and use and facilitate live entertainment.

The American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, established the $350 billion Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to distribute resources to state and local governments throughout the nation.

The county established an ARPA Team to review all potential projects to determine eligibility for ARPA funding and determine if the project and use is in accordance with the board-approved spending plan. When projects are deemed eligible, the ARPA Team works with the subrecipients to determine compliance with ARPA guidelines.

Board brings new water features to Mojave Narrows

The Board of Supervisors is bringing a new splash pad and other water features to one of San Bernardino County’s hottest spots.

Supervisors approved plans for the Mojave Splash Pad Reconstruction Project at the county’s Mojave Narrows Regional Park in Victorville.

The project will replace the aged existing splash pad, water features, and equipment with an expanded splash pad, recirculating water treatment system, new equipment enclosure, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant play structure, water features, parking, and path of travel. It will also replace the existing restroom/shower building with an ADA-compliant prefabricated shower and restroom building.

The goal is to increase park attendance and create a destination attraction for the High Desert communities while mitigating accessibility challenges for individuals covered by the ADA.

Located alongside an old riverbed, Mojave Narrows offers lush plant growth, acres of waterways, impressive strands of cottonwood and willows and broad meadows all naturally landscaped by nature. The park is home to more than 1,500 species of watchable wildlife.

The park offers year-round fishing, disc golf course, equestrian trails, a playground, climbing rocks and hiking trails. For campers, there are tent campsites along the shores of both Horseshoe Lake and Pelican Lake. RV sites with full hook-ups are also located near Horseshoe Lake.

Additional County Update News – August 8, 2024