Construction on a 200-room, four-story hotel recently began at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon. The Morongo Band of Mission Indians is building the hotel in partnership with Marnell Hospitality and Tharaldson Hospitality. It is expected to open in early 2026 as a dual-branded Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites hotel. The tribe expects to add “dozens of permanent new jobs and new economic opportunities to the San Gorgonio Pass.” In other tribe news, applications are being accepted until Jan. 24 for its 2025 Community Outreach Awards Program, which gives out dozens of awards of up to $5,000, are open until Friday, Jan. 24. For more information: call 951-755-5063 or  go to [email protected]. Work has begun on a 200-room dual-branded Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites hotel at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa. The project is a partnership among the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Marnell Hospitality and Tharaldson Hospitality. Seen here are Morongo Economic Development and Planning Committee members Jimmy Lopez, Fred Toro, and David Gandara; Greg Wells of Marnell Hospitality; Don Cape of Tharaldson Hospitality; James Siva, Morongo Tribal Council vice chair and chair of the Morongo Economic Development and Planning Committee; Morongo Tribal Council members Mary Ann Andreas and Ryan Martin. (Morongo Band of Mission Indians) The hotel will include a pool and spa, studio suites, guest rooms, a bar/lounge, dining, fitness center, two meeting/conference rooms and lobby and lounge areas. “Working together, the Morongo Tribal Council and the Morongo Economic Development and Planning Committee successfully moved this innovative project from concept to reality and identified the perfect partners in Marnell Hospitality and Tharaldson Hospitality,” said Morongo Tribal Council Vice Chair James Siva, who also chairs the Economic Development and Planning Committee. Industrial park in Jurupa Valley fetches $86 million The Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Miramar Capital recently acquired Serrano Industrial Park, a three-building industrial park in Jurupa Valley for $86 million. The seller, PreZero, was represented by CBRE.  “Serrano Industrial Park offers a unique investment opportunity with buildings that meet the current leasing demand and provide above-standard power in the vibrant Inland Empire,” said Cesta, executive vice president at CBRE. “Despite broader challenges in the Inland Empire industrial market, demand remains for facilities that can support manufacturing tenants requiring heavy power.” The 332,725-square-feet campus at 4350, 4388 and 4420 Serrano Drive includes three Class A manufacturing buildings. The Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Miramar Capital recently acquired Serrano Industrial Park, a three-building industrial park in Jurupa Valley for $86 million. (Photo courtesy of CBRE) CBRE reports the Inland Empire has the country’s highest five-year asking rent growth forecast. The brokerage estimates 28.9% growth from 2025 to 2029. A report from NAI Capital sees trouble ahead for the two-county region’s industrial commercial real estate as inventory outpaces demand. “Shrinking lease and sale velocity will present a challenge while driving efforts to close deals,” the report authored by JC Casillas says. “The expanding availability of warehousing options is set to boost the leasing market as companies seek adaptive solutions to meet shifting demand. Excess sublease space will continue seeking backfill opportunities, with the rate of newly vacated sublease space dropping 17.2% from Q3 2024.” Casillas believes that growth rates are expected to taper off, with prices likely continuing to decline amid high interest rates, “affecting industrial building sales that once commanded premium valuations for high-quality space.” Jesse Melgar is the new chairman of the Inland Empire Community Foundation board of directors. The founder of the CIELO Fund at the foundation, he is the first openly LGBTQ+ chair, first Coachella Valley resident and the first millennial to chair the board. (Photo courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation) Felicia Alexander, a San Bernardino City Unified School District trustee, recently was appointed to a four-year term on the board of directors at the Inland Empire Community Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation) Elizabeth Romero recently was appointed to the Inland Empire Community Foundation board of directors. Romero is the assistant vice chancellor of Government & Community Relations at UC Riverside. (Photo courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation) Lou Monville, senior vice president at Raincross Corporate Group, recently was appointed to the board of directors at the Inland Empire Community Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation) Show Caption1 of 4Jesse Melgar is the new chairman of the Inland Empire Community Foundation board of directors. The founder of the CIELO Fund at the foundation, he is the first openly LGBTQ+ chair, first Coachella Valley resident and the first millennial to chair the board. (Photo courtesy of Inland Empire Community Foundation) Expand IECF’s new chairman is a first of many Jesse Melgar is the new chairman of the Inland Empire Community Foundation board of directors in Riverside. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ chair, first Coachella Valley resident, and the first millennial to chair the board. He succeeded outgoing chair Nefertiti Long. “We are in a critical moment for our region — one that calls on all of us to dream big, invest in lasting change, and work across and through our differences to ensure that our neighbors can live dignified lives,” Melgar said in a statement . Melgar is the founder of the CIELO Fund at the foundation, where he helped raise more than $2 million supporting Latino organizations and scholarships in the region. He is joined by new board members Felicia Alexander, a San Bernardino City Unified School District trustee, Elizabeth Romero, assistant vice chancellor of Government & Community Relations at UC Riverside, and Lou Monville, senior vice president at Raincross Corporate Group. They will serve four-year terms.  “I am thrilled to welcome Jesse as our new Board Chair. Jesse has proven to be a changemaker and force for good in philanthropy, becoming an immediate leader on our board through his work as founder and chair of the CIELO Fund at our foundation,” said Michelle Decker, president and CEO of IECF. Appointments Calimesa resident Travis Pennington was appointed in December by Gov. Gavin Newsom as warden of California Institution for Men, where he has served as acting warden since 2023. He’s also held several positions at the prison from 2001 to 2023, including administrator, counselor and correctional sergeant. Pennington was also a captain at California Rehabilitation Center from 2014 to 2019. His annual compensation package is $193,524. Pennington is a Republican. The business briefs are compiled and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items to  [email protected] . High-resolution images can also be submitted. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity. Related Articles Retail | Surf industry’s Liberated Brands lays off nearly 400, closes Costa Mesa offices  Retail | Kohl’s closing San Bernardino distribution hub, 10 California stores by April Retail | Macy’s closing 66 stores, 9 in California Retail | ‘Normal’ California egg prices months away, analyst says Retail | Tesla Cybertruck joins short list of EVs eligible for $7,500 tax credit