Not that it's really germane (is it?), but from what I've seen, San Bernardino really is a dump -- or, put more sympathetically, a distressed place.

Last time I went, some of the roads were in such terrible shape that my pal driving feared his mini Cooper might break down. Stray dogs were roaming about as you'd see in underdeveloped countries. Most businesses were closed. I tried to eat at a German restaurant that, unannounced, turned out to be closed on the weekends and only opened for weekday lunch (presumably because there were no customers)... and we were approached by likely drug dealers in the parking lot making a deal, who were very suspicious of who we were. Other restaurants were mysteriously closed in the middle of the day on a Saturday. A local friend who grew up nearby relates his distaste and even fear whenever he had to travel there for work.
People are broke and the city is hurting.

By Jack's UK standards, I'd say it might just be Hell on Earth. For Southern California standards, it's one of many depressing sprawl-y urban areas.