San Ber nardino Festival Receives National Diver sity Award

Community News

This week Metrolink launched an Earth Day campaign to raise awareness about the environmental benefits of using the train On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, Metrolink will provide free rides all day on all Metrolink and Arrow service trains

Riders can use the promotional code “EarthDay2023” to redeem their free rides on Earth Day at Metrolink station ticket machines

Current Metrolink mobile app users will automatically receive a free ticket to their mobile ticket wallet on Friday, April 21

Anyone who downloads and registers an account on the Metrolink mobile app before that date will receive the free Earth Day ticket

Both the promo code and the mobile ticket will only be valid on Earth Day, April 22

“We’re excited to offer free fares on Earth Day and hope people who haven’t used our service before will consider taking the train that day and for future trips,” Metrolink CEO Darren Kettle said “Metrolink trains run on 100 percent renewable fuel which helps reduce our carbon footprint We invite the public to join us on this Earth Day journey, take the train, and help us make Southern California greener and cleaner ”

Earth Day Photo Contest

To kick off the campaign, Metrolink will hold an Earth Day photo contest, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Rides ” Leading up to Earth Day, riders are invited to ex- plore the beautiful sights and landmarks of Southern California by train Riders can then enter the contest by submitting their name, photo or photos, and destination to M e t r o l i n k @ t h e a x i s a g e n c y c o m

The deadline to submit photos is Monday, April 24 Three winners will be selected, and each will receive Metrolink Monthly passes for a year

Photo Series and Exhibit at L A Union Station

As part of the effort, Metrolink has partnered with local photographer Erwin Recinos to curate a photography series Recinos is a seasoned visual artist with an eye for capturing life in and around Los Angeles For 20 years, Recinos has been documenting the urban landscape, street culture and Hispanic communities of Los Angeles using his daily travel on public transportation as inspiration

From April 10 through May 1, 2023, Metrolink will display a selection of Recinos’ photography, as well as photos submitted to the contest by riders, on the west end of Los Angeles Union Station

For more details about Metrolink’s Earth Day campaign and to learn about how train travel makes a positive environmental impact, visit Metrolink’s Earth Day webpage at Metrolinktrains com/EarthDay

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) are also offering free rides on Earth Day

Community News

The National League of Cities (NLC) awarded the City of San Bernardino its 2023 City Cultural Diversity Award at the League’s National Conference held in Washington D C from March 26-28 The award recognized the San Bernardino Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department’s inaugural Festival: Where Our Cultures Connect event The award was accepted by Mayor Helen Tran and Council Member Kimberly Calvin, who were attending the NLC conference

The NLC City Cultural Diversity award recognizes cities that developed innovative programs demonstrating cultural diversity and promoting inclusive resident involvement

“Festival was an amazing event,” said Mayor Helen Tran “The performances, the food, the art, and the crowds all highlighted our diverse and inclusive community I was so proud to accept the award along with

Council Member Calvin on behalf of San Bernardino Festival: Where Our Cultures Connect, was an all-day event held on October 8, 2022, at Seccombe Lake Park It featured musical and dance performances on multiple stages, an artist’s village, an interactive kids’ village, a car show, karate demonstrations, cultural exhibits, roving performers, community booths, food vendors and a petting zoo Each zone highlighted the many diverse communities, artists, and performers that reside in San Bernardino Attendance for the inaugural Festival was estimated to be between 7,000 and 10,000

“To receive such a highly competitive national award for San Bernardino’s first Festival speaks volumes to the vision and hard work of the entire Parks staff and countless volunteers,” said Parks and Recreation Director Lydie Gutfeld “I could not be prouder ”

At the sold-out awards cere- mony, National League of Cities officials stated that there were 51 submissions from across the country for the award Judging was conducted by a panel of NLC officials from Auburn, Virginia; Cerritos, California; Kenmore, Washington; Dumfries, Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; and Tempe, Arizona

“Creating diverse and inclusive programs within our communities is a key element to making our residents feel included and supported,” said NLC President and Mayor of Tacoma, WA, Victoria Woodards

Council Member Kimberly Calvin noted, “After receiving the award, leaders from other cities from across our region, state, and nation took notice People came up to me saying, San Bernardino is back And we are ”

San Bernardino’s award was for cities with a population between 200,000 and 500,000 residents