What’s new: 310 layoffs coming to Searles Valley Minerals; Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Jurupa Valley
The company operates the Trona Railway, which will continue to operate in a limited capacity.
Black News 
Searles Valley Minerals is idling a two plants in the unincorporated city of Trona deep in San Bernardino County, laying off 310 people in the process.
The company operates the Trona Railway, a short freight line that runs between Trona and Searles at the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert between San Bernardino and Kern counties. Most of the layoffs are among the railway staff.
The company sent a layoff notice to the state’s Employment Development Department indicating that its Trona and Argus facilities would no longer be operating, effective April 8.
“This is not a full plant closing, but two of the facilities will no longer be operating, also creating a reduction in other positions. Employee separations are expected to occur commencing on April 7, 2026, and be completed no later than April 21,” the letter notes. The layoffs are “expected to be permanent separations.”
Josh Dubreuil, the company’s director of Human Resources who signed the letter, said the Westend facility at the same address as the Trona and Argus plants would remain operating.
The layoffs are affecting members of the Trona Railway Co., or TRC. The company said railroad would continue to operate but at a reduced level. Some of those railroad employees are represented by International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Transportation Division GO-887.
Employees who are losing their jobs include the train condustor, repairmen, a trainmaster, engineers, administrators, drillers, drivers, field geologists, heavy machine operators, a rail manger, journeymen technicians and more.
Dubreuil noted in his letter to EDD that Searles and TRC are working with workforce development boards in San Bernadino and Kern counties to coordinate support services for employees.
In 2007, Searles was bought by Karnavati Holdings, a Kansas base holding company owned by Nirma Limited in India.
Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Jurupa Valley
Nothing Bundt Cakes is open at The Shops at Jurupa Valley, joining a robust lineup of retailers at the relatively new shopping center.
The cake shop is known for its myriad bundt cakes that can be dressed up for special occasions.
To celebrate its debut, the store will host a “benefit day” to support the nonprofit Healthy Jurupa Valley. On Thursday (Feb. 26), the store will give 20% of all sales for the day to the organization.
Nothing Bundt Cakes also opened a store in December in Yucaipa. (31485 Yucaipa Blvd.)
The Jurupa Valley hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Stores feature cakes baked daily and sold in 40 designs and 10 flavors. The Dallas-based company has at least 800 franchise or corporate stores in 40 states and Canada.
Jurupa Valley address: 4176 Pyrite St., Building 10
$1 million grant for water district repiping
Cucamonga Valley Water District’s is getting $1 million for its Baseline Waterline Improvement Project.
The grant will help the water district replace 3,800 feet of 12-inch waterline along Baseline Road, spanning from Deer Creek Channel to Milliken Avenue.
“Access to clean, reliable water is crucial for the well-being and quality of life of every Californian,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, who helped secure the federal grant. “By proactively modernizing this infrastructure, we’re preventing future water distribution issues that could put people’s health and safety at risk.”
Townhomes coming to Jurupa Valley
New housing is coming to Jurupa Valley from developer and builder D.R. Horton.
City officials joined D.R. Horton team members to celebrate the beginning of Serrano Oaks, a 66-unit townhome community at 8571 Salcedo Way.
The for-sale homes — which are under construction — will range in price from $574,210 to $565,837 for three- to four-bedroom townhomes with two-car garages.
Community amenities include a dog park, tot lot, grilling areas and fire pits.
Hall of Fame for Brett Dedeaux
Brett Dedeaux, CEO at Dedeaux Properties, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Southern California chapter of NAIOP at its May awards gala.
The trade organization is made up of developers, owners and investors of office, industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate.
Dedeaux Properties, which he founded in 2006, owns more than 14 million square feet of industrial real estate in Southern California, much of it in the Inland Empire, with more than $1.3 billion of assets under management.
The USC graduate also serves on the board of NAIOP Inland Empire chapter and the executive board of the Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain Institute and is an executive committee member to the USC Lusk Real Estate Center. Dedeaux also is the executive director of the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, which raises money for amateur and underserved youth baseball and softball programs in the area.
Dedeaux will be honored at the organization’s annual awards gala in May.
Judicial appointments
Riverside County resident Thanh Ngo was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to judge in the Riverside County Superior Court. He previously was a deputy district attorney at the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office, serving since 2023, and he worked as a field counsel at Liberty Mutual Insurance from 2022 to 2023. Effective March 24, Ngo fills the vacancy created when Judge Kira K. Klatchko retires. Ngo is a Democrat.
Correction
Because of editing and production errors, last week’s What’s New column featured a stock photo instead of an image that represented story content used in the roundup.
The business briefs are compiled and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items to sgowen@scng.com. High-resolution images can also be submitted. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
