Two years after the issue was raised in public, San Bernardino County residents will get their answer Wednesday, Aug. 14, on whether the county is receiving its “fair share” of resources from the state and federal governments.
At a public meeting, county officials will present an analysis done by a consultant. The full report is expected to be released with the Tuesday, Aug. 20, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors agenda.
The public heard about the secession proposal when real estate developer Jeff Burum addressed supervisors in July 2022. He argued that the Inland Empire, one of the state’s fastest growing areas, is consistently short-changed by Sacramento. The region isn’t getting its “fair share” of resources, he said, whether it’s investment in infrastructure or state judges, he said.
The question was put before voters on the November 2022 ballot with Measure EE, which asked: “Do the people of San Bernardino County want San Bernardino County elected representatives to study and advocate for all options to obtain the county’s fair share of State funding up to and including secession from the State of California?”
A narrow majority – 50.62% of voters – said yes.
In August 2023, the county hired Oakland-based for $192,400 to study “all options to obtain the county’s fair share of state and federal resources.”
A summary of the Blue Sky study is scheduled to be discussed Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Sage/Manzanita Conference Room of the San Bernardino County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino.
