Dear CalMatters reader,

A UC Riverside program is cultivating future college students before they hit high school. 

Through the university’s new Middle School Initiative, seventh graders discuss how to write college application essays, tour the university campus and learn about admission standards for California universities. 

With a four-year graduation rate about half the state average of 35%, the Inland Empire is falling behind in educating students for well-paid, professional jobs, limiting the economic prospects of the region’s youngest inhabitants. In an effort to raise that ceiling, educators are trying to get tweens to envision their potential for a college education and career. 

“I like that there’s something you can do in middle school so you can do more in high school,” said 13-year-old Simone Reid, a seventh-grader at Villegas Middle School who wants to major in business. “I want to get started early so I have more opportunities.”

UC Riverside Dean of Education Joi Spencer said she introduced the program this year to reach students who might not consider attending a university, or know how to prepare for it. Middle grades “are where kids get sorted into who’s going to go to college and who’s not,” she said.

“Our first goal is to invoke a conversation across the Inland Empire related to university access and eventual success,” Spencer said. “First and foremost, too many youngsters do not even see university attendance as a possibility for them. This is our fault as adults and educators. We keep producing the same winners and losers in education and we need to break this cycle.”

Students at the campus event vowed to work on raising their grade-point averages.

“I personally think I should focus more on my GPA,” said Dike Okeke, 12. “Then when I have that figured out I could find work to save for college.”

The initiative offers instruction on how to fill out financial aid forms and tips on finding scholarships. Students can come back to the program later in high school to seek help with that process, said Elizabeth Benitez, Middle School Initiative coordinator.. 

“I need to focus on a scholarship,” said Jeremiah Stinson, 12, who aims to study business and play college football. “Debt lasts forever. I don’t want to struggle with that.”

State Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco joined California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones last week to unveil a bill that would scale back provisions of California’s sanctuary law, which bars law enforcement from helping with immigration enforcement except in cases involving violent crimes.

Senate Bill 554 would change requirements for local-federal coordination in those cases. While the sanctuary law allows police or sheriff’s officials to cooperate with U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement on cases involving serious crimes, Jones’ bill would make that coordination mandatory. And it would prevent cities or counties from passing local ordinances that exceed state law. 

That’s a response to a San Diego County ordinance that barred sheriff deputies from helping immigration officers with arrests or deportation, regardless of the person’s criminal history.

“Our neighborhoods should be sanctuaries for families where everyone feels safe,” said Ochoa Bogh, a Redlands Republican. “When protections are extended to violent criminals they undermine safety for all Californians.” 

Pedro Rios, director of the U.S. Mexico Border program for the American Friends Service Committee, said the proposal aligns with Trump administration plans for mass deportations, arguing that “the real intent is to target anyone who might be labeled as undocumented.”

Bianco, who announced a campaign for governor last week, said his department doesn’t do immigration enforcement, but must coordinate with federal agencies on serious crimes.

“SB 554 will make sure we are able to report child abusers, rapists and murderers,” he said.

It’s unclear if Jones’ bill will gain traction in a Democratic controlled legislature. Ochoa Bogh said it’s intended not only to change the law but to shift public opinion about immigration enforcement.

San Bernardino County has reversed course on a plan to round up wild burros and send them to a Texas-based wildlife rescue, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

In December the county announced that it struck an agreement with Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue to capture many wild burros, provide medical treatment and relocate them to sanctuaries. Wild burros have roamed the Inland Empire since the 1800s, but they’re prone to train and vehicle accidents, according to the county.

Residents pushed back, however, arguing that the animals are part of the local landscape and history and should remain in their habitat in the Reche and San Timoteo canyon areas. Instead, the county struck a new agreement with DonkeyLand, a Riverside-based wild burro rescue, to relocate, care for and manage the county’s wild burrows.

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