‘Unsung heroes.’ New documentary honors San Bernardino’s terrorism victims

Not long after Yvette Velasco, an environmental health specialist for the County of San Bernardino, was killed in a 2015 terrorist attack at her office holiday party, a chef at a local country club gave her father a treasured token of her work.

It was a rating card from an inspection she completed at the club kitchen. It bore her signature.

“He said he liked her a lot,” her father, Robert Velasco, said. “She was very personable. But she was very professional. She took her job very seriously.”

Velasco spoke of the chef and of his 27-year-old daughter’s love for her work as part of a new documentary produced by the county a decade after the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2015. Fourteen people, mostly county employees, died in the attack.

The 37-minute film, called “We Remember,” features families of the victims, survivors and first responders. It was released this month on YouTube and is posted on the county’s website.

For many families and survivors, memories of the attack are still so painful that they have avoided publicity for years. But the filmmakers hoped to focus on the resilience and unsung work of the county employees — not just the tragedy.

“We’ve tried to keep that balance of not opening up wounds while at the same time remembering,” San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman told me. “We as a county family are very tight, and this is important for us to … let the families, the victims know we still think of them often and will continue to always honor them.”

A way to remember

The documentary was produced, directed, shot and edited by three county multimedia production specialists: Shanele Alvarez, Branson Tay and Megan Perez.

None of them worked for the county at the time of the attack, Alvarez told me. They were inspired by the Curtain of Courage Memorial outside the San Bernardino County Government Center — 14 bronze alcoves, each curved like a protective wall and dedicated to one of the victims.

Erica Porteous speaks about her slain sister, Yvette Velasco, at a memorial at Cal State San Bernardino on Dec. 2, 2019.

(Allison Zaucha/For The Times)

“We wanted to put a face, a personality to the names,” said Tay, who has worked for the county since 2021. “They’re not just names. These people really do dedicate their lives to serving our community.”

‘Unsung heroes’

The day of the attack, employees of the county’s Division of Environmental Health Services had gathered for a training session and holiday celebration when their colleague, restaurant inspector Syed Rizwan Farook, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, walked in with military-style assault rifles and opened fire.

In the documentary, Joshua Dugas, director of Public Health, said Environmental Health Services is “full of unsung heroes.”

“They help protect the food we eat, the water we drink,” he said. “They ensure waste is properly disposed of. They respond during disasters. They’re behind the scenes on just about every aspect of life.”

Tina Meins, whose father, Damian, an environmental health inspector, died at the foot of the party’s Christmas tree, said in the film that “he really loved what he did — he loved helping keep people safe, and he liked encouraging people to recycle.”

Meins said that because of her dad, she used to wear neon green shoelaces that read “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” and were made from reused materials.

A survivor’s wish

Valerie Weber, who survived being shot twice with an AR-15, said in the documentary that she had started her county job just seven weeks before the attack.

A gunshot wound to the shoulder temporarily paralyzed her hand. A bullet to her back shattered her pelvis. She had 60 operations and spent some 360 days over five years in the hospital.

Five years after the attack, she drove for the first time for three blocks — a small but substantial victory. The next year, she rode a bicycle for the first time, and “that was pretty sensational.”

As the film shows photographs of her working at a bake sale and volunteering, she said she doesn’t want to be known as the survivor of a terrorist attack — she wants to be known as someone who made a difference.

Today’s top stories

Christian Theuer stands beside towering 40-foot structures, acting as air filtration units, at the Heirloom Direct Air Capture Facility in Tracy, Calif., in 2024.

(Paul Kuroda)

Hundreds of clean energy projects in limbo

• The fate of hundreds of clean energy projects is left unclear after an investigation revealed that the Trump administration targeted the programs of California and other blue states solely for political reasons.
• Over $7.6 billion in clean energy funding was terminated by the White House in October.

California lifeguards make thousands of rescues

• In Los Angeles County, lifeguards performed nearly 2,000 ocean rescues over the weekend as people head to the ocean for a reprieve from the heat.
• With Hurricane Genevieve expected to bring extreme winds, beachgoers should use caution as they approach the ocean.

CalFresh cuts push L.A. families and farmers to the brink

• Since the “Big Beautiful Bill” was signed into law last year, thousands of L.A. households have lost EBT benefits or had them reduced.
• Families, farmers and food banks are finding ways to deal with surging demands as looming cuts shift more CalFresh costs to states.

Uncertainty looms over homeless funds

• Millions in homelessness funds are stuck in limbo as the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development and L.A.’s homeless authority fight over who should manage federal dollars.
• Domestic violence and homelessness programs across L.A. are spending promised grants without signed contracts, forcing them to consider cuts if they aren’t reimbursed.

What else is going on

• What’s been revealed and what major questions remain unanswered in the D4vd murder case.
• The aide involved in an affair with Gavin Newsom in 2005 speaks out: “Resentment is a luxury I can’t afford.”
• An abandoned West Hollywood construction site has become home to a pack of Southern California natives, earning it the nickname “coyote condo.”
• The man accused of driving more than 100 mph, killing four Pepperdine students, will stand trial for murder.
• Immigration agents used slurs referring to Latinos in text messages and video obtained by the ACLU.
• After 34 years on Pico Boulevard, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos will close permanently next month.

Commentary and opinions

• Republicans want to turn the clock back — to the red-baiting 1950s, columnist Michael Hiltzik argues.

This morning’s must-read

Food

This is the ultimate birthday cake. It’s poll-tested and delicious

We asked, you answered: In an L.A. Times poll readers voted for their favorite birthday cake. Here are all of the most popular components — the layers, the filling, the frosting — that make the ultimate birthday cake.

July 29, 2026

Other must-reads

• 5 powerful works by Betye Saar that represent her fearless vision, in art and life.
• Jordan, a decades-long military and counterterrorism partner with the U.S., faces a dilemma in its growing role in the U.S.-Iran war.

For your downtime

The cast performs with magic wands in “Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure” in Perris, Calif.

(David Fouts/For The Times)

Going out

• Rides: “Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure” has come to the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, Calif., with an hour-long, interactive theatrical show on a train.
• Workouts: The Times’ Deborah Vankin tried Silver Lake’s trendy $35 workout — and ended up sweating next to her favorite pop star.

Staying in

• Books: You know him from “S— My Dad Says.” Now, his sardonic debut novel is here.
• 🍰 Here’s a recipe for the ultimate birthday cake.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

A question for you: What are your favorite summer destinations in California?

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Artist Chelsea Bayouth creates palm-sized sculptures imitating feminine figures and catlike forms, exploring themes of grief, spirituality and motherhood.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Today’s photo is from Times photographer Robert Gauthier at the home studio of artist Chelsea Bayouth, whose porcelain sculptures became a medium for healing after the Eaton fire.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Shi Bradley, audience intern

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.