KEEPING IT REAL

Temecula: Confederacy of the Inland Empire

The name Temecula, comes from the Luiseño Indian word, Temecunga. In their language, ‘temet’ means sun and ‘ngna’ means “place of”. So it seems appropriate that we should shine some light on the cesspool of racists sentiments that currently pervade this modern day city.

Racism in Temecula, like most of America, is not new and actually began with the eviction of the Temecula Indians by white ranchers in 1875, recorded as one of the most significant events in the history of the Pechanga people according to the government of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. It stripped them of their homes, livelihoods, and many of their possessions…as was and in some ways is still the American way.

As indicated by its name, the need to shine continuous light on the city of Temecula is certainly warranted as evidenced by the racism that continues to occur there again and over again.

Temecula’s current leadership, whether it’s the city council, the school board, a religious organization like the 412 Church or political organizations like the Inland Empire Family PAC, are helping to polarize and separate the community along racial and ideological lines, in the process, fostering feelings of resentment and distrust throughout the city and beyond.

Consider this series of recent actions by city leaders: Temecula city council will no longer declare Black, Hispanic, Asian heritage or Gay Pride Months; Temecula City Council rejects antiabortion resolution-but it could return; Temecula Valley Unified school board bans critical race theory in district schools; Anti-Mask [Temecula] councilwoman compares herself to Rosa Parks stating “I’m Getting Pushed to the Back of the Bus”; and Homophobic Temecula councilmember rails against Pride proclamation.

And then, there is the series of racist acts from within the community itself in recent years. For continued on page 9

CA Joins Multi-State Coalition in Support of Gun Restrictions in Places of Worship

reasonable restriction against firearms in places of worship. Bonta and the coalition argue that because The Second Amendment allows states to implement reasonable firearm regulations to promote gun safety and protect against gun violence, New York's restriction is reasonable to protect the public and falls within the long-standing tradition of constitutional gun regulations.

Asante-Ra | Contributor

Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 16 other state attorneys general, have filed a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on January 17, supporting New York's regulation that prohibits the carrying of firearms in sensitive places, especially places of worship.

“The fact is, more guns in more places makes us less safe and interferes with the ability of our citizens to exercise their constitutional rights,” said Bonta in a press release.

Recently in California, seven people were shot dead in Half Moon Bay and 11 people gunned down in Monterey Park.

“Less than a year ago, six people were shot during a church service in Laguna Woods. In the United States, tragedies such as these are all too common and as we see this trauma compound in our communities, we must do more, not less,” Bonta asserted.

The amicus brief urges the appeals court to overturn a decision by the district court in Hardaway v. Nigrelli that blocked New York's

“Do you support AG Bonta’s decision to file an amicus brief in support of prohibiting the carrying of firearms in sensitive places, especially places of worship?

Read this story online at TheIEVoice.com, and answer our survey question.

The amicus brief was filed in the Second Circuit in support of New York’s defense against a legal challenge to its firearm-related public nuisance statute—a law that is similar to California’s AB 1594, which the AG supported to restore the right of victims to hold the firearm industry responsible for its misconduct. The coalition also argues that the Second Amendment allows states to implement reasonable firearm regulations and that the challenged provision regarding places of worship addresses the danger posed by firearms in such locations. On January 19, 2023, Bonta also joined a brief urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to reverse a district court decision blocking enforcement of several provisions of the same New York law.

Bonta's ongoing efforts to prevent gun violence include the launch of the nation's first

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According to Dr. Laura McGowan-Robinson, CEO of the Diversity in Leadership Institute (DLI), “Improving diversity in school leadership is a commonsense step toward educational equity. At a time when California’s students of color are falling behind, we must meet their needs by supporting a stronger pipeline for aspiring administrators of color to become culturally responsive school leaders.” (source: diversityinleadership.org)

Asante-Ra | Contributor

Charting the Course for Equity Coalition (CCEC), led by the Diversity in Leadership Institute, has announced the launch of a statewide advocacy campaign aimed at securing funding from the state government to recruit, retain and train hundreds of school administrators of color.

The Diverse Education Leaders Pipeline Initiative (DELPI) is a first-of-its-kind program and aims to increase the diversity of school administrators to better reflect the communities they serve. The CCEC is a diverse network of local and national organizations with a presence in California, committed to the belief that school leaders' racial diversity and culturally responsive leadership skills are critical to creating successful schools.

When funded, the DELPI will provide grants