SB County unemployment at 12.5 percent

As SB is made up of mostly the hard working blue-collar individuals, you would expect the unemployment rate to be high. The white collar individuals for the most part, left SB and relocated in Yucaipa and/or Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Highland or other communities nearby. The much needed jobs are just not found in SB. Thanks to the current leadership of SB, there is not much to attract employers who would employ these unemployed trades’ people. General construction is down to non-existent. New housing is at a standstill. Empty stores and businesses now come close to the numbers of filled ones in downtown. The overall economy is reflective of the County, State and Nation. Yes, we have an abundance of very large brand new empty warehousing facilities but no suitors to fill them. Is anyone actively out there trying to “sell” these facilities to industry?

Not sure what the Chamber of Commerce does to champion or “sell” SB as their efforts are not too public where they can be seen or weighed. Maybe someone will post what their latest accomplishments were or what the latest successes have been as result of their effort?

For years we have sat by and watched the High Desert (the old George AFB) turn into a world class hub for aerospace. Storage of aircraft and a major modification center that is hustling to keep up with the work they have contracted while the large hangars and miles of flightline at SBIAP (Norton AFB) sit with hardly a stir less the coming or going of hundreds of shipping containers and truck trailers. The new almost completed passenger terminal (SB’s field of dreams…build it they will come) sits with no airline to utilize the facility. Is ANYTHING on the horizon there? We continue to wait for the fruits of the Mayor’s trip to Mexico to resolve the occupancy issue at the airport.

On the other side of the coin we do have a highway construction crew busy improving the 215 Freeway as it transitions through SB. When complete, the traveler will be able to do 80 mph instead of 60 mph as they put SB in their rearview mirror. Also, we have such a lovely collection of frustrated yet budding artists (Graffiti Taggers) that are bound and determined to deface every flat or vertical space throughout the City. This only adds “color” to all the empty buildings throughout. I might add, it is not limited to empty buildings as walls, power-poles, streetlights poles, trees, sidewalks, and yes, the neighbor’s dog too, have been adorned with this disgusting plague. Nothing escapes the spray can or felt tip marker. And we foolishly bought the idea that locking up the spray cans would curtail or limit these vandals’s access to their tools of their trade.

If ever there was a community or region that needed a stimulation it is the City of SB. We could use about 25 different kinds of stimulations. Please, throw in a heap-full of motivation too. Share with your elected representative what you feel is needed. Prioritize your suggestions. Put it in writing because you know every politician’s memory is as long as his/her attention span. If they don’t have time to listen or acknowledge to you, remember, they work for you and for some, elections are just around the corner. Find an elected who is in-tune with the voters they represent. Our success in SB does not start with telling the elected “you” need to do this or that. The solution is with “we” as together we can overcome our plight and return SB to the City many of us remember.