COVID 19: My Personal Battle from a Positive to a Negative Result
$11B for Transit Would Aid Bullet Train, Move Olympic Crowds
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News Observer Bakersfield
Volume 47 Number 37
Serving Kern County for Over 47 Years
Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California
Family of Black Doctors Has Social Media Buzzing By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent Dr. Herbert Oye is a Board Certified Endovascular and Vascular Surgeon, specializing in invasive and noninvasive treatment of vascular diseases.
Dr. Oye received his medical degree at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, according to his official biography. His General Surgery residence was performed at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, an
Dr. Herbert Oye and his children, who are also all doctors
affiliate of Albert Einstein Medical Center. Dr. Oye completed his fellowship training in advanced vascular and endovascular surgery at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. Perhaps, most impressive is that each of Dr. Oye’s four children followed in their father’s footsteps. David, Monique, Michelle, and Melissa Oye, each said they were inspired by their father and all have become doctors. “Our dad, Dr. Herbert Oye, is a Nigerian immigrant. Upon moving to the United States, he attended medical school and has worked tirelessly to build his own Vascular Surgery practice,” the young physicians wrote in a statement on Facebook. “Dad has since opened a hospital back in Nigeria and splits his time between the United States and Nigeria. We are all currently in the medical field as a second-, third- and fourth-year medical student and a first year Internal Medicine Resident.” Each are attending or have attended the West Virginia School of Medicine. Monique, the eldest of the family, graduated in 2018. Michelle is in her fourth year, while Melissa is in her third year. David, the only son of Dr. Oye, is in his second year. Their success has social media buzzing. “Sending congratulations to your amazing family of wonderful world citizens,” Kathryn Stollmeyer Wright, wrote on Facebook. Another Facebook user, Patricia Combs, wrote: “Well done. Congratulations for excellence in your drive, motivation, and ability to accomplish such great and momentous feat. You all are wonderful and blessed,” Combs stated.
New Racial Justice Bureau at Cal DOJ Will Support
State’s Reparations Task Force
Tanu Henry California Black Media Last week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that he has created a new bureau within the Department of Justice (DOJ) dedicated to fighting discrimination and investigating hate crimes. Bonta said the new Bureau of Racial Justice, which will be housed under the Civil Rights Enforcement Section, will also support the California task force that the state has charged with studying the impact of slavery and Jim Crow and coming up with reparations recommendations for Blacks in California and around the country. In September last year, Gov. Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 3121 into law. The legislation, introduced by current California Secretary of State Shirley Weber when she served in the Assembly, requires the state to set up the task force. Bonta has not yet spelled out how the bureau will contribute to the state’s reparations efforts, but he stressed the urgency of creating it. “Throughout California’s history, too many of us have felt the sting of hate and discrimination,” said Bonta. “The fact is: No part of California is immune to hate. Too many Asian, Latino, Black, Native American, people with disabilities, LGBTQ, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh Californians all across the state are hurting.” According to the DOJ, the bureau will focus on six areas: hate crimes and organizations; implicit and explicit
bias in policing; law enforcement best practices; campus climate issues; and the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. Bonta says the DOJ will work with the Big City Mayors, a group of officials from the state’s 13 largest cities, on its anti-discrimination and anti-hate crime initiatives. The cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Riverside, Santa Ana, and Stockton.
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At the end of this month, the DOJ says Bonta will host a virtual meeting with the Big City Mayors. “Drawing on the expertise of local elected leaders, the virtual convening will seek to raise awareness around
regional concerns involving hate crimes, support those who have been impacted by hate, and secure commitments for direct action across California,” the DOJ said in a statement. The California Legislative Black Caucus welcomed the news. The group comprised of African American members of the State Legislature says, “California, after its acceptance into the union in 1850 until the end of slavery in 1865, actively supported the enslavement of Blacks.” The CLBC says the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations will increase understanding among Californians at a time when racial and political divisions divide Americans. “As Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, I am humbled to be a part of this groundbreaking task force and look forward to having the difficult but necessary conversations on the age of enslavement here in California and across the nation,” said Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena), who is also chair of the CBLC and a member of the reparations task force. “The remnants of slavery and Jim Crow are still alive and well today and need to be addressed. We have found ways to not only apologize but also provide reparations to every group wronged in America and around the world except for African American decedents of slavery,” Bradford pointed out.
Rent Relief in California Understanding the State’s Program and How You Can Apply Gustavo F. Velasquez & Tunua Thrash-Ntuk Special to California Black Media Partners Due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, paying rent has become a real struggle for millions of Californians. But help is available to renters and landlords through the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program. Based on income level, qualified applicants can receive assistance with unpaid rent and utilities and with future payments. Funding comes from the $2.6 billion in federal emergency rental assistance provided to support both state and local rent relief programs in California. The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program isn’t the sole resource for rent relief for California renters and landlords; many cities and counties are either currently administering their own
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rent relief programs – or launching one soon. Cities and counties with populations greater than 200,000 are employing one of three rent relief options: option A) the state-administered CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program; option B) a local city- or countyadministered program using the same eligibility criteria as option A; and option C) a local city-or county-administered program using different eligibility criteria, in some cases, in combination with a portion administered by the state. While the programs vary, the goals are the same: Keep people housed and provide quick assistance to those at the highest risk of eviction. To simplify access to rent relief programs in California, the state launched HousingIsKey. com. The website directs renters and landlords to the programs that they may qualify for, based on where they live. After applicants provide the address of their rental property (landlords) or their residence (renters), they are sent to a website where they can review eligibility criteria and complete an application. Applicants can also call the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Call Center (833-430-2122) to find out which program to apply for and get help in a variety of languages. Who’s eligible for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program Renters who have suffered a financial hardship because of COVID-19 and are behind on rent or utilities (or need help paying upcoming bills) are eligible to apply. They must have an Area Median Income (AMI) below 80% for the county they live in (this amount is calculated for the applicant during the application process). Either a renter or a landlord can initiate an application, online or through the call center, and both are encouraged to participate to maximize the amount of assistance received. The state’s program is prioritizing applications from households at
the highest risk of eviction – those under 50% of the Area Median Income. Landlords participating in the program receive 80% of an eligible tenant’s unpaid rent accrued between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, if they agree to waive the remaining 20% of unpaid rent. Renters whose landlords choose not to participate in the program can apply directly, and receive 25% of unpaid rent accrued between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, which can help protect them from eviction under SB 91 if they pay that 25% directly to their landlords. Renters can also apply to receive financial assistance with future rent. They may also qualify for assistance with unpaid or future utility payments. Applicant information is kept private. Renter’s information will not be shared with the landlord, and vice versa. Applicants may be eligible to participate in the program regardless of immigration status and proof of citizenship is not required. Rent relief assistance does not count as earned income and will not interfere with eligibility for any other state benefit assistance programs such as CalFresh. The CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program is supported through a $3 million public education and outreach campaign, which includes radio, digital media, out-ofhome, and print advertising. Thousands of statewide community-based organizations, trade and industry groups and businesses have been enlisted to assist with outreach to communities most in need. The state has also allocated $24 million to support on-the-ground organizations to work directly with applicants in communities throughout the state. To make an appointment with a local organization, applicants are encouraged to call 833-687-0967.
Free!
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Video Shows San Diego Police Repeatedly Punching Black Man
SAN DIEGO (AP) – A video shot by a bystander shows San Diego police officers repeatedly punching a man in the face, head and leg after tackling him to the ground in the upscale neighborhood of La Jolla, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. Nicole Bansal told the newspaper she witnessed the arrest around 9 a.m. Wednesday and decided to record it with her cellphone. “It’s so excessive and unnecessary,’’ Bansal told the newspaper. San Diego Police Department spokesman Lt. Shawn Takeuchi said in a statement the officers saw the man urinating in public and asked him to stop. One officer he said struck the man “several times’’ after he would not comply with orders. “The man would not stop to speak with officers therefore an officer held the man to detain him,” Takeuchi said. “Despite the officers repeatedly telling the man to `stop resisting,’ the man would not comply. One of the officers struck the man several times.” He said department officials are aware of the cellphone video and the internal affairs unit is investigating the incident, including reviewing bodyworn camera footage. In the video, an officer is seen tackling the man to the ground as another officer holds the man’s arm. The officer then punches him in the face repeatedly. Bansal, who was parked across the street, can be heard gasping and yelling, “Stop!’’ The man can be seen yanking a radio off one officer’s belt and throwing into the street, then punching or swiping at the face of the officer who had hit him. The man, who is Black, is shoeless and wearing a faded orange life preserver around his neck. Bansal told the newspaper she often passes the man while walking her dog and that he usually talks to himself. She said he has never made her feel threatened. For the next 21/2 minutes, the officers keep the man pinned to the ground as they shout commands for him to stop resisting. The two officers strike the man several more times before other officers arrive. The man was taken to a hospital before being booked into county jail on suspicion of resisting arrest and battery on a police officer, Takeuchi said. In an email to Chief David Nisleit, Francine Maxwell, president of the NAACP San Diego branch, wrote that “to yell `stop resisting’ and to continually punch and slap this man was clearly not conducive to calming the situation.’’ Maxwell cited the department’s de-escalation policy, implemented last June amid protests following George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. “This man posed no obvious threat, had no apparent weapons and no one else was near. We want to know that this incident of violence will be properly investigated, and be assured that these officers will not be exonerated for this assault on an unarmed black man,” she wrote.
Woman Says $26 Million California Lottery Ticket Destroyed in Wash
NORWALK, Calif. (AP) – The winner of a $26 million California Lottery prize may have literally washed the chance of a fortune down the drain. The winning SuperLotto Plus ticket for the Nov. 14 drawing was sold at an Arco AM/PM convenience store in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk. Thursday was the last day to redeem it. Nobody did. Store employee Esperanza Hernandez told the Whittier Daily News that a woman came in Wednesday and told workers that she had put the ticket in her pants and it was destroyed in the laundry. The store’s manager told KTLA-TV that surveillance video showed the woman who bought the ticket, and she’s known to store workers. A copy of the surveillance video was turned over to California Lottery officials, the manager said. The claim will be investigated, lottery spokeswoman Cathy Johnston said. Lottery officials say someone who believes he or she is a winner must complete a claim form. But if someone loses a ticket, they must provide evidence that they owned it, such as a photograph of the front and back of the ticket, the officials said. The winning numbers were: 23, 36, 12, 31, 13, and the mega number of 10. The $26 million prize can be taken in annual installments or as a $19.7 million cash option. If the prize isn’t claimed, the $19.7 million will go to California public schools. The store that sold the ticket will receive a $130,000 bonus. It’s uncommon for large jackpots to go unclaimed, officials said. Four prizes of $20 million or more haven’t been claimed since 1997, including a $63 million prize from 2015, lottery spokesman Jorge De La Cruz told the Los Angeles Times.