- Urge the Inland Empire Congressional delegation to support immediate action to expand federal court facilities in the Eastern Division of the Central District of California and support H.R. 4886 (Johnson-GA), the District Court Judgeships Act of 2021, which would authorize new judgeships to address urgent needs of the Eastern Division.
- Support action to double the maximum Pell Grant Award to allow more Inland Empire students to complete college and earn degrees more quickly.
- Urge bi-partisan support for H.R. 6602 (Aguilar-CA) the Affordable Housing Resident Services Act.
- Support Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for critical Inland Empire projects.
- Urge bi-partisan support for H.R. 6602 (Aguilar-CA) the Affordable Housing Resident Services Act.
- Urge bi-partisan support for policies and bills that lead to lowering of fuel costs (gas prices).
- Acknowledge selection of March Air Reserve Base as preferred destination for the KC‑46A Pegasus assignment and urge continued support until the tankers are officially located at March.
EDUCATION
- Support action to double the maximum Pell Grant Award to allow more Inland Empire students to complete college and earn degrees more quickly.
- Support ongoing investment to expand access to broadband technology for all Inland Empire students.
ENVIRONMENT
- Support Delta Conveyance Project.
- Support H.R. 4647 (Huffman-CA) and S. 2430 (Feinstein-CA) Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act.
- Support H.R. 972 (Calvert-CA/Takano-CA)) – Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge.
- Encourage legislators to ensure funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act be made available to improve water reliability and drought preparedness and be disbursed as soon as possible.
- Encourage federal cooperation with California to incentivize consolidation of water systems.
- Urge caution in consideration of legislation related to per- and polyfluoralkyl substances and support funding for monitoring and remediation.
- Support broader habitat conservation planning.
- Support funding for continued management of the Salton Sea, including R. 3877 (Ruiz-CA) and S. 2693 (Padilla-CA).
HEALTH CARE
Urge immediate action to provide financial support for healthcare workers and hospitals which have been bearing the extreme expense of the public health emergency brought about by the pandemic, specifically:
- Requiring that Health and Human Services distribute remaining Provider Relief Funds immediately and that funding be replenished to ensure the long-term stability of hospitals.
- Continuing to block the 2% cut in Medicare payments to providers until the end of the public health emergency.
- Extending the deadline for hospitals to repay Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments short-term loans which are now coming due.
JUDICIARY
- Support appointment of qualified candidates to fill existing judicial vacancies in the Central District of California, especially in the Eastern Division of that court, serving the Inland Area.
- Urge the Inland Empire Congressional delegation to support immediate action to expand federal court facilities in the Eastern Division of the Central District of California.
- Support H.R. 4886 (Johnson-GA), the District Court Judgeships Act of 2021, which would authorize new judgeships to address urgent needs of the Eastern Division.
TRANSPORTATION
- Support Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for critical Inland Empire projects.
- Highlight three global supply chain concerns for the ports of entry and the Inland Empire Region; i.e., loan guarantees, TIFIA/RIFIA administration, and regional impact.
Economic Development Issues
Urge bi-partisan support for H.R. 6602 (Aguilar-CA) the Affordable Housing Resident Services Act. Inland Action urges support for the Affordable Housing Resident Services Act, which will bridge the gap between the need for resident services and reliable funding sources. The bill will establish a 5-year demonstration grant program under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide funding each year to 40 owners of affordable housing properties to offer supportive services for their residents.
Specifically, the Secretary of HUD, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will distribute $300 million of new authorized funding from the Social Services Block Grant and Community Services Block Grant. By funding five cohorts of 40 affordable housing entities, as many as 200 agencies across the nation could greatly enhance their resident services over the coming decade. Specifically, owners of affordable housing properties can use this grant funding to support services including:
- After-school programs for children and teenagers
- Educational opportunities for youth and adult residents
- Mental health, alcohol, and addiction treatment
- Self-sufficiency resources
- Resources on future home ownership
- Financial literacy training
- Elderly care
- Assistance to residents with disabilities
- Other community services
This bill will address one of the most significant gaps in federal housing policy by ensuring affordable housing properties have funding to provide supportive services for their residents. This funding will help families become self-sufficient, to further their education, to access health care services, to provide after-school programs, and to help seniors age in place.
Urge bi-partisan support for policies and bills that lead to lowering of fuel costs (gas prices).
Rising gas prices affect both consumers and the economy adversely, and they are especially harmful to lower- and moderate-income households in the Inland Empire.
The vast majority of households in the Inland Empire own cars and rely on them to travel to work. The price of gas rose significantly in 2021, going from an average of $2.42 per gallon in January to $3.07 in May. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the price of a gallon of gas in California for the week ending January 24, 2022, was $4.57 per gallon. That’s a 78% increase in California from the national average. The price for diesel fuel is also rising. According to the EIA, the price of diesel fuel in California for the week ending January 31, 2022, was $4.86 a gallon, up by $1.36 over the previous year. Since most products move by truck, the cost of diesel fuel drives a high percentage of our current inflation.
Rising gas prices affect discretionary spending of consumers; spending drops as they spend a relatively larger portion of their income on gasoline. Retailers, including grocery stores, are also affected as they are forced to pass on the higher expenses they experience, which are associated with increased shipping costs to consumers. Everything that has to be shipped or transported—from groceries to electronics—costs more as gas prices rise.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the price of gas is determined by four major factors: taxes, the cost of marketing and distribution, refining, and the cost of crude oil. Inland Action urges Congress to support bills and policies that lead to lower gas prices:
- Increasing the domestic supply of oil will help lower gas prices and generate much-needed economic activity in the United States.
- Requiring timely environmental review will help lower gas prices. Congress can achieve this by supporting efforts to make the environmental review process for oil and gas projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) more efficient.
- Opposing bills contemplating a gas tax and any tax on vehicle mileage at this time will help lower gas prices.
Acknowledge selection of March Air Reserve Base as preferred destination for the KC-46A Pegasus assignment and urge continued support until the tankers are officially located at March. Inland Action appreciates the support of local legislators in making March Air Reserve Base the Air Force’s top choice as the preferred destination for twelve KC-46A Pegasus tankers. The new tankers will ensure that March ARB will not soon be subject to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, and it will be a huge economic driver for the region. We urge continued support until the tankers are officially located at March Air Reserve Base.
Education Issues
Inland Empire educational institutions are preparing an educated and skilled workforce for the Inland Empire. Inland Action urges support for legislation and programs that increase equitable access to higher education and help produce more skilled college graduates to meet workforce needs and advance the region’s economy.
Support action to double the maximum Pell Grant Award to allow more Inland Empire students to complete college and earn degrees more quickly. The Inland Empire, which suffers from one of the lowest baccalaureate degree attainment rates in the nation for metropolitan areas of one million or more residents, as well as one of the highest poverty rates, needs more skilled and educated workers to advance the region’s economy.
The federal Pell Grant program continues to be one of the best investments in our future, opening the door to a college degree and upward mobility to millions of students. More than 67,000 low- to moderate-income students currently attending Inland Empire community colleges and public and private universities rely on Pell Grants to complete their degrees.
Created in 1972 to help reduce the financial barriers to access a college degree, the Pell Grant program hasn’t kept up with the rising cost of college. Forty years ago, the Pell Grant covered more than 75% of a student’s total costs of attending a public four-year university. Today, the purchasing power of the maximum Pell Grant ($6,495) only covers 28% of those costs, forcing many students to borrow more than they should to complete their degrees. Of all students who take out student loans, Pell Grant recipients borrow more on average. Doubling the Pell Grant will help to eliminate or significantly reduce student loan debt.
Doubling the Pell Grant award takes on added urgency brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased economic strain felt by so many students struggling to cover the rising costs of housing, food, transportation, and childcare. Increasing the maximum Pell Grant award from $6,495 to $13,000 would simultaneously address the basic-needs crisis that students face, while also preparing the educated workforce and future leaders who will be integral to building back our economy.
The time also is now to open Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to ensure these vital resources are within the reach of thousands of Dreamers who wish to purse an education to better themselves, as well as their families, communities, and nation.
It is critical that the doors to a college education be open to every student willing and able to do the work to develop the collective talent that will fill today’s jobs and the jobs of the future. Inland Action urges Congress to reinvest boldly in the nation’s young and diverse talent. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant award is key to raising economic development in our region, State, and country by increasing the number of highly educated taxpaying citizens.
Support ongoing investment to expand access to broadband technology for all Inland Empire students. Access to broadband internet is a key for educational institutions, just like other basic services. Maintenance and expansion of broadband access is critical to further educational attainment, increased social mobility of Inland Empire residents and, in turn, accelerated economic growth.
While our higher education institutions can provide reliable and readily available broadband internet access for our students on campus, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unplanned shift to online instruction and remote learning. As such, the need for technology integration further accelerated distance education, and quickly became a critical need in higher education. The shift in the modality of instruction exposed the fragmented adoption of modern technology and digital capabilities on our campuses. It highlighted the limitations, including outdated computer equipment, limited network capacity, and even inadequate digital skills. These limitations impeded the ability of higher education institutions to quickly transition instruction to an online environment, and it also highlighted the struggles for faculty who previously were unfamiliar with online instruction.
Broadband access across our colleges and universities are supported by telecommunications infrastructure, the physical medium through which the internet and network traffic flows. Higher education institutions are focused on using fiber optic cabling. With the different ages of Inland Empire college and university campuses, the telecommunications infrastructure suffers from technology obsolescence and architectural design limitations which impact the ability to expand network capacity and wireless coverage. A substantial financial investment is required to modernize and optimize the telecommunications infrastructure for improved delivery of wireless services.
These issues affect students and learning outcomes. For example, in the spring of 2020, a Riverside Community College District (RCCD) student survey found that while 72% of respondents used either a laptop or desktop to access their classes, 13% reported sometimes/never to having reliable access to the internet, 11% reported sometimes/never to having a computer they could use, and 21% reported sometimes/never to having access to the needed software. Since March 0f 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, RCCD distributed over 6,300 laptop devises so students could continue to engage in their courses. Additionally, the University of Redlands loaned out more than 100 laptops and hotspots to students, plus supported hundreds more with grant assistance to support educational expense needs such as these.
Colleges have updated technology plans as they were driven by the educational needs of current and future students. These technology plans provide a road map for the expansion of technology throughout the colleges with an emphasis on expansion of wireless technologies. In effect, one of the main focal points of plans is to create ubiquitous wireless broadband access for students. Inland Action urges Congress to authorize ongoing funding for broadband technology to ensure Inland Empire colleges/universities and students can access highspeed broad internet access.
Environmental Issues
Support Delta Conveyance Project. Water reliability is a vital issue for inland Southern California, including for major local state water contractors such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, and Mojave Water Agency. Inland Action supports upgrading the State’s infrastructure to improve conveyance in the Delta and ensure more reliable long-term water deliveries for the State Water Project, which provides 30% of Southern California’s water. Inland Action also supports continued federal funding for scientific research and habitation restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to advance ecosystem improvements in support of California’s coequal goals of water supply reliability and Delta ecosystem restoration.
Support H.R. 4647 (Huffman-CA) and S. 2430 (Feinstein-CA) Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act. Water conservation rebates provided by public utilities or governments are not currently exempt from federal taxes. Inland Action supports a federal tax exemption for water conservation rebates to encourage additional water savings. In particular, H.R. 4647 (Huffman CA) and S. 2430 (Feinstein-CA), the Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act, which would extend the tax exemption that currently exists for energy conservation devices to include water conservation and stormwater management devices as well.
Support for H.R. 972 (Calvert-CA/Takano-CA)) – Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge. Inland Action has a history of supporting federal efforts that reflect a balance between the health of our natural environments and development interests necessary for a healthy economy. For example, Inland Action advocated the adoption of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S.47), which became law in 2019. Inland Action commends the bipartisan support for that law and encourages further efforts in this area.
Balanced growth, while maintaining a discipline to preserve natural habitats and open areas, is a primary goal. The Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority oversees the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), which went into effect in 2004. The MSHCP is a 500,000-acre wildlife preserve that provides habitat for 146 species of plants and animals. Establishing this land as a wildlife refuge will ensure public access and enhanced recreation opportunities for the entire region.
This bipartisan legislation, representing proper balance of growth and conservation, is consistent with State and federal goals of establishing wildlife refuges, water resources, and areas of development in a balanced approach called “30 by 30,” setting aside 30% of land for conservation and the same amount for water resources by 2030. The overall plan requires 350,000 acres of existing National Forrest Service land in the San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests to be re-established as part of the refuge and allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better partner with the region through its role in the MSHCP.
This bill has broad support from conservationists, local municipalities, developers, and regional transportation agencies. We don’t often have the opportunity to say that. Inland Action strongly supports this legislation and would like to see it move out of the committee process.
Encourage legislators to ensure funds from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act be made available to improve water reliability and drought preparedness and be disbursed as soon as possible. Diverse sources of water supplies, increased water storage capacity, and enhanced resilience to drought are high priorities to maintain and grow California’s economy. Inland Action supports continued actions to implement measures that improve California’s water reliability and drought preparedness. Specifically, Inland Action expresses its appreciation for the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law, which promises significant investment in water projects, including $55 billion in investments in drinking water, wastewater, water reuse, conveyance, and water storage infrastructure. Legislators are encouraged to ensure the funds are made available and disbursed to the states and local governments as soon as possible.
Encourage federal cooperation with California to incentivize consolidation of water systems. In recent years, the State of California has looked for mechanisms to address significant infrastructure and water quality issues associated with small, typically private, water systems. This is a significant problem in rural areas, particularly the Central Valley. Most stakeholders agree that consolidation of these water systems is one mechanism to address this problem.
Unfortunately, State efforts to address the issues have thus far focused on the prospect of a universal water tax, paid by all customers on a per unit or per person basis. Instead, Inland Action encourages federal cooperation with, and funding to, the State to incentivize consolidation of water systems, ideally into public bodies with local accountability and decision-making authority. Incentivizing consolidation requires significant funds to address infrastructure needs and address water quality problems.
Urge caution in consideration of legislation related to per- and polyfluoralkyl substances and support funding for monitoring and remediation. Ensuring safe drinking water is a fundamental requirement for healthy communities and economies. With growing concerns about the presence in some water supplies of a family of chemicals known as per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), water agencies are working to ensure inland Southern California has a safe and reliable drinking water supply. Inland Action supports administrative and legislative actions to secure funding to help public water agencies defray the cost of monitoring and/or remediation of constituents (including PFAS) in drinking water supplies, including full cost-recovery by drinking water and wastewater providers.
Inland Action expresses its appreciation for the inclusion of $10 billion in funding to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in the bipartisan infrastructure law. We strongly urge caution in legislating in this emerging field.
There are, no doubt, areas where legislation is required to pave the way for good science and regulation, e.g., addressing requirements for PFAS in firefighting foam. However, at the time of writing, there are 28 bills with PFAS in the title in the 117th Congress. A rush to legislate in this increasingly “popular” area, without letting the science lead the way, could easily result in conflicting and confusing statutory commands and additional burdens for local agencies and businesses. Inland Action supports legislation that accomplishes the above goals while protecting public water and wastewater agencies (and, therefore, their ratepayers) from third-party liability associated with new standards.
Support broader habitat conservation planning. Inland Action supports additional funding to enable local agencies to develop habitat conservation plans and other cooperative management approaches to habitat conservation. Additional funding in this area is necessary to set the stage for future decades of efficient economic development. Specifically, Inland Action supports additional funding for the following programs:
- Habitat Conservation Planning Grants – Increasing these funds will add to the number of public agencies beginning the necessary planning work to establish a habitat conservation plan.
- Habitat Conservation Land Acquisition Grants – Increasing these funds will enable public agencies to acquire the necessary land for mitigation in order to secure sustainable development necessary for a healthy economy.
- Conservation Grants – Increasing these funds will enable public agencies to carry out mitigation projects in order to achieve sustainable development necessary for a healthy economy. The mitigation work itself will also have a positive effect on local economies.
Support funding for continued management of the Salton Sea, including H.R. 3877 (Ruiz-CA) and S. 2693 (Padilla-CA). Although the Salton Sea is located in Riverside County, few projects in the inland region come anywhere near the Salton Sea in terms of the potential for calamity or, conversely, enormous gain. The Salton Sea is impacted by rising salinity of the Sea, as well as changes in runoff from irrigated agriculture (supplied by Colorado River water). Reduced water flows to the Sea could result in the exposure of nearly 100 square miles of dry lakebed, resulting in diminished habitat, significant air quality problems, and a damaged economy. A key issue at the Salton Sea is exposure of previously submerged lakebed, known as playa, as the lake surface shrinks. This playa exposure is subject to wind erosion and can be a source of fine airborne dust smaller than 10 micrometers, known as particulate matter 10, or PM10; as well as a source of PM 2.5. The dust is a significant health hazard and can contribute to respiratory illness in humans.
The dust can also damage agricultural crops and wildlife and harm the region’s tourism industry. Areas downwind from the Sea are already suffering from severe non-attainment for PM 10 under the Clean Air Act. These areas suffer the highest rates of childhood asthma in California, with emergency room admissions for children under four years of age roughly twice the State average. In the near future, tens of millions of citizens downwind from the Sea could be impacted by dust blown from the playa into densely urbanized areas throughout Southern California.
In recent years, local, State, tribal, and federal governments have achieved significant progress in addressing the long-term management of the Salton Sea. These efforts have resulted in the development of the Salton Fee Funding and Feasibility Action Plan, a living document and framework for the future management of the Salton Sea, and Phase I of the Salton Sea Management Program 10-Year Plan, which guides investments at the Salton Sea in line with an MOU between the United States Department of the Interior and the California Natural Resources Agency. Current efforts are designed to address playa exposure by developing habitat or dust suppression projects on exposed playa.
With a plan in place and funding generally available to the projects through the 2018 Farm Bill at the federal level and through the passage of Proposition 68 at the State level, it is critical that funding be delivered to these projects in a timely and efficient manner. At the federal level, the following steps are suggested:
- Support for R. 3877 (Ruiz-CA) and S. 2693 (Padilla-CA), which would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to provide grants and enter into cooperative agreements to carry out important projects in the Salton Sea.
- Support action by federal agencies, consistent with the MOU implementing E.O. 13807. Specifically, we encourage: (1) the Department of Agriculture to ensure conservation funding and funding related to air quality concerns (connected to agricultural operations) are directed to Salton Sea projects; (2) the Army Corp of Engineers to appropriate available monies for Salton Sea revitalization and support the Tribal Partnership Program; and (3) the Bureau of Reclamation to continue its engagement with Salton Sea partners and ensure funds are directed to habitat restoration and air quality management projects in the Salton Sea.
Health Care Issue
Urge immediate action to provide financial support for healthcare workers and hospitals which have been bearing extreme expense of the public health emergency brought about by the pandemic, specifically:
- Requiring that Health and Human Services distribute remaining Provider Relief Funds immediately and that funding be replenished to ensure the long-term stability of hospitals.
- Continuing to block the 2% cut in Medicare payments to providers until the end of the public health emergency.
- Extending the deadline for hospitals to repay Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments short-term loans which are now coming due.
In the Inland Empire, there are 22 hospitals in Riverside County and 26 in San Bernardino County. These include:
- 36 general acute care hospitals
- 4 rehabilitation hospitals
- 5 acute psychiatric hospitals
- 3 long-term care hospitals
The Inland Empire includes regions designated as Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) for primary care, dental health, and mental health. Access to health care, chronic diseases, preventive practices, COVID-19, housing, and homelessness and mental health are the priority health care needs in the Inland Empire. However, financial support for hospitals and their workforce has quickly become an urgent issue in the Inland Empire and in California as a whole.
More than 40% of California hospitals are experiencing dire workforce staffing challenges at a time when the State’s health care workforce is already depleted after nearly two years of fighting the pandemic. In California, 78% of hospitals report increased staff turnover between early 2020 and mid-2021 — even before the omicron variant substantially exacerbated the national and global workforce challenge. Hospitals are doing everything they can to address staffing shortages, but they cannot hire workers who don’t exist. Hospitals in the Inland Empire are no exception.
Throughout this public health emergency, hospitals have cared for their workers in extraordinary ways by providing housing and childcare support, delivering financial bonuses, expanding wellness programs, counseling to support the mental and emotional well-being of those on the front lines, and providing extended leave and enhanced compensation. Now they must turn to policy solutions to help them help their workers — with funding that supports wages, retention bonuses, and education of the next generation of health care workers to ensure a robust workforce that can care for all Californians in need. Several proposals included in the Build Back Better legislation address these very issues and must find their way to the President’s desk soon.
In addition to unprecedented workforce shortages, hospitals continue to face enormous financial losses. California’s hospitals lost an estimated $16.3 billion due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. While hospitals are grateful for the federal relief they have received so far, it is simply inadequate. To make up for what have been catastrophic losses and the lack of adequate financial relief, many hospitals have resorted to borrowing billions through emergency loans to continue caring for their patients and staff.
Provider Relief Funds (PRF): The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is still in the process of distributing its fourth phase of PRF, which cover a portion of hospitals’ losses and expenses incurred through March 2021. It is uncertain how much remains of the total funding, but it is a small fraction of what has been spent so far and is certainly insufficient to cover the last ten months of the pandemic’s delta and omicron surges, not to mention whatever comes next. Of note, Phase 4 of the PRF is particularly inadequate for hospitals — like those in California — that experienced a significant surge in COVID-19 admissions during late 2020 and early 2021. The infographics included at the end detail how California hospitals have not received their fair share of funding to date. Inland Action urges that HHS be required to distribute remaining funds immediately and funding be replenished to ensure the long-term stability of hospitals.
Medicare Sequestration: Since the beginning of the pandemic, Congress has blocked a 2% cut in Medicare payments to providers, but the most recent action blocks the cut only until April 1. These cuts could cost California hospitals $200 million in 2022 alone. Hospitals need Congress to block the cuts until the end of the public health emergency.
Loan Repayment: At the beginning of the pandemic Congress provided for Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payments, or short-term loans. Those loans are now coming due. Many hospitals need additional time to make their repayments.
Judiciary Issues
Support appointment of qualified candidates to fill existing judicial vacancies in the Central District of California, especially in the Eastern Division of that court, serving the Inland Area. The Central District of California is the most-populous district in the nation, serving approximately 19.4 million people. For several years the inland region has experienced a crisis in the number of judicial vacancies. Six of the Court’s 28 authorized Article III judgeships are now vacant, with a seventh vacancy coming on April 1, 2022. All six present vacancies have been deemed judicial emergencies by the Judicial Conference. The longest of these vacancies dates to October 2015.
The lack of judicial resources has caused extreme strain not only on the judges serving under greatly increased caseloads, but also on the litigants and attorneys whose cases are delayed because there are not enough judges to hear them. The weighted caseload per judge (which factors in the relative time to dispose of different types of cases to provide a more accurate picture of a judge’s caseload) in the Central District now stands at 716, up from 702 just last year and approximately 32% since 2015 (coinciding with the buildup of vacancies over that same period). Filling these vacancies with qualified judges as quickly as possible is of the utmost importance.
The issue is especially acute in the Eastern Division of the Court. The Eastern Division serves the Inland area of Southern California (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties), now home to 4.6 million people and covering 27,408 square miles. Its population is greater than that of 25 states, and its land mass is larger than 11 states. It is comparable in population to the State of Kentucky, and in land area to the State of West Virginia. Kentucky and West Virginia each have two federal districts, with nine and eight authorized judgeships, respectively. By comparison, since fall 2020 there have been only two District Judges sitting in the Eastern Division. For several years prior to that, there was only one.
The number of cases arising in the Eastern Division far exceeds the capacity of one, or even two, District Judges to preside over. The Court reassigns cases among its three divisions (Eastern in Riverside, Southern in Santa Ana, and Western in Los Angeles) to help get the Eastern Division cases heard and to keep the number of cases per judge roughly equal. In 2021, 27% of all civil cases and 37% of all criminal cases that should have been heard in the Eastern Division were reassigned to a judge in Los Angeles due to the lack of District Judges in the Eastern Division available to hear them. Prior to the appointment of Judge John W. Holcomb in the fall of 2020, the percentage of cases reassigned was roughly double that.
This represents a substantial burden on the parties, their attorneys, witnesses, and family members, who must travel long distances to Los Angeles for hearings and trials and incur significant additional time and expense in resolving their cases. Moreover, because juries are drawn from the local communities, these parties also face trial by a jury drawn not from their own community, but the communities of the presiding court to which their case is reassigned. It is, therefore, critically important to increase the number of District Judges committed to sit in the Court’s Eastern Division.
Inland Action is very pleased to see that the President understands this point. Of the five nominations to the Central District currently before the Senate, two of the nominees – Kenly Kiya Kato and Sunshine Suzanne Sykes – are committed to sit in the Eastern Division, if confirmed. Inland Action urges the Senate to consider these nominees (along with all of the nominees to the Central District) as expeditiously as possible and to increase the capacity of the Court to handle the crush of business before it in a faster and more efficient manner, for the good of all parties and the community as a whole.
Urge the Inland Empire Congressional delegation to support immediate action to expand federal court facilities in the Eastern Division of the Central Division of California. Physical space upgrades are also necessary in the Eastern Division in order to deliver adequate justice to the Inland Empire. The Eastern Division of the Court presently serves the Inland Empire community from the George E. Brown, Jr. Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in Riverside. Designed and constructed in the early years of the Eastern Division, the courthouse no longer has sufficient physical space to house the judicial resources needed to serve the community adequately, let alone to handle the expected growth in the region. It has only four courtrooms, which are shared by five federal judges (two District Judges and three Magistrate Judges). The interior space has already been remodeled to make room for the third Magistrate Judge, resulting in courtroom sharing among the Magistrate Judges. This remodel also eliminated one of the jury-deliberation rooms, meaning only three of the courtrooms can now be used for jury trials.
A new, larger Federal courthouse is severely needed to serve the current and future judicial needs of the Inland Empire community. The Eastern Division of the Central District of California has already been determined to be number two overall nationwide on the priority list for courthouse construction. Work is currently underway within the Judicial Conference at the Ninth Circuit and nationally to begin the necessary studies and planning for a new courthouse in the region.
The process takes many years; however, and it is imperative that it be prioritized and expedited wherever and whenever possible. Ultimately, Congressional appropriations will be necessary for the design and construction of a new courthouse. Even now, however, support from our local Congressional Members and Senators is essential to ensure that this critically-necessary project does not get put on the back burner in favor of other projects. It is expected that the Judicial Conference will approve the prioritization of a new courthouse for the Inland Empire this summer. The next step in the process will be for the General Services Administration (GSA) to conduct a feasibility study. Of course, the GSA has many competing demands on its time; and the danger of our project being delayed at this stage in favor of others is great. Support from our Congressional delegation for the project will be imperative in ensuring that it does not fall through the cracks and is given the attention within the bureaucracy that it so desperately needs.
Support H.R. 4886 (Johnson-GA), The District Court Judgeships Act of 2021, which would authorize new judgeships to address urgent needs of the Eastern Division. Beyond filling the existing vacancies and bringing the Court back to its full authorized strength, new judgeships are urgently needed in the Central District. In addition to the immediate needs of filling the existing vacancies in the Central District and addressing the physical-space needs in the Eastern Division, new judgeships must be created in the District (and promptly filled) in order to provide adequate judicial resources to the people of the Central District of California. New judgeships can only be authorized by Congress. Congress last created a new permanent judgeship in the Central District of California in 1990 (which was also the last time Congress enacted comprehensive judgeship legislation).
The most-recent study from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body of the federal courts, shows the need for additional judgeships in the Central District of California, beyond the current 28 positions. The Judicial Conference makes biennial recommendations to Congress for which districts and circuits around the country are in need of new judgeships. In March 2021, it recommended Congress authorize fifteen additional judgeships for the Central District, in addition to making the one temporary judgeship in the District permanent. The District Court Judgeships Act of 2021 (H.R. 4886), introduced on July 30, 2021, would create these needed additional judgeships, not only in the Central District of California, but also in those other Districts across the nation identified with substantial needs in the Judicial Conference report.
Inland Action urges the prompt consideration of H.R. 4886. The first priority, however, must be to vet, nominate, and confirm qualified candidates for the six existing vacancies, including the two pending nominees who, if confirmed, will sit in the Eastern Division to serve the Inland Empire.
Transportation Issues
Support Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for critical Inland Empire projects. Inland Action has long-awaited a new multi-year transportation authorization and appreciates the incredible work to achieve last year’s approval of the infrastructure bill. Inland Action fully supports important Inland Empire projects that can be deployed quickly and across many agencies. The following top Inland Empire infrastructure projects will have an immediate but also long-term impact on alleviating the increasing strain on the Southern California supply chain while enhancing the quality of life for the residents and businesses that continue to support that same system of systems:
- Highway 395 (3 miles, $7.5M)
- I-10 (23 miles, $1.2B)
- State Routes 247 / 62 Emergency Bypass Lanes Project ($1M)
- Ontario International Airport Loop ($60M)
- San Bernardino Line Double Track Project ($79)
- 1st Avenue Bridge – Barstow
- SBD International Airport (FAA runway repairs pending.)
A short description of each priority project is provided below:
U.S. Route 395 Widening – Phase 2
U.S. Route 395 is one of the main north/south highways in Southern California providing access to and linking economic centers, recreational areas, and urban and rural regions. The Phase I project was completed in 2021, which widened US-395 between S.R.18 (Palmdale Road) and Chamberlaine Way from two lanes to four lanes and installed turn lanes and signals at various intersections within the project limits. U.S. 395 was previously environmentally cleared from I‑15 to just south of Desert Flower, a total distance of 15.3 miles. The southern project is 7.2 miles in length. SBCTA completed construction of the middle portion of the project (5.4 miles), and the northern 2.7 miles remains to be constructed. All right-of-way and design work has been completed for the Phase 2 segment. Project Completion Cost: $7.5 Million.
I-10 Express Lanes
Phase 1 of I-10 Express Lanes is located in the southwestern portion of San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles County. The project will widen the existing I-10 freeway between the Los Angeles/San Bernardino County line and I-15, a distance of approximately ten miles. The project includes two tolled express lanes in each direction. In addition, lanes to assist drivers getting on and off the freeway (auxiliary lanes) will be constructed in selected locations. West of Haven Avenue, a single new lane will be constructed and combined with the existing HOV lane to provide two express lanes in each direction. The HOV lane will still be available to motorists but will increase from 2+ to 3+. East of Haven Avenue, two express lanes will be constructed.
The total project would improve a new 23-mile segment. Project cost: $1.2 Billion.
State Routes 247/62 Emergency Bypass Lanes
This project would increase the usefulness of State Routes 247 and 62 as a bypass to Interstate 15 through the Cajon Pass during times of emergency, such as earthquakes, wildfires, or other disasters. S.R. 247 is uniquely situated with minimal topographical challenges to serve as an escape route, access for emergency vehicles, and a conduit for economic recovery if the Cajon Pass is shut down for an extended period. Work is being done with Caltrans to identify potential sections of State Routes 247 and 62 to include in the study. Project cost: $1 Million
Ontario International Airport (ONT) Loop
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has initiated a critical next step to advancing the innovative transit tunnel connection between the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink Station and Ontario International Airport as it prepares to review proposals to deliver the environmental phase of the project, which should be completed in the fall of 2023. Environmental clearance will pave the way for identifying a preferred construction alternative, final design, and construction for service in late 2026/early 2027, in time for the 2028 Olympic games. Project cost: $60 Million.
San Bernardino Line Double Track
The Lilac to Rancho Double Track project is critical to regional mobility and will enhance rail operations on Metrolink’s busiest commuter rail line by increasing average train speed, reducing travel times, and enhancing overall capacity of the Metrolink San Bernardino Line. Preliminary engineering and CEQA clearance are complete, and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority achieved 30% design of the project in 2018. Metrolink has identified a substantial portion of this segment, from CP Lilac to the Rialto Metrolink station, which includes a pedestrian underpass, as a priority in its multi-year Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) Program and is working to secure construction funding for this segment.
Project elements include:
- Approximately three miles of additional double track in the cities of Rialto and San Bernardino.
- Addition of a second passenger platform at the existing Metrolink Rialto Station, as well a pedestrian underpass for access.
- Ten at-grade crossings within and near the double track footprint with quiet zone safety enhancements.
- New railroad signals, as well as Positive Train Control considerations and required improvements.
- Civil improvements including grading, drainage, and utilities.
- Modifications to eight at-grade crossings within the Project footprint to improve roadway profiles.
North First Avenue Bridge over BNSF – Barstow, CA
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, in cooperation with the City of Barstow and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad, is leading the construction effort to replace the existing North First Avenue bridge over a BNSF railyard. The bridge was built around 1930. During the Bridge Inspection Report prepared by Caltrans in April 2012, the bridge Sufficiency Rating was 3 out of 100. The existing bridge is considered Structurally Deficient in its superstructure, substructure, and the overall structural evaluation. The existing bridge is also considered Functionally Obsolete due to its overall geometry and substandard vertical clearance.
The project includes the construction of new approach roadways, a new 2-lane structure, and the demolition of the old structure once the new facility has been opened to traffic. The replacement structure will provide safety benefits and accommodate all legal truck and permit vehicles, provide standard 8-foot shoulder widths, and one 8-foot sidewalk.
SBD International Airport
Inland Action is appreciative of the support provided by members of congress for funding of runway repairs at San Bernardino International Airport. The project will be underway shortly with additional funds provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Urge attention to three global supply chain concerns impacting the ports of entry and the Inland Empire Region:
- Inland Action recommends a $5B Federal loan guarantee for California projects.
- Provide TIFIA and RIFIA loan opportunities and processing for major supply chain projects.
- Recognize that the global supply chain problem impacts the inland Southern California region more significantly than any other region in the country.
Health Care Issues
California hospitals have not yet received their fair share of Provider Relief Funds.
Health and Human Services must distribute remaining Provider Relief Funds immediately and that funding must be replenished to ensure the long-term stability of hospitals.
