Temecula's favorite fruit falls from tower to celebrate start of 2026
Menifee man dies in custody, circumstances under investigation
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A new 'solution' to student homelessness: A parking lot where students can sleep safely in their cars By James Bernal for The Hechinger Report via Stacker
Mike Muñoz is a first-generation college student who now serves as superintendent and president of Long Beach City College and works to support students from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds. | Photo courtesy of James Bernal/The Hechinger Report/Stacker
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hen Edgar Rosales Jr. uses the word “home,” the second-year college student with a linebacker’s build isn’t referring to the house he plans to buy after becoming a nurse or getting a job in public health. Rather, the student at California’s Long Beach City College is talking about the parking lot he slept in every night for more than a year. With Oprah-esque enthusiasm, Rosales calls the other students who use LBCC’s Safe Parking Program his “roommates” or “neighbors.” Between 8 and 10:30 p.m., those neighbors drive onto the lot, where staff park during the day. Nearby showers open at 6 a.m. Sleeping in a car may not sound like a step up, but for
Rosales — who dropped out of a Compton high school more than 20 years ago to become a truck driver — being handed a key fob to a bathroom stocked with toilet paper and hand soap was life-altering. He kept the plastic tab on his key ring, even though he was supposed to place it in a drop box each morning, because the sight of it brought comfort; the sense of it between his fingers, hard and slick, felt like peace. When Rosales and his son’s mother called it off again in the fall of 2024, just after he’d finished a GED program and enrolled at LBCC, he stayed with his brother for a week or so. But he didn’t want to be a burden. So one day
Edgar Rosales Jr., a Long Beach City College student who has experienced homelessness, sits in the car where he lived for three years. | Photo courtesy of James Bernbal/The Hechinger Report/Stacker
after work at the trucking company — he’d gone part-time since enrolling, though he’d still regularly clock 40 hours a week — he circled the block in his beat-up sedan and parked on the side of the road, near some RVs and an encampment. The scariest part of sleeping in his car was the noises, Rosales told The Hechinger Report: “I heard a dog barking or I heard somebody running around or you see cop lights going down the street. You see people looking in your car.” He couldn’t sleep, let alone focus. Without the ability to bathe regularly, he began to avoid people to spare them the smell. The car became his sanctuary, but also, a
prison. As he put it, “It starts messing with your mental health.” First, Rosales dropped a class. A few weeks later, he told his LBCC peer navigator he couldn’t do it anymore and needed her help to withdraw. Instead, she got Rosales signed up for the college’s Safe Parking Program, and everything flipped on its head. With the LBCC lot’s outlets and WiFi, the back seat of his car morphed into a study carrel. Campus security was there to watch over him, not threaten him like the police had, telling him to move along or issuing a citation that cost him a day’s pay. For the first time in a month, Rosales said, “I could just
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County responds to Christmas storm impacts ahead of New Year's rain By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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ehicles again have access to Happy Jack’s Bridge in Lytle Creek following damage from a severe storm on Christmas Eve, San Bernardino County officials said Monday. County Public Works Department crews restored vehicle access Sunday to Sycamore Drive and the bridge, and a licensed structural engineer has confirmed the bridge is structurally sound and safe for use, officials said. The bridge is currently restricted to residents only due to ongoing construction work and limited access in the area. "Crews continue working in the creek, roadway and nearby sewer system," according to a county statement. "For everyone’s safety and to allow crews to work efficiently, residents are asked to limit non-essential travel through the area while construction operations remain active. Emergency access is not affected, and motorists should follow all posted signage and traffic controls." The Christmas storm dropped historic rainfall on Bridge Fire burn scars in the mountain communities of Wrightwood and Lytle Creek, officials reported. Wrightwood recorded 11.23 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, and Lytle Creek received 11.31 inches. One of the most significant impacts was the See Storms Page 24
washout of Sycamore Road leading up to Happy Jack’s Bridge, which serves as the only main arterial route in and out of the community, according to the county. Officials said crews were mobilized ahead of the storm and started working on Christmas Eve, operating around the clock to address mud and debris flows triggered by the heavy rain. The San Bernardino County Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Services and Public Works collaborated to support the impacted community while access was limited and repairs were underway. "San Bernardino County Public Works crews, along with contracted equipment, worked as quickly and safely as possible to clear mud and debris from the bridge and place fill material to restore the crossing to operational status," according to the statement. After the storm left the area, residents were able to safely hike over the creek crossing to get essential supplies. The American Red Cross was also present to offer resources to residents. On Dec. 24, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for San Bernardino County and several other counties impacted by the storms, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego and Shasta. The next day county CEO Luther