The I-10 Impact on the Area is Still Felt

For some time now, Redlands native Antonio Gonzalez has wanted to tell the story of the Mexican families that shaped the land from the San Bernardino Valley from the town of Bloomington to Blythe.

And that's what he set out to do when he began producing “Living on a Dime,” a film that documents the story of the financial and emotional impact the building of Interstate 10 on Redlands residents.

On Tuesday, following the premier of the film, 82-year-old Art Gonzales (no relation) said the film’s producer accomplished his goal.

“Most people don’t know,” Art Gonzales said. “Most people don’t know how the freeway divided this city.”

“Living on a Dime” also looks at how the freeway redefined the area. It features a cameo by Heull Howser.

Lives were changed by the construction. The south side of the freeway became the affluent part of Redlands. The north was regarded as the poorer side, Gonzales said.

“You can see it,” Art Gonzales said. “We have no banks. We have two markets.”

Art Gonzales was born in Redlands, as was his mother, he said. He is featured in the documentary. And they were not the only ones affected, Antonio Gonzalez said.

“Living on the Dime” is the first of four films focusing on the communities along I-10. The films were shot during the housing boom from 2003 to 2006 and offers stories from more than 100 residents, political leaders and activists, according to reports.

The film was screened at the A.K. Smiley Library on Tuesday. It was a labor of love for Antonio Gonzalez, who said he wanted the Mexican community to tell their own story. He did not want a documentarian to tell the story of just citrus workers. That’s not the whole story, he said.

They were members of bands and shopkeepers, he said.

“Unless I can get the story told the right way, I’m not going to tell it at all,” Antonio Gonzalez said.

He was also frustrated with the way some people research the history of a town, but don’t necessarily share the results with the community.

“When academics come into minority communities, they take (the information) and they leave,” Antonio Gonzalez said. “And they make their reputation on what they took. I determined that I would not do the same thing.”

He plans to hold more screenings of the first film, which runs about a half hour, he said. Those dates are yet to be announced.