Fontana, California

Fontana, California is a city in San Bernardino County. Fontana is a short distance west of the City of San Bernardino. Fontana is about 50 miles east of the City of Los Angeles and about 100 miles north of the City of San Diego. Fontana is part of the Inland Empire, which includes much of San Bernardino County and adjoining Riverside County. Fontana is located in the San Bernardino Valley near both the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, where the resort communities of Lake Arrowhead and Wrightwood can be reached by a short drive from the city. Built on the Lytle Creek alluvial fan, elevations within city limits range from about 840 feet in the southerly reaches of the municipality to about 2,600 feet in the north. Nearby Lytle Creek is a popular area for hiking, fishing, and camping. Lytle Creek was the site of the first hydraulic mining operation in Southern California, which dates back to the 1860s. Lytle Creek’s watershed includes Mount San Antonio, more commonly known as Mount Baldy, which, at just over 10,000 feet, is the highest point in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Fontana has an excellent transportation network. Five freeways pass through or near Fontana—Interstate 10, State Route 210, and Interstate 15, Interstate 215, and State Route 60. Ontario International Airport is a short distance to the west. Major freight rail lines pass through Fontana.

Consequently, Fontana has become an industrial center with over 460 industrial businesses.

Warehouse, logistics, and distribution facility jobs and truck-based industries are abundant in Fontana. Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare plans in the United States, is a major area employer and is the largest single employer in Fontana. The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan’s first hospital in Southern California was a modest facility for the workers at Fontana Steel Mill. After World War II, the health plan went public. Kaiser Fontana Medical Center is now a large medical facility located in Fontana.

Chaffey College Fontana Campus opened in 1996 and features an eight acre campus in central Fontana. The Fontana Unified School District has 45 schools and is the second largest employer in Fontana with over 4,100 employees. Amazon is the third largest employer; its Fontana fulfillment center covers 600,000 square feet. The City of Fontana has about 600 fulltime employees.

Once part of the Rancho de San Bernardino land grant dating from when the area was under Spanish rule, Fontana was founded in 1913 and incorporated as a city in 1952. The area, formerly known as Rosena, was renamed Fontana, which means fountain in Italian, in the early 20th century. The name Rosena lives on through Fontana’s master planned community Rosena Ranch, one of several master planned communities in the area. A. B. Miller founded the town-site of Fontana. The economy of Fontana originally centered around agriculture, with citrus orchards, vineyards, grain fields, and chicken and hog ranches extending from the iconic Route 66, which ran through the town. In 1942, a large steel mill opened in Fontana. Kaiser Steel, Fontana Steel Mill, was established to aid in the manufacture airplanes and ships for America’s military in World War II. The establishment of Kaiser Steel marked the beginning of the shift in Fontana’s economy from agriculture to industrial and logistics. While Kaiser Steel closed in 1984, the city has continued to grow and prosper.

Fontana has a population of over 213,000. Fontana is now the second most populous city in San Bernardino County and the third most populous in the Inland Empire.

The city describes itself as a clean, vibrant, connected, modern city nestled against the San Bernardino Mountains. Fontana offers a lower cost of living than many of the coastal communities in Southern California. The cost of living index for Fontana is lower than the U.S. Average. Fontana has a Mediterranean-type climate with hot, dry summers and cool, intermittently wet winters. The area is affected by strong, hot, and dry Santa Ana winds that blow in from the north by way of the Mojave Desert and Cajon Pass.

KFON TV airs meetings of the City of Fontana City Council, Parks and Community and Human Services Commission, and Planning Commission. The City of Fontana has an Industrial Development Authority and Planning Commission. Fontana has its own police department. Fire protection services are provided through the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Fontana District courthouse is located in Fontana. Metrolink, Southern California’s regional passenger rail system, has a station in Fontana, enabling residents to commute to downtown Los Angeles and other centers of employment.

The City of Fontana has over 40 parks, community centers, and sports facilities. The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana is a two mile oval racetrack located in the unincorporated portion of Fontana. The Fontana Theater is an example of Art Deco architecture originally built in 1937. Now known as the Center Stage Theater in Fontana, it features musicals and touring artists. Mount Jurupa in the Jurupa Hills is a local hiking destination. At the foot of the Jurupa Hills lies the Mary Vagle Nature Center, which features gardens and a pond. The Fontana Days Run is an annual half marathon. The course of the half marathon has a gradual downward slope that makes it one of the quickest half marathons in the world.

If you need benefits because you have been fired and laid off from your job, or if you have been injured or are ill and cannot work, the nearest office for the State of California Employment Development Department is in the City San Bernardino. Of course, you can usually apply for state disability or unemployment benefits online. If you have been wrongfully fired or laid off from your job, you should Contact an experienced employment attorney such as the experienced employment attorneys at Kokozian Law Firm, APC.

The attorneys at Kokozian Law Firm, APC practice employment law and represent workers throughout the City of Fontana and surrounding communities such as Rialto and Rancho Cucamonga. We represent workers concerning Employment Discrimination and Wrongful Termination claims based on Race, Disability, and other protected characteristics. We also represent workers concerning Retaliation and Wage and Hour claims. If your employer or former employer has violated your rights, call the experienced employment attorneys at Kokozian Law Firm, APC or Contact Us via our online form.