EL CHICANo Weekly
Vol 63, NO. 41
July 16, 2026
San Bernardino Wellness Campus Opens 140 Modular Units, Expands Homeless Services for Men
IECN.com
Yuhaaviatam Celebrates 40 Years of Gaming, Sovereignty and Community Investment Pg. 4
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Lutheran Social Services of Southern California President and CEO Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith and San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran cut the ribbon as elected officials, community leaders and project partners celebrate the opening of the Community Wellness Campus.
By Manny Sandoval
L
utheran Social Services of Southern California formally opened its San Bernardino Community Wellness Campus on July 14, unveiling 140 interim housing units and an integrated network of services intended to
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL A resident returns to his private modular housing unit at the San Bernardino Community Wellness Campus, where participants may stay for four to six months while receiving supportive services.
help men move from homelessness toward employment, stability and permanent housing. The $34.9 million campus at 1354 N. G St. was developed over nearly 2.5 years through a partnership involving the city of San Bernardino, DignityMoves, San
Bernardino County and Lutheran Social Services. Funding came through California’s Homekey program, making it one of the state’s larger Homekey projects. The new modular units expand upon a 70-bed emergency men’s shelter that Lutheran Social Services has operated at Transitional Housing, Cont. next pg.
Downtown PBID Raises Concerns Over Costs, Oversight and City Influence City of San Bernardino Appoints Luis Portillo as New Economic Development Director Pg. 5
Cheech Marin Marks 80th Birthday, Celebrates Riverside’s Transformation Into an Arts Destination Pg. 8
Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
PHOTO DENISE BERVER Community members raise questions and share concerns about the proposed downtown San Bernardino Property-Based Improvement District during an information session at The Pulse in downtown San Bernardino.
PHOTO DENISE BERVER Realicore Real Estate’s David Friedman, left, and Stronger Together Now’s Janelle Martin discuss the proposed downtown San Bernardino PBID during the information session at The Pulse.
By Manny Sandoval
help approve the district.
A
The City of San Bernardino is the largest property owner within the proposed PBID, which would assess downtown property owners to fund supplemental services such as security patrols, sidewalk cleaning, graffiti removal, landscaping, lighting, marketing and public art. Previous planning documents identified 592 parcels within the proposed district,
proposal to establish a PropertyBased Improvement District (PBID) in downtown San Bernardino is advancing toward City Council consideration, but its future could depend heavily on whether the city supports paying an annual assessment and using its considerable voting power to
including 79 owned by the city. Those city-owned properties would carry an estimated annual assessment of $77,566.85 and account for approximately 25.7% of the district’s total assessment weight. A 2023 feasibility study by Civitas similarly estimated that the city owns about 23% of downtown property. PBID, cont. next pg.