IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The A-line reached Pomona in September, bringing the Los County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s light-rail system to the edge of the Inland Empire.
But that’s as far as it got. That same month, the A-Line’s extension to Montclair was put on hold indefinitely.
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, also in September, turned down a proposal that would have extended the light-rail line (formerly the Gold Line) to the Montclair Transit Center, which is used by Metrolink, a heavy-rail system.
The $80.3 million cost – and questions about which entity should determine the design of the extension and who should pay for it – led to a 15-11 no vote by the authority board two weeks before the A-Line officially reached Pomona.
“People support the A-Line, I don’t think they would support it if they knew we were handing a check to the (transportation) authority to build whatever they want to build, and then we pay for all of it,” board member Alan Wapner said.
The board instructed staff to try to find ways to connect the A Line to Montclair, using $37 million in local funding it had earmarked for that purpose.
A long-planned restoration of the California Theatre of the Performing Arts in San Bernardino was completed in 2025.
The 1,700-seat downtown landmark underwent a $6.8 million upgrade and reopened in October with the State of the City address.
Improvements to the 97-year-old building included installation of a state-of-the art sound system, better lighting and a new heating-air conditioning system.
The building’s interior and exterior were repainted, and the structure was brought into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
The California Theatre is on the National Register of Historic Places, a list of public entities set aside for preservation by the National Park Service in Washington, D.C.
Funding for the restoration came primarily from three sources: Measure S, a one-percent sales tax approved by San Bernardino voters in 2020, the city’s cultural development funds, and a $2.5 million donation from the California Arts Council, according to city officials.
Eastvale’s battle to get its own zip code continued in 2025, with the matter still unresolved as the year ended.
Since incorporating in 2010, parts of Eastvale have shared the 91752 ZIP code with Mira Loma and Jurupa Valley, while other parts of the city have used the 92880 ZIP code along with Corona and Chino.
That arrangement has caused mail to be delivered to incorrect addresses, and some sales taxes and insurance rates have been calculated incorrectly.
“We get lumped in with areas that are not like Eastvale,” Councilman Clint Lorimore said last spring. “If we had one ZIP code it would solve a lot of problems. It’s something a lot of our residents and businesses really want.”
A bill co-sponsored by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona ), and Rep. Norma Torres (D-Ontario) was passed by the House in March but has not been taken up by the Senate.
Voltu Motor Inc., began a pilot program in Riverside in 2025 that uses zero-emission commercial trucks produced in the city.
Started in March, 10 electric-powered work vehicles were placed on the streets for six months. The program was meant to show the trucks’ fast-charging systems and advanced powertrain technology, along with their environmental benefits, according to Riverside officials.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Committee, provided $600,000 toward the program.
Originally from Argentina, Voltu announced several months before it started the pilot program that it would move its global headquarters, and all of its manufacturing operations, to Riverside.
The electric-powered trucks used in the pilot program were the first produced by Voltu in Riverside. Over time, Voltu-produced trucks will replace diesel-powered and other older vehicles in Riverside’s public works fleet, according to city officials.
Riverside this year began working on an agricultural project that will train farmers and increase the number of crops grown in the city in the face of climate change.
The Northside Agricultural Innovation Center will be the first facility of its kind in the United States, according to Riverside officials.
The project, which broke ground in March, will be built in phases at 900 Clark St. Phase one will feature a 50,000-square-foot greenhouse, and 14,000 square feet of solar panels above agricultural fields, covering about one acre.
In addition to gathering solar energy, those panels will provide power to the innovation center, and return about one megawatt of energy to its electrical grid every year.
Construction of a learning center will also begin during the first phase. Cost of the project, which will cover 7.5 acres, and how long it will take to build, have not been determined.
After more than nearly two years of renovation, the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs reopened in December.
The structure at 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive now has a larger stage, improved sound and lighting systems, a modern VIP lounge, new seats, and better accessibility, according to published reports.
The theater’s Spanish-style architecture was brought back, and the theater has 700 seats, 100 fewer than it originally had.
Opened in 1936, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, and other mega-stars performed at the Plaza Theatre. It became well-known nationwide after it began live national radio broadcasts of The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show,
The Plaza Theatre began hosting the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 1989. Later, it became home to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a vaudeville show that ran for 23 years. The theater shut down in 2014 after falling into disrepair and remained empty until is reopening this month.
Most of the $25 million restoration was paid for with private donations, according to city officials.
In August, Ontario unveiled its plans for the Ontario Sports Empire, a 200-acre sports and entertainment complex that is being built near Riverside Drive and Vineyard Avenue immediately south of the 60 Freeway,
The centerpiece of the $151 million project will be a 6,500-seat minor league stadium that will be home to the Ontario Tower Buzzers, Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The stadium is expected to be ready for the start of the season next spring.
The stadium area will include playgrounds, concessions, a team store, a VIP seating area behind home plate elevated club and suite patios. It will also feature digital viewing areas and 1,000-space parking structure.
The community sports complex is scheduled to open with eight baseball/softball diamonds, eight soccer fields, multiple use athletic fields, three playgrounds and an area for family and group activities.
When completed, Ontario Sports Empire will be the largest sports-entertainment venue of its kind in Southern California and attract approximately 1.2 million visitors a year, according to a statement.
A group of Blythe residents spent much of 2025 trying to keep their only hospital up and running.
The Palo Verde Healthcare District’s board of directors, overseers of Palo Verde Hospital, filed for bankruptcy in September.
In response, the citizens group is trying to dissolve the five-member board and put the Riverside County Board of Supervisors in charge of the 52-bed acute care hospital. The group took that drastic step because Palo Verde Hospital is the only medical facility of its kind in California within a 100-mile radius of Blythe, which has a population of 13,800.
“Chapter 9 is the last tool left while we work to fix the financial management challenges that have so drastically impacted the hospital during the past several years,” said Carmela Garnica, board president, in a statement. “Our community deserves a functioning hospital, (and) we are doing everything we can to keep it open.”
Palo Verde’s emergency room remains open, paid for with emergency state funds, but the hospital could still be closed, according to reports.
In November, Riverside signed a memorandum of understanding with Chaevi Co., Ltd., a South Korean electric vehicle maker.
Both parties agreed to purse opportunities for investment and job creation in Riverside, including setting up Chaevi Co.’s U.S. manufacturing headquarters in the city, according to city officials.
The city sent a delegation to South Korea in September. The non-binding memorandum was signed two months later.
“We are very excited about the prospect of bringing Chaevi to Riverside,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. “Our trip emphasized how serious Riverside is about growing our green technology hub, and our conversations with Chaevi have generated promising results.”
Any agreements that happen as a result of this partnership must be approved by the city council. The two-year memorandum establishes a plan for the purchase and installation of at least 45 EV chargers, but it does not not create legal or financial obligations for either side, according to the statement.
