Last Updated on August 23, 2022 by C-CAR
Rialto planning commissioner and former Fontana Unified school board member BarBara L. Chavez, described by friends as a champion for her city and for children, was killed Sunday, Aug. 21, when her car was struck by an SUV driven by a man who was fleeing an earlier collision, the Fontana Police Department said.
The death of Chavez, 70, left those who had recently seen or spoken with her in disbelief.
The driver of the SUV, Shannon Gene Milligan, 47, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, the San Bernardino County jail log shows. Milligan was being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga in lieu of $250,000 bail.
The first crash happened in Rialto, said Sgt. Christian Surgent, a Fontana Police Department spokesman. Details on that crash were not immediately available Tuesday.
Then at 2:47 p.m., Surgent said, Milligan ran a red light at Foothill Boulevard and Maple Avenue, his SUV striking Chavez’s Honda sedan that was headed south on Maple. Milligan suffered a minor injury, Surgent said. His four passengers, ages 16, 18, 20 and 21, were not injured. No one else was in Chavez’s car, Surgent said.
Chavez’s family posted a statement on her Facebook page: “Heaven gained an angel Sunday. Our family lost our queen, mother, grandmother, guerrillera, faithful Catholic daughter, and friend, BarBara L. Chavez. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers. At this time, we kindly ask for privacy while we mourn the loss of our mom. There is no doubt that our mom will be missed by family and friends. Thank you to all for your support and prayers.”
Chavez was appointed to the Planning Commission in 2018. She served eight years on the Fontana Unified school board, from 2009 to 2016. She was president in 2011, 2012 and 2015. Chavez was defeated in the 2016 election.
Chavez, a teacher’s aide for many years, was also president of the United Steelworkers Local 8599 from 2003 to 2006. That union represents classified, substitutes, child care providers, center monitors and college tutors in Fontana Unified.
“The city is stricken with grief with the news of the loss of our Sister and former USW Local 8599 president,” the current president, Dawn Dooley, wrote in a Facebook post. “On behalf of the entire membership, I send my sincere condolences to the BarBara Chavez family. BarBara helped solidify our school site aides as part of our union before they became classified employees. Rest In Peace Sister.”
Lynn Summers of Rialto had known Chavez for 20 years, working together advocating for students and in union activities. Chavez was the first Latina president of the USW local, Summers said.
Chavez was motivated, Summers said, by “Her love for what the gospel says about love your neighbors, about being peacemakers. She loved the Lord and she loved the community.”
If Chavez heard about a family in need, she would reach out to her many friends and contacts to get help.
“She was very giving. She didn’t care if she didn’t have the best of everything but still she would give like she was a millionaire,” Summers said.
Rafael Trujillo, a Rialto City Council member since 2016, encouraged Chavez to pursue a seat on the Planning Commission. Trujillo had known Chavez since 2004 and said she participated in city activities and had shown an interest in economic development.
“It was natural to ask her to be open to serving on the Planning Commission. She had a big heart for youth but she also had a big heart for her city,” Trujillo said. “Her loss is big on so many levels.”
Much of the coming wave of economic development in the city was vetted by Chavez, Trujillo said.
Chavez taught catechism at St. John Catholic Church in Fontana and was on the ballot for this November’s Fontana school board election, Trujillo said.
“She felt like there were a lot of loose strings that she left untied. She wanted to go back and address those,” he said.
