Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar issued a report to Inland Empire residents outlining how he fought for them over the course of 2024. Rep. Aguilar prioritized securing resources for the region, creating jobs, lowering costs and promoting economic opportunity.

“As we come to the end of 2024 and the 118th Congress, I am proud to share how I’ve fought to deliver for the hardworking people of the Inland Empire,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar. “This year, I’ve focused on fighting for solutions that make life better for our community by pushing to lower costs, make health care more accessible and boost our economy. I am honored to serve the people of the Inland Empire in Congress and I am committed to keep working for our region in 2025.”

During 2024, Rep. Aguilar delivered for the Inland Empire by:

• Helping 596 Inland Empire residents resolve outstanding issues with federal agencies, such as accessing the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
• Returning nearly $11 million the federal government owed to residents by federal agencies, including IRS refunds, veterans’ benefits and Social Security payments.
• Announcing nearly $170 million in direct federal funding for the Inland Empire, including funding for local police and fire departments, infrastructure projects, affordable housing services, school districts and health care programs. Specifically, this includes:
  • $3,000,000 for the City of Highland’s SR-210 at 5th Street Interchange Improvements to support improvements at the State Route 210 and 5th Street interchange to improve traffic flow. 
  • $2,600,000 for the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino’s Arrowhead Grove Community Resource Center to establish a community resource center focused on health, wellness, housing stability services and economic self-sufficiency for residents of Arrowhead Grove, San Bernardino County and Inland Empire Health Plan members.    
  • $1,666,279 for the Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services’ Affordable Housing Development and Preservation Program to support the preservation of an existing affordable housing multi-family unit in the City of San Bernardino
  • $1,000,000 for the City of Rancho Cucamonga’s Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) to support the deployment of an Advanced Traffic Management System to be responsive to real-time traffic patterns and natural disasters
  • $1,000,000 for the San Bernardino County’s Glen Helen Regional Park Playground Expansion to rehabilitate and greatly improve a children’s play area, addressing equipment safety concerns and the structural integrity of the playground and enhancing the recreational and aesthetic experience for visitors and residents.
  • $963,000 for the City of San Bernardino’s Safety Camera Project to support law enforcement in their efforts to reduce violent crime by installing safety cameras that include data analytics that can be used to monitor activity and assist with investigations.
  • $963,000 for California State University, San Bernardino’s Tech and Workforce Hub Project to upgrade technology where students, university faculty, community college faculty and employers will be trained on cybersecurity projects.
  • $959,757 for the West Valley Water District’s Bunker Hills Wells Project to support the drilling and equipping of two new groundwater production wells, storage tank, booster pump station and pipelines to transport the needed water supply to water management agencies within the Upper Santa Ana River Watershed.
  • $959,757 for San Bernardino County’s Arrowhead Farms project to connect 257 residential properties in the unincorporated community of Arrowhead Farms to city sewer lines. 
  • $875,424 for the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council’s Skyland Ranch Project to make facility improvements at Skyland Ranch Camp, which hosts outdoor and environmental education programming for Girl Scouts and co-ed schools in the region.
  • $850,000 for the Omnitrans’ Battery Electric Buses and Design of On-Route Charging Infrastructure to purchase three new zero-emission electric buses and on-route charging stations for San Bernardino’s fleet to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve public transit. 
  • $850,000 for the City of Rialto’s I-10/Riverside Avenue Freight Improvement Project to support critical improvements along Riverside Avenue, including extending northbound left-turn lanes and adding continuous sidewalks. These upgrades will ease traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety, benefiting both local commuters and the flow of freight in and out of the region.
  • $850,000 for the City of San Bernardino to renovate and restore the Nicholson Community Center to include access to health care, a food pantry, after-school programs and access to substance abuse prevention and mental health programs.
  • $500,000 for the Blessing Center’s Hannah’s Village to make improvements to the center’s current transitional housing program that serves at-risk women and children in our community, constructing 26 additional living spaces for up to 30 new mothers and nearly 70 homeless children.
  • $525,000 for the West Valley Water District Emergency Generator Project to enhance water reliability during emergency situations. The project will keep WVWD’s pump stations and wells operating during power outages.

Throughout the past year, Rep. Aguilar fought for legislation to help San Bernardino County families by:

• Passing the Dr. Margaret B. Hill Post Office Bill and getting it signed into law. This bill will rename the Del Rosa Post Office to honor the late Dr. Margaret B. Hill, a beloved educator and community advocate who passed away in December 2021. 
• Creating the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Supportive Services program at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is based on Rep. Aguilar’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services Expansion Act. This program will allow the FAA to provide technical assistance and training to DBEs competing for FAA grants. 
• Passing the University Centers for Growth, Development, Prosperity (GDP) Act under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). This bill requires the EDA to create a University Center at an Institute of Higher Education in every state.
• Introducing the Affordable Housing Resident Services Act, which would provide funding to owners of affordable housing properties to offer supportive services for their residents.
• Introducing the bipartisan National GIS Day Resolution to designate November 20, 2024, as National GIS Day and encourage the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to drive economic growth.
• Securing $2.5 million for the Affordable Housing and Supportive Services Demonstration program that Rep. Aguilar helped create in 2023. This program provides funding to owners of affordable housing properties to support their residents, including after-school programs for children and teenagers; education 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; and other community services.
• Securing the following wins in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA):
  • New study authorization focused on Flood Risk Management for the Rialto Flood Control Channel, which will finish the last unimproved portion of the channel from Sycamore Avenue just south of the I-10 freeway and continue further southward to the Santa Ana River. Improvements include the construction of 1.8 miles of a reinforced concrete channel. 
  • New study authorization focused on Flood Risk Management for San Bernardino’s Del Rosa Flood Control Channel. The County plans to make substantial improvements to 2.5 miles of the existing flood control channel along Del Rosa Avenue from Pacific Street to Daley Basin. This expansion project would upgrade the interim earthen channel by constructing the ultimate rectangular concrete channel and increasing the flow capacity of undersized box culvert street crossings. 
  • $20 million in Environmental Infrastructure (EI) authority for water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, for Bloomington.
  • $20 million in Environmental Infrastructure (EI) authority for water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, for Colton.
  • $10 million in Environmental Infrastructure (EI) authority for water and wastewater infrastructure, including stormwater management, for Grand Terrace.

Hosting Federal Agency Officials in the District:

• Hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to highlight the investments Congressman Aguilar secured to make health care more affordable and equitable in the Inland Empire.
• Hosted Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman to highlight small businesses in the Inland Empire. Rep. Aguilar and Administrator Guzman also hosted a roundtable, where they heard directly from local small business owners about the issues impacting them and their employees.
• Hosted U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo at Eisenhower High School where Rep. Aguilar and Deputy Secretary Adeyemo participated in a Q&A session with the Senior class.
• Hosted U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alejandra Castillo to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new workforce training center at the San Bernardino Valley College.
• Hosted Chief Executive Officer of Federal Home Loan Bank San Francisco (FHL Bank) Teresa Bazemore, National CORE and additional housing partners in a roundtable discussion on housing affordability and housing development issues.  
• Joined the Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose at San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s unveiling of the Arrow Passenger Rail Service between Redlands and San Bernardino, which will be the first zero-emission, self-powered passenger train in North America.
• Joined Harry Wingo, White House Deputy National Cyber Director, at CSUSB’s Cybersecurity Education event. The forum gathered leaders from academia, industry, and state and federal government to demonstrate the potential of cyber workforce ecosystems and how these groups are working together to create a successful partnership in California.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.