“The Latino community is critical to the Inland Empire’s success today and will continue to be in the future,” said Cervantes. “We are the backbone of our economy. We are workers, doctors, teachers, and students driving our region forward everyday.”

The CIELO fund also plans to study issues impacting Latino communities to identify where funding might carry the most impact. In a partnership with UC Riverside, the group recently released its first report: “Aqui Estamos: A Data Profile of Latinos in the Inland Empire.”

The report used 2020 census data to evaluate where Latinos are excelling and outlines several disparities including health outcomes, education and poverty rates.

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