Quarter 3 - In This Issue:
Hesperia Earns Summer Meals Award

The California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division has awarded the Hesperia Summer Meals Program with the Turnip the Beet Gold Award. The Turnip the Beet Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of those who work so tirelessly to offer nutritious and appealing summer meals for children that meet the needs of families and local communities, and enable our young people to thrive when school is out for the summer. Turnip the Beet showcases sponsors of the Summer Meal Programs that have gone above and beyond to ensure their meals are both nutritious and appetizing, and meet the needs of their local communities and customers.  Hesperia Unified School District is part of a small group of 111 sponsors that were recognized by USDA nationwide. They demonstrated excellence in a variety of ways, including: serving fresh fruit daily, conducting taste tests with children and offering nutrition education activities along with the meals. SBCOG has been a partner with the County Department of Public Health, cities, and school districts in an effort to expand and promote this important program.
$20 Million Cap and Trade Funds to San Bernardino Region 

The Strategic Growth Council voted to award $20 Million in Cap and Trade funds through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program to the Arrowhead Grove Development in San Bernardino. The award is particularly meaningful because SBCOG has been an active partner with cities and the county to bring AHSC funding to our region, and as such, congratulates all of those involved on their successful bid for this key funding opportunity.

The goal of the program is the make it easier for Californians to drive less by building affordable homes near public transit and things people need every day such as jobs, grocery stores, and health care facilities. The program also helps people get out of their cars by building infrastructure that make it easier to walk, bike, and take public transit, including sidewalks, bike lanes, new transit vehicles, and bus shelters. The proposed project is part of a multi-phased effort that began in 2015 with more than $50 million invested in the first phase (Valencia Vista and Olive Meadow) to construct 138 affordable apartment homes and supporting infrastructure for low- and moderate-income families. The awarded Phase II and III are proposed as part of this AHSC application to develop:
  • 184 mixed-income rental units and supporting infrastructure 
  • Multiple community centers offering a variety of supportive services
  • Several tot lots 
  • Community gardens
  • Indoor fitness center 
  • Two swimming pools
  • Outdoor courtyards with barbecue picnic areas
  • Streetscape enhancements with street lighting
  • Sidewalks and trees along Baseline Street, Waterman Avenue, and Olive Street
  • Traffic calming and Safe Routes to School improvements along Olive Street
  • Detention basins for onsite storm water retention and water quality
  • Expanded transit service, improved perimeter bus shelters
  • Bicycle lane installed along 11th Street connecting to the sbX
  • Safe Routes to School Program at E. Neal Roberts Elementary
Groundbreaking is expected to be in early 2019. Stay tuned for additional details later this year. 
2018 City/County Conference



The City/County Conference was held June 27-28 in Lake Arrowhead. The City/County Conference is a forum for all elected officials and appointed leaders from local government across San Bernardino County to discuss issues that cross city limits, to share ideas about best practices for addressing those issues, and to come together to find ways to cooperate and work together for the benefit of the region. The successful event provided a forum for discussions on several issues concerning the region including housing demand, smart cities and technology, and public safety. Opening speaker, Col. Seth Krummich, Garrison Commander at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin was both inspirational and relatable and set the tone for the remainder of the 2-day conference. For those interested in his presentation or other presentations from the City/County Conference, click here.
Inland Empire Healthy Cities Summit



The Inaugural Healthy Cities Summit was held on Wednesday, June 6th.  Sponsored in part by SBCOG, the event was attended by agencies and nonprofits from both Riverside and San Bernardino Counties and sought to expand collaboration to improve health outcomes in the bi-county region. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties continue to rank low out of 58 counties for an environment conducive to health. The Healthy Cities Summit brought together healthcare professionals, educators, and researchers in the healthcare field and intersecting fields to take a "health in all policies" approach to addressing the concern.

Click here to see the Summit's recap. 

Healthy Development Checklist Workshop

SBCOG hosted a workshop on the Healthy Development Checklist for member agencies on Wednesday, May 16th. The Checklist was created as a tool to help local jurisdictions better screen and implement developments through the lens of public health. The workshop was an introduction to the checklist and an opportunity for SBCOG to receive feedback from locals on the current draft of the document. The feedback received will allow SBCOG to move forward with an improved useable checklist  with its foundation being comments and feedback from local jurisdictions and stakeholders. The COG staff will be working with the local agencies over the next year to draft the improved useable checklist. 
SBCTA/SBCOG General Assembly



The 8th Annual General Assembly was held on Wednesday, June 13th with the theme of "Working Together, Visioning Tomorrow." The General Assembly is an opportunity for elected officials and community leaders from the region to gather and celebrate the year's transportation accomplishments as well as the annual installation of the Board's new President. It was an evening of entertainment headlined by Capitol Steps, an American political-satire group which has been performing for audiences since 1981. The presidential gavel was also officially passed from outgoing Board of Directors President, Alan Wapner to incoming President, 3rd District County Supervisor, James Ramos.
2018 Regional Policy Summit



The University of California, Riverside Center for Social Innovation held its Inaugural Regional Policy Summit with the theme of Advancing Inclusive Development. The Summit sought to bring together policy innovators and key stakeholders on inclusive development. The discussions focused on the interface between three key factors: Housing, Transportation, and Economic Development and their effects on health, civic engagement, and quality of life. SBCTA's own Deputy Executive Director, Duane Baker, spoke on a panel discussing Environment and Quality of Life.
San Bernardino Regional Partnership Building Operator Compliance

The Building Operator Certification (BOC) will be offering a Level I training and certification course at the Moreno Valley City Hall beginning in September. The local Level I BOC training, which was organized by the Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) in conjunction with the BOC, will be a series of courses across seven dates. The Level I BOC courses provide building operators training to gain knowledge and skills in energy efficiency for building operations. Cities currently enrolled in the San Bernardino Regional Energy Partnership (SBREP) have the benefit of receiving one complimentary training registration. SBREP, is a Local Government Partnership program between SBCOG, Southern California Edison and SoCalGas. For more information, contact Nicole Soto at nsoto@gosbcta.com

Monique Reza-Arellano
Council of Governments Administrator
San Bernardino Council of Governments
909-884-8276