Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren leads the second-largest city in San Bernardino County, which sits 50 miles east of Los Angeles and was incorporated in 1952. 

Fontana is home to one of Southern California's largest solar panel installations. 

In 2010, residents elected the city's first female and first African American to serve as mayor.

On this week's "In Focus SoCal," host Tanya McRae sits down with Warren, who talked about growing up in South LA two blocks from Watts. There was a lot of social and racial turmoil in South LA in the 1960s, and then in the 70s, it turned into a hub of Black civic and political engagement. 

Acquanetta Warren talked about how her experiences during this period inspired her career in public service.  

She was one of the first black students to be bused in to integrate LAUSD. 

She explained, "San Pedro was home to all the veterans, all the Navy personnel, and the Air Force. I had the opportunity to be in the classroom with people I've never seen in my life, people that look different from me, people that talk differently from me from all over the country, all over the world. So, it was like an experiment." 

After junior high school, Mayor Warren said she wanted to return to her neighborhood school. She attended Locke High School, just four blocks from her home in South LA.

Warren moved to Fontana in 1993 and credits the city with helping her grow personally and professionally. 

She was the first black woman to serve on the Fontana City Council, which she did for eight years, and then she was elected the first black and female mayor of Fontana in 2010. 

Warren's advocacy and current priorities focus on solutions to the homelessness crisis. 

Fontana received $10 million in state funding, and Warren says providing wraparound support services is essential. 

"We're working with people. We want to get people on their feet so they can sustain and be in permanent housing. But we know they've got to come in first, and we've got to help them get there," Warren said. "We're getting ready to purchase a property that will give us 120 beds and we're proud of that. So, we're looking forward to making sure the number one priority for this council is homelessness."

Regarding economic growth, Fontana is home to the largest labor force in San Bernardino County, according to data collected by the California Employment Development Department. 

In addition, Fontana ranks among the top 10 cities in the U.S. for personal income growth. 

Warren talks about what is happening in the city to create opportunities for its residents. 

"We focused on bringing [in] higher paying jobs," she said. "People look at the big boxes and warehouses, but they're manufacturers. And they come in, they are doing research and development. They're giving people an opportunity to get that skill set they need." 

Warren talks about bringing people together to get more involved in city politics. 

"We work together," she said. "We call ourselves team Fontana and we stick together, and we make sure that we make our community what we want it to be."

Send us your thoughts to InFocusSoCal@charter.com and watch at 9 a.m. and noon Sundays.