San Bernardino is Moving Upward and Onward

San Bernardino has made strides and a new direction is being forged for the city, Mayor Carey Davis said in his State of the City address. "All across our city, residents are working together to plan the next project to help improve our community. Yes, we have our challenges, but we are resolute in our commitment to fix our city," Davis told the full audience, including several Federal, state and local leaders, in the domestic terminal at the San Bernardino International Airport Friday evening, March 6. In one year's time, city leadership has begun to formulate a plan to tackle the issues of what Davis called "uncontrollable costs and the damages of a poor economy and the effects of bankruptcy." "We've heeded these realities to form a new direction for the city...Together we are building a community and we are developing a series of strategic plans to begin propelling ourselves and our city in the right direction and we are addressing the fundamental needs of our city," Davis said. To do this is a three-step process: Have a discussion about what Davis called the "bad habits that led our city into bankruptcy," take an honest assessment of how the city is performing and how San Bernardino compares to other neighboring communities; make difficult decisions regarding necessary changes; and work with residents and stakeholders to receive feedback on the direction the city is going. "We have one shot at this. We must get it right," Davis said. A key component of these changes, Davis emphasized, was partnerships. The city has hired an independent firm who will evaluate the city and is set this month to report back to the council and the Strategic Planning Team, comprised of 17 community leaders who will help the city formulate a plan to move forward. The Strategic Planning Team, using the information compiled from the independent assessment and information gathered during five community meetings, will formulate a strategic plan that defines what a sustainable San Bernardino will look like, what the hurdles are and how the city will achieve this vision. It will also provide the guidelines for the city's bankruptcy exit plan, said Davis. The council will both adopt the strategic plan and the bankruptcy exit plan, which must be submitted to a judge by May 30. The bankruptcy exit plan must articulate how the city plans to restructure its financial and city obligations, how future budgets will be balanced and how the city will be transformed. But while tough decisions will be made in the coming months, San Bernardino has made strides through various partnerships to begin the creation of a new city, shared Davis. "We are not paralyzed by bankruptcy," said Davis. "Several programs have been passed." Programs include RENU (Receiverships Empowering Neighborhood Upkeep) San Bernardino, which helps eliminate blight and reform properties that pose serious health risks. Additionally, the city has teamed up with the San Bernardino City Unified School District in several areas, including the creation of the Youth Court Program, which allows youth who are first-time offenders to be judged by their peers and was designed to help them learn from their mistakes and discourage youth from participating in other criminal acts. "We're shifting moral codes and shifting moral values," said Ray Culberson, director of youth services at the SBCUSD. "All of us have human hearts." Kenneth Gasaway, a senior at San Bernardino High School, endured troubles in his own life before founding a campus-wide spiritual group that has since grown to 160 members. The group provides prayers for all and helps discourage students from gangs and violence. "We don't want to see more students as victims of violence," said Gasaway, whose older brother sustained gunshot wounds in a drive-by shooting. "He was an innocent victim," Gasaway said. "We are San Bernardino, so we have to stand up for San Bernardino." "Leadership matters," SBCUSD Superintendent Dale Marsden said. "Our leadership matters for these young people because these young people are the future of our city." San Bernardino has also begun tackling homelessness, contracting with Mercy House to adopt a plan to provide permanent and transitional housing for transitory residents. Other positive things San Bernardino has to look forward to are hosting the last overnight stop of the Great Race in late June, where motorcycle riders will make the city their last historical stop before heading to Santa Monica; the tradition of the San Bernardino Symphony's free May 3 performance at Perris Hill Park; having San Bernardino Valley College and Cal State San Bernardino continue on as "beacons of hope," providing education to local and regional students; the opening of the newest health clinic and educational campus which the city partnered with Loma Linda University Health and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to bring to San Bernardino, and will serve approximately 30,000 people; future redevelopment of the Carousel Mall; and being home to the San Bernardino International Airport, the Stater Bros. distribution warehouse and the first Amazon Fulfillment Center in the state. Guest speakers included Bishop C.J. Eastwood, teacher Christina Marquez, business owner Michael Montano, Teresa McCarthy, R.N., SBSCUSD student Richard White, SBVC student Tessa Motko, Cesar Gonzalez and Dr. Margaret Hill. Mayor Davis closed, "There is no circumventing the absolute challenges we face...if we focus, we can control our destiny. We are not where we want to be, but we will get there together."