Inland Empire

A person with pants, but no shirt, fills their water bottle during a hot day at a water station at a tennis court.

Climate Change

More extreme heat + more people = danger in these California cities. ‘Will it get as hot as Death Valley?’

Inland communities with big population booms will experience the most extreme heat days under climate change projections. The combination puts more people at risk — and many cities are unprepared.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

and

Arfa Momin

• September 5, 2024

A large warehouse sits in front of snow capped mountains in a residential neighborhood. A low perspective shows a line of cars parked a long the street.

Economy

Job killer or neighborhood protector? Newsom signs warehouse rules that divided Inland Empire

Gov. Newsom signed last-minute legislation to limit where distribution centers can go. Supporters say it would shield neighborhoods from traffic and deliver cleaner air. But business groups warn the bill could threaten jobs in a booming industry.

By

Deborah Brennan

• September 4, 2024

People dressed in blue shirts help assemble an electric vehicle inside a production plant.

Capitol

Why Riverside County? California lawmakers want to make the Inland Empire an EV manufacturing hub

Supporters say that a bill to create an electric vehicle opportunity zone would be a big job boost. A big beneficiary, at least initially, could be luxury EV maker Karma Automotive in Moreno Valley.

By

Deborah Brennan

• August 22, 2024

Dust particles fill the air with low sunlight filling the sky. A desert landscape with mountains in the background.

Environment

Danger in the dust: Coachella Valley residents struggle to breathe

A hazardous haze, made up of small, inhalable particles, casts a pall over the desert. This year has been severe, triggering asthma attacks — so what is being done to clean it up?

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• August 1, 2024

Medical personnel working in the nurse’s station in the Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister on March 30, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health

California delayed a minimum wage bump for health workers. Some are getting raises anyway

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that set health care workers on a path to a $25 minimum wage. Lawmakers then delayed it, but some hospitals are raising pay ahead of schedule.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• July 29, 2024

Water

Hot, inland California cities face the steepest water cuts with new conservation mandate

Urban water agencies serving a third of Californians won’t need to cut use, while Central Valley and desert cities face the most cuts.

By

Rachel Becker

• July 19, 2024

The panel "How Does the Inland Empire Strike Back Against Hate?" hosted by Zócalo Public Square and California Humanities. The panel was moderated by Brian Levin, Professor Emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino, School of Criminal Justice, and featured panelists Corey A. Jackson, Candice Mays, and Luis Nolasco in Riverside on July 16, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

CalMatters en Español

Líderes de Inland Empire ven un ‘buffet de odio’ a medida que aumentan los ataques discriminatorios y los prejuicios

Los crímenes de odio siempre aumentan durante los años de elecciones presidenciales, pero los objetivos del vitriolo y la discriminación varían según la retórica política, dicen expertos en un foro comunitario en Inland Empire.

By

Deborah Brennan

• July 18, 2024

California Divide

Inland Empire leaders see ‘buffet of hate’ as discriminatory attacks and bias increase

Hate crimes always increase during presidential election years, but the targets of vitriol and discrimination vary with the political rhetoric, say experts at a community forum in the Inland Empire.

By

Deborah Brennan

• July 18, 2024

The San Bernardino mountains from Rialto on April 18, 2024. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for CalMatters

Politics

Forget the first 220 failures to split California. This developer has a new plan to secede

The latest bid to break up California is the brainchild of a real estate developer in San Bernardino County. It taps into growing resistance to the state’s liberal governance by more conservative residents.

By

Alexei Koseff

• June 3, 2024

Planned Parenthood supporters and detractors attend a Fontana City Council meeting at Fontana City Hall after city officials prevented a new clinic from opening. May 14, 2024. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters

Health

Planned Parenthood sought a building permit. Then a California city changed zoning rules

In the Inland Empire, Fontana is the latest California city to block a Planned Parenthood clinic, saying it’s studying putting an entertainment hub there.

By

Deborah Brennan

• May 30, 2024