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ON THE FRONT ON THE LINES OFFRONT THE LINES OF THE CORONAVIRUS CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK IN NEW YORK

Two nurses from Sharp HealthCare share Two nurses stories formfrom the Sharp HealthCare share frontlines – including stories form the Neil Shigley artist aLocal harrowing experience frontlines – including on their return home. shines spotlight on a harrowing experience Read Story On Page 5 homelessness, on their return home.

other issues

Read Story On Page 5

“Most people know the severity of the situation, but may not know what it’s really like in the hospital setting. My fiancĂŠ John and I are both Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses and have theknow last 6the weeks in a of New City hospital frontline healthcare workers.â€? “Mostspent people severity theYork situation, but mayasnot know what it’s really like in the hospital setting. My fiancĂŠ John and I are both Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses and Ashley Roig have spent the last 6 weeks in a New York City hospital as frontline healthcare workers.â€?

Ashley Roig

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yourself it opens up a whole other world.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the fist clutching an American flag-designed mask to reflect the coronavirus pandemic?

A: WE WILL COME BACK STRONGER. It’s meant to be a symbol of power, struggle and resilience. I was walking in my neighborhood a while back and looking at the closed businesses. I think a lot of people are focused on family right now and filing up their mind, body and spirit.

I will come back stronger and so will we. It’s going to be a launching pad for a lot of good stuff.

Humanity

By Allison K. SampitĂŠ t began as a search for character an evolved into a calling. An idea that San Diego artist Neil Shigley had 15 years ago as an artistic endeavor to bring awareness to the issue of homelessness on the streets of San Diego has become a passion project.

His large-scale portraits in an ongoing series called Invisible People focuses on bringing this largely ignored and shunned population into conversation and acknowledgment.

The Invisible People series has been shown around the country from the San Diego airport, the Natural History Museum and Oceanside to galleries and museums in Los Angeles, Portland, Syracuse and Boston.

Shigley is an artist, painter, printmaker and educator who lives in South Park and has a studio in Golden Hill. He studied painting and printmaking at San Diego State University before attending Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design on a full scholarship. Shigley graduated with honors and became the first commencement speaker in the school’s history.

In New York City he worked as an award-winning freelance illustrator several Fortune-500 companies.

The majority of his fine art focuses on the human condition and figure, which has been exhibited internationally. He currently teaches art at San Diego State University.

Q: What high profile art have you created that can be seen in San Diego?

A: The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mural along the 94E freeway was the most important job I ever worked on because of what he represents to our nation and community and how many people’s lives were made better because of him.

It was dedicated in October of 2012 and is 300 by 50 feet. Neil created the imagery and Philip Matzigkeit added the design and color.

Q: Can you describe the artistic

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process for Invisible People series portraits?

A: I begin by taking a walk within the environment. I introduce myself to the person as an artist and tell them what I do. I try and create a level of comfort. If they agree to the portrait I take one or two photos and regardless of whether they say yes or no I give them $10 to $20.

For those that agree Neil then asks a series of questions.

I ask them if they are homeless or living in the street and how long it’s been that way, where they’re from, their name and age, what the first night on the street was like and how they got there. I ask them about their fears and what makes them happy.

The stories vary from said and ironic to empowered.

Neil later creates a drawing of the photo and goes to Kinko’s to enlarge it. Back at his studio he places it on Plexiglass to carve away the white areas. When the carving is done he rolls ink onto the uncarved area, which becomes the print. A 3x4-foot portrait takes Neil anywhere from 5 to 10 hours to complete.

Q: In your Invisible People series, you focus on capturing the emotions of unsheltered homeless persons. What have you learned

since you beginning this series?

A: Everyone has a set of unique circumstances. I feel fortunate in a lot of ways with my upbringing, the life I’m living now and seeing what the alternative is. Many Americans are a few paychecks away from being homeless and that’s pretty sobering.

The resilience of people is outstanding to me—that people can be in that situation and still have hope and smile. They get up in the morning with plans to get to the end of the day. I’ve seen beauty, resilience and strength and vulnerability.

Neil said it’s not his aim to put the homeless on a pedestal, but rather help them get the respect they deserve as human beings. We’re all in this together.

Q: What ’s your hope as far as what people takeaway from engaging with your artwork?

A: I’d like to think it has the power to focus attention on so that it raises awareness of the complex issue of homelessness. When that happens change can happen on an individual or societal level.

My personal feelings are that if my art can move the needle in a positive direction I’m honored and moved to do that. I’m sensitive to the human condition and suffering - I want to do what I can do and this is what I can do.

Q: What have you discovered about yourself in the process of creating the Invisible Series portraits?

A: I grew up living in a lot of places in the world because my father was in the military and so I was exposed to a lot of different cultures.

It reinforced that there are people in the world that need and deserve help. I challenge my students every semester to do something for somebody who doesn’t have it as good as them. Whether it’s money, time, energy—anything is good for them, which makes it good for society in general. As soon as you step out and focus on someone other than

Q: Why did you create the portrait of George Floyd?

A: The [Black Lives Matters movement] should 100 percent be about focusing on people of color. They’ve been victimized in this country since day 1. Some lives and deaths change the course of human events.

If by creating that piece of art it helps brings focus to the movement or moves it forward, that’s great.

Q: Is there a challenging aspect to your work and how do you find it to be rewarding?

A: The creative process of art is working on the hope and faith that you do something that someone will pay some day. For the series it’s a labor of love and there’s no guarantee. It’s a tough life and I’m lucky that I’ve managed to make it.

I get into each piece with my heart and soul. All my concentration, energy passion goes into it. For me the joy is in the process of the moment by moment. Having my art in the world is rewarding.

Q: What are some of your favorite spots in San Diego to eat, play or stay?

A: I love my neighborhood in South Park. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world, unless it was on the beach. There are great restaurants and bars within walking distance of our house and it’s got a good neighborhood vibe.

To check out Neil’s work visit www. neilshigley.com or more information email: neilshigley@yahoo.com.

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WHY A SMALL TOWN IN WASHIN GTON IS PRINTING ITS OWN CURRENCY DURIN G THE PANDEMIC In a bid to lessen the blow of COVID-19, the town of Tenino has started issuing its own wooden dollars that can only be spent at local businesses. Will it work?

By Michael Waters ayne Fournier was sitting in a town meeting when he had his big idea. As the mayor of Tenino, Washington (population: 1,884), he’d watched the pandemic rake local businesses. Residents couldn’t afford groceries. Long lines snaked outside the local food bank. For more than a month, the downtown area looked almost abandoned.

To bring back the economy, Fournier needed to act. “We were talking about grants for business, microloans, trying to team up with a bunch of different banks,” he tells The Hustle. “ The big concern was, ‘How do we directly help families and individuals?’” And then it hit him: “Why not start our own currency?”

The plan came together fast. Fournier decided that Tenino would set aside $10k to give out to low-income residents hurt by the pandemic. But instead of using federal dollars, he’d print the money on thin sheets of wood designed exclusively for use in Tenino. His mint? A 130-year-old newspaper printer from a local museum.

Fournier’s central idea is pulled straight from Tenino’s own history. During the Great Depression, the city printed sets of wooden dollars using that exact same 1890 newspaper printer.

Within a year, the wooden currency had helped bring the economy back from the dead.

By reinstating the old currency now, Fournier has accidentally become part of a much bigger movement. With businesses worried about keeping the lights on and people scrambling to find spending money, communities have struggled to keep their local economies afloat. So they’ve revived an old strategy: When in doubt, print your own money. Today, these so-called “local currencies” might help small communities recover from the economic fallout of COVID-19.

Tenino’s big bet Fournier isn’t your cookie-cutter politician. A firefighter since the age of 18, he first gained local notoriety for a series of Banksy-style guerilla art projects that took a jab at local leaders.

Soon after he revealed himself, he won a spot on the city council; four years later, in 2016, he became Tenino’s mayor. To hear Fournier tell it, until COVID-19, the community had been on the upswing.

Fournier was working on plans to create 150+ new agricultural jobs. But Tenino’s businesses — which are locally owned and run on small margins — weren’t built to weather a lockdown. “ There’s a lot of them that have already said they’re not going to reopen,” says Fournier, “[and] the ones that have been hanging on are going to need a boost.” The city is also poorer than the rest of Washington state. “We have a higher rate of kids in our school district that receive free and reduced lunch,” says Fournier. “ There’s a higher rate of folks who are in poverty.” Fournier’s local currency program works like this: Residents below the poverty line can apply to receive money from the $10k fund that Tenino has set aside. Fournier says they also have to prove that the pandemic has impacted them, but “we’re pretty open to what that means.”

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Tenino’s wooden currency (courtesy of Wayne Fournier)

Once they’re approved, they can pick up their stipends, printed in wooden notes worth $25 each. The city is capping the amount each resident can accrue at 12 wooden notes — or $300 — per month. According to Fournier, each note features a Latin inscription that means, basically, ‘We’ve got this handled.’ The spending comes with a few restrictions: Residents can’t use the money to buy cigarettes, lottery tickets, or alcohol. The currency is designed for the essentials, including food, gas, and daycare. Almost every business in town accepts the wooden notes, and twice a month, they can submit redemption requests to the city to turn the notes into cash.

But why print the money on wood? Why not just give residents $300 worth of federal dollars?

The answer is simple: By creating its own local currency, Tenino keeps the money in the community. As Fournier puts it, “Amazon will not be accepting wooden dollars.” “ The money stays in the city. It doesn’t go out to Walmart and Costco and all those places,” says Joyce Worrell, who has run the antique shop Iron Works Boutiques for the past decade. Worrell sells clothes, jewelry, and — in an outdoor /LocalUmbrellaMedia

garden that adjoins her shop — an assortment of furniture. These days, she’s added masks and disinfectants.

Closing down business these last few months, Worrell says, was “a catastrophe for a lot of us.”

But she has rallied around the wooden currency as a way to revitalize the local economy — after all, it worked for the city once before. The currency hasn’t woven its way into her store yet, but she’s expecting it soon. “A lot of the people in our city work for places that hire low-wage help, part-time help, so they’ve been out of work this whole time,” Worrell says. “ This shows that we’re doing something as a community to really step in and help.”

The origins of the ‘ wood standard’ In Tenino, wooden currency goes way back.

Originally home to the Nisqually tribe, outside settlers first arrived in Tenino in 1851, when a gold rusher from Maine established a farm alongside the nearby Scatter Creek. In 1872, the Northern Pacific Railroad added a new station in Tenino, and for a time, the city was the northernmost stop on the West Coast. By the mid1900s, the world knew Tenino for three things: its

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Stay Safe, San Diego lumber business, its quarries, and its wooden currency. The legend of the wooden currency started in December 1931, when Tenino’s only bank closed shop. The Great Depression was ripping through the country and countless townspeople lost their savings. Most had to stretch the little money they had to pay for groceries, rent, and other essentials.

A local newspaper publisher named Don Major pitched a solution: With the bank gone, Tenino could invent its own currency. The officials agreed, and Major printed a series of notes — 25 cents, $1, $5, $10 — on rolled Sitka spruce. He and two local doctors agreed to back all of the currency themselves. By January 1933, the town had printed $6.5k worth of wooden money.

Tenino wasn’t alone in this experiment. During the Great Depression, local currencies saw a golden age. Hundreds of municipalities, business associations, and worker co-ops started issuing scrips. One estimate suggests as much as $1B worth of scrip circulated in the US in the 1930s. Cash-strapped businesses soon relied on local currencies to pay their employee salaries.

One exemplary story came from the publisher of the Springfield Union in Massachusetts, who started paying employees in his own scrip in the 1930s. The idea: Employees could spend that scrip at businesses that advertised in the newspaper who sent it back to the Union in exchange for ad space, closing the economic loop.

Tenino’s currency, in particular, captured the zeitgeist. News of

the wooden currency spread first across the country, then the world.

Banks in Chicago started accepting Tenino’s wooden money. Washington Senator C.C. Dill bragged about it to Congress. The Los Angeles Times declared, “Money Now Grows on Trees.” Tourists from as far as India came to Tenino to grab a piece of their own wooden currency. Demand grew so high that collectors started paying $2.50 for a single wooden quarter — a 10x markup. As Fournier puts it, “It went 1930s viral.”

On January 1, 1933, when businesses in Tenino stopped accepting the wooden currency, US newspapers proclaimed that the town had gone “off the wood and back to the gold standard.”

Can local currencies really save the economy?

Take a look around the globe, and you’ll find local currencies everywhere. Amid the economic fallout from COVID-19, small-town leaders have struck on the same idea as Fournier: • The town of Castellino del Biferno, Italy — population 550 — started printing a local paper currency nicknamed the “Ducati” in late April to stimulate commerce.

• Mexico’s Santa María Jajalpa sent out about $2k worth of a local currency, called jajalpesos, to help poor residents buy vegetables, chicken, and tortillas locally.

• The Brazilian city of Maricá is making extra money off of a digital local currency known as the mumbuca. Mumbucas are so omnipres-

Joyce Worrell, who runs a small antique shop in Tenino, is one of many small business owners in the town who say they will accept local currency (courtesy of Joyce Worrell)

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Wayne Fournier, mayor of Tenino, Washington (courtesy of Wayne Fournier)

ent — even city officials receive their salaries in mumbucas — that businesses pay the local government a 2% fee to accept them. That money is funneled into no-interest loans that are offered out to members of the community.

In the US, the local currency movement is more fractured. Plenty of currencies — like Ithaca HOURS (Ithaca, New York) or Bay Bucks (Traverse City, Michigan) — made a splash for a decade or so before petering out.

One of the most successful ongoing experiments is called BerkShares, a paper currency founded in 2006 through the nonprofit Schumacher Center for New Economics. Over 400 businesses in Great Barrington, Massachusetts accept BerkShares, and the money is backed through a network of community banks.

Susan Witt, who heads the Schumacher Center, says that this current economic collapse has only highlighted the value of a currency like BerkShares. Her organization has received a number of requests from municipalities across the country hoping to set up their own currency systems on the BerkShares model; two of them are considering possible next steps.

“It is a very grim time for small businesses. Many won’t survive,” says Witt. “A currency, managed locally, is an elegant tool to address local needs.” But can local currencies really boost a local economy? The past holds a few clues.

Take the Austrian town of Wörgl, which launched its own schilling in 1932. To keep residents spending, Wörgl appended a 1% monthly fine when residents held onto the notes. By 1933, each Wörgl schilling had circulated 463 times — more than double the circulation rate of Austria’s national currency. Wörgl’s unemployment dropped by 25%, even while unemployment continued to balloon throughout the rest of the country.

Anecdotes like this point to the potential of community currencies — but teasing out a definitive relationship between community currencies and economic resilience

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is complicated, according to Marek Hudon, a professor of economics at the Free University of Brussels (Belgium). “ There are many shops saying that they have new clients thanks to community currency,” Hudon says, but “it’s extremely difficult to make a causal relationship to this local currency and a real macro-economic impact.”

Hudon co-authored a 2015 review of community currency research and found that about half of “community currencies” (an umbrella term that includes local currencies like BerkShares or Tenino’s wooden dollars) had no measurable macro-economic impact.

But the study also found that in a subset of cases, local currencies could “act as cushions against external economic shocks.” And while their impact may not be widely felt, local currencies are “significant for a small but substantial part of the population”: the economically marginalized.

Francis Ayley, the creator of Life Dollars in Washington state, told The Hustle about a struggling Bellingham woman he knew who borrowed roughly $9k worth of Life Dollars. After 2 years, backed by credit from the community, the woman landed on her feet and started paying back her commitment.

“If she’d gone to the bank and said, ‘Can you lend me $10k for the next 2 years?’ they would have laughed and said, ‘Of course not,’” says Ayley.

Tenino’s wooden dollars are different from many local currencies in that it is temporary: The money will lose its value soon after the town declares an end to its COVID-19 state of emergency.

While the Tenino project might be less ambitious than some of its counterparts, that doesn’t mean its benefits won’t be felt. Fournier says he’s approved at least half a dozen applications for the wooden currency so far and has another dozen to review.

It’s too soon to know exactly what the project will bring. But on a recent Thursday, Fournier sounded optimistic. The money has started trickling into local stores, and many businesses are posting photos of the currency to Facebook.

The project has driven enough local excitement that the Tenino Chamber of Commerce is interested in making the wooden dollars a permanent fixture of Tenino — even after the pandemic passes.

“We’ll run out this program,” Fournier says, “and then we’ll look into having our own city currency.”

“We started the program in May and the program ends when the emergency is declared over - but value of the Scrip will be redeemed by the city up to 90 days thereafter” said Mayor Fournier.

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SDSUPresident Adela de la Torre outlined plans for Fall 2020, noting that more than 200 in-person classes would be offered for the fall and up to 3,500 students may live on campus.

By SDSU News Team tudents will have access to more than 200 unique in-person courses and the university is preparing to house up to 3,500 students on campus during the Fall 2020.

In a campus update, SDSU President Adela de la Torre announced that the California State University system has approved the campus-wide academic plan for Fall 2020. “I have a high level of confidence that, through our plan, we will offer an exceptional education and experience for our students, no matter their physical location,� de la Torre said.

The university also launched a SDSU Flex website to provide information and updates. The site, now live, includes information about campus repopulation plans, course offerings, and the university’s plans to offer a meaningful student experience, no matter where they are physically located.

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“I have a high level of confidence that, through our plan, we will offer an exceptional education and experience for our students, no matter their physical location,�

- Adela de la Torre “I know this information will be helpful to every single member of our community, including our incoming students and their parents and families, as we all prepare for Fall 2020,� de la Torre said.

SDSU does not have enough class-

rooms to offer all classes in person while providing for suff icient physical distancing. For that reason, the university identified more than 200 courses for in-person, focusing on those that have critical in-person elements. All other courses will be offered virtually. “Less density is a public health imperative to limit the spread of COVID-19,� de la Torre said. “Because we will need to keep physical distance for an undetermined time, we will certainly embrace the strengths of virtual to ensure students can customize their learning experiences. Doing so, however, allows us to maintain for those courses which most need it.�

In-person classes must meet certain parameters, including having discipline-relevant pedagogical standards and student-learning outcomes, which cannot be met by adjusting pedagogy; a reliance on specialized equipment that cannot be substituted in virtual delivery;

and accreditation and/or licensure requirements necessitating in-person experiences.

Further, SDSU expects it will house about 3,500 students in on campus residence halls, about 54% of the capacity offered in Fall 2019. The university will offer all students in residence academic support and residential programs, respecting distancing requirements and increased health and safety protections.

The university will offer increased and continuing flexibility for faculty and staff, encouraging those able to continue to telework to do so, with the exception of faculty approved to teach in-person courses or who are engaged in certain research and creative activities. “ The health and safety of faculty, staff, and students is paramount,� de la Torre said, noting that faculty and staff will be granted telework assignments if they are unable to work

onsite due to medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19. Those able to continue teleworking will be encouraged to do so. “We are working to make the virtual experience as engaging and enriching as possible for all students.

SDSU has spent years increasing online course offerings and moving all courses to virtual modalities mid-spring allowed our instructional faculty time to redesign courses and begin training,� de la Torre said. “We are also identifying ways to expand other features of meaningful in-person teaching, to include small group interactions and peer-based learning, complemented by academic support.�

The university will continue to maintain its COVID-19 site for public health-related updates. http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/ sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=78046

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,�

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Changing the National Conversation About Pover ty and Economic Mobility 28 organizations from18 states and D.C. receive $100,000 Grand Challenge Grants

Sponsored by a Group of 8 Philanthropic Partners WASHINGTON, D.C., June 10, 2020 – Twenty-eight organizations from 18 states and the District of Columbia will elevate diverse voices and broaden the national conversation about poverty and economic mobility at a critical moment in our nation’s history as recipients of $100,000 grants in the Voices for Economic Opportunity Grand Challenge, sponsored by a group of eight philanthropic organizations.

In light of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic early this year and the outrage against racial injustice that is gripping our nation, the effort to change the narrative around poverty and opportunity is now more important than ever. With tens of millions of people newly unemployed, many of them people of color, and many facing racism and othering each day, there is an even greater need to break down the dominant perceptions about poverty and to replace them with more accurate ones.

The purpose of the Grand Challenge, launched in September 2019, is to establish ways to offer alternatives to confusing, conflicting, and just plain inaccurate accounts about what poverty is, why it happens, to whom it happens, and how to address it. Key partners on the project have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Omidyar Network, Raikes Foundation, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and the Schultz Family Foundation.

“Equitable access to opportunity will not be possible until we address misconceptions, racial bias, racism, and stereotypes and move to action guided by shared values, history,

systemic solutions, racial equity and human dignity,” said Ryan Rippel, Director of the Economic Mobility and Opportunity program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We don’t think that this work is by itself going to solve either racism or poverty in America. Far from it. But we will not change complex systems if decision makers are not following the voice and insight of those facing marginalization and victimization as a result of our economy and our institutions. One way to accomplish this is by ensuring that the actual stories of those who experience poverty are front and center with the goal of compelling new levels of action.”

The Grand Challenge is part of a multi-funder, multi year plan to examine economic mobility and opportunity in this country, to create tools to help everyone better understand the systemic factors that lead to the presence of greater economic mobility in their own neighbor-

hoods, and to craft and test strategies for changing the outlook for people experiencing poverty. “ Research shows that our country’s history of structural racism spanning generations denies economic opportunity to entire communities and subsequently robs them of their health,” said Jennifer Ng’andu, Managing Director, Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“In particular, Black and Latino Americans often live in conditions that move them further from opportunity and into the position where they are forced to make impossible choices about basic needs like food and shelter. This has become most apparent as the COVID-19 epidemic plays out, where families are negotiating between their family’s well-being and jobs with inadequate protections and pay. To finally create conditions where everyone can thrive, we need to come to grips with this long standing disinvestment in communities — and move

towards the solutions that support the caregivers who are striving every day to take care of their families.

What’s happening today in America is a wakeup call for all of us and shows us we need to hear people’s stories, understand their challenges, and let them show us the way to confront head-on the systems and policies that hold them down.”

The grantees will gather over the next 18 months as a cohort to collaborate and learn from one another; receive access to research, coaching and other technical support; and incubate their individual projects, with an eye toward production and distribution of prototypes by the fall of 2021. The incubation effort will be managed

by Purpose, Inc., a social impact agency that uses public mobilization and storytelling to build and support movements to advance the fight for an open, just, and habitable world.

Grantees were selected from 1,225 submissions made last fall and represent a broad cross-section of geographies, cultures, media and scope of ideas. Each of those submissions was reviewed to determine whether they met the published eligibility criteria. The remaining applications were then reviewed and rated by a panel of more than 30 external experts with experience in film and media, social movements and non-profits, narrative and culture change, philanthropy, economics and social science.

Their recommendations were then presented to the partners for final grantee selections.

The following is a list of the grantee organizations, their projects, and location. More information about the Voices for Economic Opportunity Grand Challenge can be found at the Grand Challenges web site.

Local Voices for Economic Oppor tunit y Grand Challenge Grant Recipients Outside the Lens Project Re_Line San Diego, CA

Outside the Lens in the U.S. will launch an app-based participatory media project in partnership with high school students, connecting communities to understand the historical barriers to economic mobility in redline communities, places where there exists a systemic denial of basic services. This phone application will enable data visualization, geo-tagging, interactive maps, and community engagement events to explore how historical economic barriers impact our cities in the past, present, and collective future. Through community and media partnerships, content will be shared across digital platforms in order to further amplify these stories for awareness, empathy building, and social change.

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University of San Diego Children’s Advocacy Institute Fostering Fairness San Diego, CA

The University of San Diego in the U.S. will launch a peer-to-peer education campaign to raise awareness of the unfair policies that prevent former foster youth from escaping poverty. Around 20,000 young adults age out of foster care each year in the U.S.; members of this population, which includes an overrepresentation of African American and Latino youth, suffer disproportionately from mental health issues and have little preparation and support to become self-sufficient. The team has identified several unique barriers faced by this youth population, including asset caps while they are in care, the redirection of their money to the state to pay for the cost of care, and lack of family support. They will provide training and resources to help a group of former foster youth share their stories with peers using online platforms.

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possible.

(StatePoint) With record numbers of Americans filing for unemploy4. Use wisely. Iffalling you need to HeRe aRe five THingS YOu dOcredit TO avOid ment and many facing income loss,Can carry balances or borrow more, inTO a COROnaviRuS TRaP, COuRTeSY Of THe fedeRal the financial impacts of COVID-19 make a list of your current credit TRade COmmiSSiOn. are far-reaching. sources, including current balances, and creditat-home limits andtest annual per“ Times of financial crisis can be cures, 1. ignore offers for vaccines, kits. centage rates (APRs).

Note overwhelming, ” says head of Wells As of now, there are no FDA approved vaccines or cures for the end datehave of any percent introducFargo & Company’s Innovation COVID-19, and if there were, they would tozero be administered torysame offers.is true for coronavirus Group, Lisa Frazier, whoprofessional. learned by a licensed medical The this lesson at atests. young age when and antibody Some scammersIfare even setting up fake driveyour credit is good, consider her familytesting struggled to make ends off requesting through facilities to profit the fears of others.

Avoid all higher credit limits, meet on the farm.

“But youtodon’t of these traps by talking a doctor which or pharmacist for all of your can soften the impact of need toand navigate these watersneeds. higher-than-usual balances on testing pharmaceutical alone. Numerous resources are your credit score and reinforce your available, so don’t be afraid to ask safety net.

2. forScreen help.” your calls.

5. Seek free expert help. Feeling If noticed increase of unknown numbers appearing on Toyou’ve get a handle onan your finances, uncertain which bills to pay your phone, there’s a reason: robocalls flourishabout in times of crisis. consider these and resources first?

Struggling pay rent and Con artists are tips hopping on the phones and posing astoeverything from Frazier and the experts at other collection household agencies needs? There from health insurance companies to debt to is Wells people Fargo: out of their money. Remember scam to never give sensitive help available. information overfraud. the phone unless you are 100% sure can you help are you tap 1. Guard against The Federal A financial coach speaking to a verified Trade Commission andsource. other agen- government benefits and other cies have warned consumers to resources and get on track. This is watch outout for for scammers exploiting whytexts the Wells 3. look phishing emails and too.Fargo Foundation is the crisis. Be suspicious of messag- supporting the following nonprofits Similar to phone calls, scammers are using email and text to trick es claiming to be from creditors, that provide free, Social confidential finanpeople into providing sensitive information like their Security employers or charities you do not cial coaching over the phone and or bank account numbers. that the government will recognize.

Don’t respond to Keep these in mind online to anyone facing financial never ask you for your Social Security number via email or text, emails or phone calls directly. Only hardships: and the same is true for banks and credit card companies when it contact phone numbers or email comes to your accounts. Make sure to only correspond with these • Association for Financial Counaddressesthrough you know are accurate, agencies secure websites and apps. seling and Planning Education: like the contact information on a Sign up to meet with a certified-ficreditor’s or charity’s website. nancial coach at yellowribbonnet4. double-check charities.

2. Bank online. As banks and retail- work.org/afcpecovid19.

The good in-person news is there are aand lot of organizations out there trying to ers adjust services help people through this pandemic. bad news is there are also • National Disability Institute: Visit hours, consider managing finances The aonline lot oforimposters.

Avoid scammers by vetting charities online and the Financial Resilience Center through mobile banking. only donations through online portals. Most major at NationalDisabilityInstitute.org/ With making most digital tools, you can secure banks and credit card companies fraud protection, in thefor case financial-resilience-center aceasily check account balances, pay offer that you accidentally give money to a phony charity.

You can also cessible financial health resources bills and make transfers. Consider help reporting anytax imposters Complaint andFTC to connect withAssistant. a certified-fidirectby deposit of your refund to the nancial coach with disability-relatthis year, which is faster than ed experience. a5.paper Digital banking Staycheck. informed. may also allow you to more easily National forpeople Credit Scammers are constantly coming up•with newFoundation ways to trick sendofmoney to familyStay in need or of their Counseling: 1-844-865-1971 out their money. ahead schemes Call by regularly to receive the funds fromcoronavirus people whoscamorwebsite visit nfcc.org/locator checking FTC’s and followingto conmay be in a position to ease youron protective nect withmeasures, a financial testing counselor for the CDC for the latest updates financial burden. guidelines, and drug developments. assistance with managing creditors or debt.

3. Know your credit score. Many banks and other services allow you • Cities for Financial Empowerment to access your credit score online.

Fund: Visit fecpublic.org/about for Take advantage of this feature to a list of locations in cities across ensure the information is accurate the U.S. offering virtual financial and look for areas where you can counseling as a free public service. improve. A financial coach can help you understand which money As you take steps to protect your health, be sure to also take steps to decisions will impact your score protect your finances. and how to preserve it as best as

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VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

9

Powder Puff Derby, Camp Among Virtual Girl Scouting Adventures

G

irl Scouts are discovering they can do virtually anything! During this time of social distancing, Girl Scouting is going strong through a safe and enriching array of digital platforms and resources (available to the community at sdgirlscouts.org/stayingconnected). Local Girl Scouts are having fun, earning badges, doing community service projects, playing games, experimenting with science and engineering, visiting museums, and exploring the outdoors… from home!

Thousands of Girl Scouts their families recently launched the summer (virtual) camp season at the In-Tents Campout. Campers had a blast getting into the outdoor spirit: Linking up via Facebook Live and video chat from tents or forts across two counties, they sang, created nature-based art, went on scavenger hunts, roasted marshmallows for s’mores, and earned badges through activities like stargazing and knot-tying.

And now, they’re gearing up for more camp adventures! All girls in grades K-12 are welcome to attend Girl Scout Camp…Reimagined this summer. Learn more at sdgirlscouts.org/camp.

Virtual Girl Scouting experiences have also included the volunteer-led Powder Puff Derby. During the event, Girl Scouts flexed their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) muscles. The Powder Puff Derby—a popular event that has been a tradition in Scripps Ranch for over 15 years—took place virtually for the first time this year. Volunteers Ben and Kelly O’Day and their Girl Scout daughters Riley, Marley, and Landry hosted and filmed the event from their home. The race portion took place in their backyard, with participants attending live through Zoom and Youtube. The design contest was held the day before, with people stopping by (wearing masks & practicing social distancing) to vote for their favorite pinewood derby cars on display on O’Day’s driveway.

More than 150 Girl Scouts and family members entered the derby. The event was covered by 10News; view segment at sdgirlscouts.org/news.

Participants competed for trophies recognizing speed and best designs for various themes: STEM (for example, cars programmed with led lights), international (Australian Wildfires, London Landmarks), animal theme (birds, dogs, cats and even a koala), food lookalikes (sushi rolls,

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ice cream sandwich, enchiladas), Girl Scouts theme (cookies, camping) or most creative (Telsa Cybertruck, NASA space shuttle).

principles of physics to optimize their vehicles’ performance—for example, by adding weights and sanding wheels & axles.

As a result of a Bronze Award project previously earned by Riley’s Girl Scout Troop 3077, led by Kelly O’Day, the derby has expanded to include stronger girl leadership elements and family participation.

Ben O’Day notes, “I love seeing Girl Scouts and parents work together at our workshops,” reported Ben O’Day. “ This includes coming up with a design, learning how to use tools and learning about the physics of making a car fast. Each Girl Scout takes a basic block of wood and turns it into a design of their own that they can keep forever. The creativity of these girls is simply amazing!”

“ The derby is a lot of fun and helps all Girl Scouts learn something new about engineering.

It also can help us learn leadership because girl scouts help run this event each year,” said Riley.

The O’Day family has organized the Powder Puff Derby and workshops for the past three years, building on the outstanding efforts of past volunteers. Since its inception, the Powder Puff Derby has grown to become a multi-faceted experience that includes workshops teaching scouts and parents how to cut, shape, and complete the cars. Future engineers also practice woodworking skills, discover how to use tools, and apply

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Girl Scouts is the best place for girls (#BestPlace4girls), preparing them for a lifetime of leadership. Virtual Girl Scout troops (both staffand volunteer-led) are forming now! All girls in grades K-12 and adult volunteers are welcome join Girl Scouts at any time. Registration is now open for summer camp, recently reimagined as an online experience. Find details at sdgirlscouts. org.

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UP TO 45 PERCENT OF SARS-COV-2 INFECTIONS MAY BE ASYMPTOMATIC, NEW ANALYSIS FINDS

Analysis of data from16 groups of COVID-19 patients suggest “silent� carriers may exacerbate efforts to stop spread of the disease.

A

n extraordinary percentage of people infected by the virus behind the ongoing deadly COVID-19 pandemic—up to 45 percent—are people who never show symptoms of the disease, according to the results of a Scripps Research analysis of public datasets on asymptomatic infections.

The findings, recently published in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggest that asymptomatic infections may have played a significant role in the early and ongoing spread of COVID-19 and highlight the need for expansive testing and contact tracing to mitigate the pandemic. “ The silent spread of the virus makes it all the more challenging to control,� says Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research. “Our review really highlights the importance of testing. It’s clear that with such a high asymptomatic rate, we need to cast a very wide net, otherwise the virus will continue to evade us.�

Together with behavioral scientist Daniel Oran, Topol collected information from testing studies on 16 diverse cohorts from around the world. These datasets—gathered via keyword searches of PubMed, bioRxiv and medRxiv, as well as

A medical professional administers a test for Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to a recent study, many people are silent carriers and show no symptoms of the disease.

Google searches of relevant news reports—included data on nursing home residents, cruise ship passengers, prison inmates and various other groups.

“The silent spread of the virus makes it all the more challenging to control�

- Eric Topol, MD “What virtually all of them had in common was that a very large proportion of infected individuals had no symptoms,� says Oran. “Among more than 3,000 prison inmates in four states who tested positive for the coronavirus, the figure was

astronomical: 96 percent asymptomatic.�

The review further suggests that asymptomatic individuals are able to transmit the virus for an extended period of time, perhaps longer than 14 days. The viral loads are very similar in people with or without symptoms, but it remains unclear whether their infectiousness is of the same magnitude. To resolve that issue, we’ll need large-scale studies that include suff icient numbers of asymptomatic people.

The authors also conclude that the absence of symptoms may not imply an absence of harm. CT scans conducted on 54 percent of 76 asymptomatic individuals on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, appear to show significant subclinical lung abnormalities raising the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection impacting lung function that might not be immediately apparent. The scientists

say further research is needed to confirm the potential significance of this finding.

The authors also acknowledge that the lack of longitudinal data makes distinguishing between asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals diff icult. An asymptomatic individual is someone who is infected with SARS-CoV-2, but never develops symptoms of COVID-19, while a presymptomatic person is similarly infected, but will eventually develop symptoms. Longitudinal testing, which refers to repeated testing of individuals over time, would help differentiate between the two. “Our estimate of 40 to 45 percent asymptomatic means that, if you’re unlucky enough to get infected, the probability is almost a flip of a coin on whether you’re going to have symptoms. So to protect others, we think that wearing a mask makes a lot of sense,� Oran concludes.

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Quarantined artists hope painted rocks lift finders’ heavy burdens

Escondido native Ceci Lusky has been painting and hiding rocks for years, but this spring she painted a series of rocks for her daughter, Allison Lusky Reue, and some of Allison’s college friends. Reue would have graduated Saturday with her master’s degree in nursing from the University of San Diego, but the commencement was canceled due to the pandemic.

So to honor the hard work and sacrifices of her daughter and her fellow graduating nurses, Lusky

painted a series of rocks depicting nurses wearing surgical face masks and caps. She said she painted them “because nurses rock,� particularly right now as front-line health-care workers. “She worked so hard to do this and even if we can’t have a graduation celebration for her (Saturday) ... we’ll make the best of it,� said Lusky, who is board chair for the Escondido Community Child Development Center.

Laurie South joins Jamul Casino as vice president of human resources Laurie South has joined Jamul Casino as its new vice president of human resources. She brings more than two decades of experience leading human resources divisions, primarily for tribal casinos throughout the West Coast.

South has worked in senior human resources leadership roles since 1998. Much of her experience has been gained with tribal gaming organizations, including: the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok’s Red Hawk Casino in Placerville, Calif.; the Grand Ronde Tribe’s Spirit Mountain Casino and Lodge in Grand Ronde, Ore.; the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Wash.; and the Yakama Nation’s Legends Casino in Toppenish, Wash.

Past roles have included human resources director, human Rresources manager, owner of her own HR consulting firm, and adjunct

professor at Tacoma Community College. She earned her MBA from California State University, Sacramento, and her BS in Economics from Arizona State University.

VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

11

Jose Angel Cruz appointed CEO of Barrio Logan College Institute

Jose Angel Cruz has been named the newchief executive officer of the Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI).

Born in Mexico City and raised in Santa Ana, Cruz served as national director of the Latino Outreach and the Family Strengthening Initiatives and director of international support for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

In those positions, Cruz oversaw unprecedented growth and impact through his innovative approach to engage partners and replicate models.

Most recently, he served as director of mission advancement for the World Federation of Youth Clubs, a nonprofit organization that supports youth service organizations, dedicated to youth development, family engagement, and community strengthening in 26 countries.

He has prior private sector experience as vice president of AllPlayers.com, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from California State University, San Bernardino. Cruz has served on the board of directors of GoDoMore Inc., the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hungary and others.

 Matthew Steitz named principal of The Preuss School UC San Diego

After a nationwide search, Matthew Steitz has been appointed principal of The Preuss School UC San Diego, effective July 1. Most recently, Steitz served as assistant superintendent of educational excellence for the Vista Unified School District.

The Preuss School is a unique charter middle and high school for low-income students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from college.

Located on the University of California San Diego campus, the school was recently recognized as the #1 high school in San Diego County by U.S. News & World Report.

As principal, Steitz will work closely with Helen V. Griff ith, executive director of The Preuss School, to build the capacity of scholars, faculty, staff, parents and community partners.

Prior to joining The Preuss School, Steitz served as executive director of secondary curriculum and instruction as well as interim chief academic off icer at the Vista Unified School District. His lead-

ership experience also includes assistant principal of San Marcos

High School as well as principal of Carlsbad High School.

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12 VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

@muSiCSCeneSd // muSiCSCeneSd.COm

J MAY U N E 2020 2 0 2 0 San Diego’s live music scene is at a standstill, but there is

San Diego Music Awards July 6 & July 11

still quite a bit of activity from the area’s musicians, past and present. In these uncertain times, folks in the arts need our support more than ever - please consider picking up a new release or some merch from your favorite localstill performers, buttheeven With large gatherings banned at press time, 2020 just a “like” on a post or Diego video make someone’s day.

San Musiccan Awards have opted to move online for this year’s event. Fans will have two opportunities to watch: online, via Youtube or Facebook, on July 6 at 7 p.m. and on television, via Fox 5 -TV on July 11 at 8 p.m. Trophies will be handed out in 23 categories, plus there will be a special tribute to this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, guitarist/producer Richard Livoni. Look for special performances from Gregory Page, Sully, MDRN HSTRY, David Maldonado, Livoni’s band, The Blitz Brothers, Evan Diamond, Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact and The Sleepwalkers, with local radio and TV personalities amongst the presenters. Funds raised by the event go to The San Diego Music Foundation and their Guitars for Schools program for San Diego County elementary, middle, and high schools. Launched in partnership with Taylor Guitars in 1990, to date over 57,200 K-12 students in more than 80 schools from San Ysidro to San Onofre have been served. ariel levine’s new single drops may 22. “it’s #4 of year Jason mraz unveils his new album, looking for Theto This the SDMA’s also established a grant program 7 upcoming singles and it’s the first cover song, good , on June 19. in the meantime, the album’s help nominees during the current pandemic. “maybe This Time” from the musical Cabaret.

reggae tinged title track is out as the albums first single.

San Diego Music News

BY BART MENDOZA BY BART MENDOZA

• Missy Alcazar’s new song “Salamat Sa Iyo” can be heard in the new TLC network series, 90 Day Fiancé: Self Quarantined

• The Wayne Riker Gathering is back in the studio working on a new album, Blues Lightning. It’s guitarist Riker’s 13th overall with guest vocalists Although concerts remain at a standstill,set there is still plenty activity from to include Lauren of Leigh Martin, Michele Lun• Acclaimed 1970’s era HorsefeathPatton, Shelle Blue, Scott MathiSanprog-rockers Diego’s musicians.

Here’sdeen, someLeonard of the latest news. ers have a new collection of their vintage tracks, asen and Deanna Pacific RecordsFor haveAsigned Symphony MilliondrumMice, out now. Of the Haala mer Howard Blank’s The Outsidtitle trackbased they in say, “We explore the challenge of ers.

Though San Diego, entertaining a bunch of hyperactive rodents.”

• Beach rock quintet Sandollar placed their song the band is an updated version of “Up Up” on the new Netflix series Outer Banks. the Cleveland area group who had • Ariel Levine new single drops May 22. “It’s The song turns up at approximately 11 minutes several hit’s in the’s1960’s.

It’s an all#4 of 7 upcoming singles and it’s the first cover into the first episode. Thier new album, Roller star lineup, now featuring drummer Howard who wasTime” an original song, Blank, “Maybe This from the musical Caba- Coaster, is available on Pacific Records. member ret. of Outsider precursors, The Starfires, and frontman Eli Holland, • A new biography of legendary sitar player Ravi perhaps best knownPine as singer • The Midnight havewith released a new vinyl Shankar will be published by Genesis Publicaelectronica pioneer and Tangerine album, Live at A.D. tions in October.

Dream founder, Peter Baumann, including the 1983 turntable hit, • Jason In Mraz his new • Congrats to blues singer Whitney Shay! She “Strangers The unveils Night.” HBTO alsoalbum, Looking For The , onbacking June 19.

In the meantime, the released her latest album, Stand Up, on Februincludes twoGood notable singalbum’s reggae tinged title track is out as the ary 21, ultimately scoring the #1 Billboard Blues ers, latter day Mamas and Papas / albums first single. album on April 18.

Buckinghams vocalist Laurie Beebe Lewis and singer-songwriter Lori • TheWilson.

Monroes brand new song and • Guitarist Johnny Vernazza appears on the Aguilar The have grouparecently On June 19 Switchfoot releases a new six song EP appropriately titled, Covers. recorded new versions of the clasvideo, “Caught In The Balance.” Meanwhile, their new compilation album, NOW That’s What The I Call band plays songs originally by Harry Styles, The Verve, The Chainsmokers, Frank sics “ Time Won’t Let Me, ” “Respectclassic tune “What Do All The People Know” has Yacht Rock 2.

He appears with Elvin Bishop on Ocean, Vampire Weekend and Jon Bellion. able” andcovered “Preciousby & former Few,” and is been Runaways singer Cherie the song “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” currently Currie!working at Signature Sound nos Young Lions Jazz Conservatory through July 31. “It’s open to all ages, Studios on three new originals for • Summer The Village People - whichcan includes North (YLJC) host their 2020 and students join from anywhere their debut EP. • Heavy metal favorites Ratt are in the latest County’s Victor Willis (aka The Policeman) - has Workshop – Online from July 6 in the world.

We have an amazing Trumpet virtuoso Gilbert Castellaround of commercials from Geico insurance, fea- had their song, “Y.M.C.A.” inducted into the Lituring their 1985 hit, “Round and Round.” brary of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

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Stay Safe, San Diego faculty lined up and different attendance options to suit your interest. We are also offering scholarships so everyone can join.”

Gregory Page’s new single, “ Green Lights & Blue Skies” is out June 12, featuring a guest spot from Jason Mraz.

Pacific Records have signed drummer Howard Blank’s The Outsiders. Though based in San Diego, the band is an updated version of the Cleveland area group who had several hit’s in the 1960’s. It’s an allstar lineup, now featuring drummer Howard Blank , who was an original member of Outsider precursors, The Starfires, and frontman Eli Holland, perhaps best known as singer with electronica pioneer and Tangerine Dream founder, Peter Baumann, including the 1983 turntable hit, “ Strangers In The Night.”

HBTO also includes two notable backing singers, latter day Mamas and Papas / Buckinghams vocalist Laurie Beebe Lewis and singer-songwriter Lori Aguilar Wilson. The group recently recorded new versions of the classics “ Time Won’ t Let Me,” “ Respectable” and “ Precious & Few,” and is currently working at Signature Sound Studios on three new originals for their debut EP.

Electric Mud’s new album, “ Communication” is just out, featuring the single “ I Shoulda Cried.” Meanwhile on June 13 the band played two shows at the Belly Up, livestreaming to fans on both coasts. The shows will comprise a live album set to be released by the Belly Up Tavern’s own label later this year.

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Jason Mraz’s new album, Look For The Good, is out on June 19. It’s the first of a three album deal with new label, BMG, and includes guests Tiffany Haddish and Sister Carol.

Atom Orr’s new album, As If Tomorrow, features an all-star cast including Matt Lynott, Carissa, Ben Moore, Ben Zinn, Ashley Pond, Jane Lui, Martin Seiler, Molly Thomas, and David J. Carpenter.

Congrats to hard rock favorites, Ratt. Their song “Round and Round” originally hit #12 on the charts in 1984 and now has re-entered the Billboard Charts thirty-six years later thanks to their appearance in a recent Geico ad. The song has landed a #18 placing on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales chart on June 5.

Schizophonics have a new 7” single, featuring two as yet unrevealed cover songs, out soon via Pig Baby Records.

Gayle Skidmore’s new video for her song “All My Life” includes behind the scene footage shot during the recording session. It feature cameos from a host of fellow artists including producer Jeff Berkley, drummer Brian “Nucci” Cantrell (The English Beat) and bassist Rick Nash, plus singers Billy Galewood, Veronica May, Heather Nation, Isaac Cheong, Becca Jay and Mikayla Beaulieu.

Mike Stax (The Loons) provides the liner notes on the new Keith Relf (Yardbirds) collection, All the Falling Angels - Solo Recordings & Collaborations 1965-1976, out now on Germany’s Repertoire Records.

New albums out now include: -(16)- with their new Dream Squasher, Rapper Bloodstone The Street Preacher with The Chosen One

VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 13 New videos include: Michael Inzunza with the topical “Change Your Mind.” Tori Roze and The Hot Mess with a new song supporting ocean conservation, “My Life.”

New Singles include: Blink 182 with “ Quarantine,” Dionysus with droney Velvets-ish psychedelic rocker “ Circus,” Evening’s Empire post punk indie rock tune “ Home,” a country song from Bob Monroe “ The Devil Will Dance,” The Tourmaliners with a instro/ surf style cover of “Amber ” originally by 311,

Jason Mraz to donate proceeds from new album to social justice organization

Van Bates aka Hip Hop punk rapper Black Hesher has been immortalized as a limited edition action figure. The sure to be collectable toy comes compete with nifty packaging, having been issued in time to promote Black Hesher ’s latest album, Saints & Sinners, which includes an appearance from Spice Pistols guitarist, Michael Fairchild, aka Baby Spice.

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Two-time Grammy winner and San Diego resident Jason Mraz has promised to donate all proceeds from his new album, Look For The Good, to social justice organizations.

Out June 19, funds raised, including his $250,000 advance for the album, will go to help support organizations including Black Lives Matter, San Diego Young Artists Music Academy, RISE San Diego, Grassroots Law Project, Center on Policy Initiatives and Equal Justice Initiative. “A time has come to act beyond promises, thoughts, and prayers,” Mraz said in a statement. “My personal engagement with philanthropy has never been motivated by a press opportunity. But I am announcing my contributions publicly in hopes of inspiring other creators and leaders in business to do the same – to share the wealth, to share the profits, and to acknowledge that life is only great when it’s great for everyone.” He plans to continue making donations in the future. “ What good are my lyrics if they are just lofty words with no action?” Mraz said. Following the album’s title track, “ You Do You” is Look For The Good’s second single, with a guest appearance from comedian Tiffany Haddish. June has been a particularly busy month for Mraz.

In addition to his own album, he also makes an appearance on Gregory Page’s latest single “Green Lights & Blue Skies.” www.jasonmraz.com

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B U I L D I N G M A I N S T R E E T, N OT WA L L S T R E E T

Facts, Figures and Logic for Truly Local Spending

By John Newby 360 Media Alliance Quote of the week : “Nobody can go back and create a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson This column has and will continue to stress the need for your community to rapidly create a Truly Local mentality. The case for your community to adopt a Truly Local mentality can be intangible at times. Ultimately, it comes down to real facts, figures and logic. Over time, we will convey in greater detail each of the facts, figures and logics discussed below in future columns. Let’s briefly touch on a few of the common tangible reasons for your community to adopt this hyper local mentality. # 1 - Greater Financial Return. Numerous studies over the years show that dollars spent with locally owned and operated businesses recirculate throughout your community between three and seven times. This is compared to those same dollars being spent with Big Box and National Chain businesses, which circulate just one time.

Using a 10% sales tax as only an example, one million dollars spent with big boxes and chains will return $100,000 in sales tax to your community versus $300,000-$700,000 when being spent with locally-owned businesses. Those are real dollars for real communities. #2 - Greater Community Support. Additional studies have shown that owners of locally owned and operated businesses support local causes, organizations and charities by approximately a three-to-one margin over businesses with outside or Wall Street ownership. The foundations of many communities are often built through active volunteerism, non-profit organizations and civic groups; this is a vital component to thriving communities. #3 - Community Involvement Quotient. Own-

ers and managers of locally-owned and operated businesses are four times more likely to be involved in leadership, politics and chambers in their communities than owners and managers of Big Box, Chain and out-of-town or Wall Street

owned businesses. #4 - Less Poverty Expectation. A recent study indicated that a community’s poverty rate is somewhat directly linked to the percentage of prosperous locally owned and operated businesses. Put another way, the greater percentage of your retail dollars taking place with Big Boxes, Chains and out-of-town or Wall Street owners within a smaller or midsized community, the higher the poverty rate might be expected to be.

The more local innovation, creativity and entrepreneurs there are, coupled with active support of such by the various community’s government entities; the greater expectation for an increase in the average household incomes. #5 – Higher Financial Return Downtown.

Dollars invested in the community’s downtown district return on average approximately 30% higher return on their investment or ROI. There is no better return a community can make of their tax dollars than stimulating the return of the heart

and soul to a community’s downtown. #6 – Housing Market Stimulation. Want to grow the real estate values in and around your downtowns? It has been shown that by returning the vibrancy, heart and soul of your community to the downtown, you can also expect to see an increase in surrounding real estate values as well.

Not only does this create renewed pride in the community, it grows the real estate ad valorem tax base, which benefits the school as well as the entire community.

As we indicated in previous columns, it isn’t that Big Boxes, Chains and out-of-town or Wall Street owned business are bad, that isn’t the case at all.

The devil is always in the details, or in this case, the devil is in the balance. Cities that find a way to balance the growth of the Big Box or Chain segment of the community ALONG with the growth and support of the Truly Local business segment will find an economic balance that leads to great prosperity.

True balance is achieved by understanding.

Communities must understand and realize that Big Box and Chains are only a fraction of the foundation from which to build. The Truly Local concentration, which brings true vibrancy to your community, will bring the true prosperity every community seeks. Additionally, it is all about building and creating uniqueness in your community, something that only a Truly Local concentration can create. As we will discus in the future, uniqueness will become vital in the new and emerging economics of your community.

John A. Newby, author of the “Building Main Street, Not Wall Street “ column dedicated to helping communities combine synergies with local media companies allowing them to not just survive, but thrive in a world where Truly Local is lost to Amazon, Wall Street chains and others. His email is: john@360MediaAlliance.net

Attorneys form RESOLVE Law San Diego, a pro bono program to help litigants in face of COVID-19 crisis

A

group of San Diego lawyers have joined forces to create RESOLVE Law San Diego, poised to be the largest legal pro bono program in San Diego County to handle cases arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.

The launch of RLSD is in response to the San Diego Superior Court being closed for all civil matters, creating a backlog of over 8,000 missed hearings, dozens of trials and an inability to move cases forward.

Designed to streamline the law and motion and mediation processes, the program - created by San Diego County Bar members and supported by virtually every bar association in the county - will help move civil cases forward by providing local attorneys a free venue for dispute resolution outside of the constrained court system.

According to RESOLVE Law San

Diego chair Amy R. Martel, a partner with Chihak & Martel, the new program will offer litigants the opportunity to connect with a retired judge or a qualified local attorney to hear matters free of charge.

Hearings are conducted by telephone or video conferencing and briefing is limited. The program is scheduled to last for 120 days while the San Diego Superior Court grapples with the backlog of cases after a two-month closure.

“Our community’s access to justice is in jeopardy while the court struggles to reschedule hearings and pushes jury trials out to 2021.

Parties can agree to use RESOLVE Law for mediation, discovery disputes or law and motion and have their matter resolved within weeks,” Martel said. “We created this program to make it as easy as possible to help our colleagues who need cases acted upon expeditiously.”

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Amy Martel, Chair of Resolve Law, San Diego

Partnering with the San Diego Bar Foundation, RESOLVE Law San Diego was created and is led by Martel, along with David S. Casey Jr. (Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield LLP), Heather Ros-

ing (Klinedinst PC.), Benjamin Bunn (Bunn Law Group), William Low (Higgs Fletcher and Mack), Alan Brubaker (Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie), Deborah Dixon (Dixon Diab & Chambers), N. Ben Cramer (Carroll Kelly Trotter & Franzen), John Gomez (Gomez Trial Attorneys), Ana M. Sambold (Sambold Law & ADR Services), Janice Brown (Brown Law Group), Jenna E. Hackett (Feuerstein, Murphy & Beals), Patricia A. Coyne (Kimball, Tirey, & St. John LLP), Shannon N. Montisano (Hughes & Pizzuto) and Sean Ponist (Ponist Law Group).

The over 220 lawyers and retired judges who have volunteered to participate in the program can be accessed at www.resolvelawsandiego.com. For more information, contact RESOLVE Law San Diego at sdcbf.org or contact Amy Martel at (858) 481-7252.

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VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 15

Billionaire wealth surges by over half trillion dollars during the pandemic

U.S. billionaire’s total wealth surged by over $565 billion, an increase of 19.15 percent, since its low point near the beginning of the pandemic, according to calculations to update a report by the Institute for Policy Studies(IPS).

The figures date from March 18 -- the rough start date of the pandemic shutdown, when most federal and state economic restrictions were in place. During the same 11 weeks, 42.6 million US workers filed for unemployment (1.877 million in the last week). The number of workers receiving jobless benefits is holding steady at 21.5 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“In a turbulent week in the life of the nation, these statistics remind us that

A graphic showing billionaire wealth vs number of unemployed may be found here:

we are more economically and racially divided than at any time in decades,” said Chuck Collins, a co-author of the report, Billionaire Bonanza 2020. “Our moral, economic and physical health as a society depends on building a post-pandemic economy that works for everyone, not just the billionaire class. Surging billionaire wealth juxtaposed with the suffering and plight of millions undermines the social solidarity required for us to recover together in the years ahead.”

According to IPS calculations, during the past week, the U.S. billionaire class experienced a $79 billion jump

in total wealth, an increase of 2.3 percent. For the group, May 27 wealth was

$3,432,979,108,000. At market close June 3, total wealth was $3,512,041,310,000.

De f und t he Po l i c e? Ins t e a d , a n Ea s t Co unt y Chur c h Fe e d s t he Po l i c e

In contrast to recent attacks on law enforcement in the wake of racial tension, which included calls for defunding and abolishing the police, members of Foothills Christian Church in El Cajon responded by recently providing a free lunch and dinner as an expression of appreciation to the El Cajon Police Department.

The church covered the cost for a local East County caterer to prepare 120 boxed meals, including 30 meals of chicken parmesan with penne pasta and steamed zucchini plus 30 meals of roasted tri tip. On a recent Tuesday, 60 meals were delivered to El Cajon police headquarters at 1 p.m. followed by another 60 meals dropped off at 6 p.m. The event was featured on several local TV newscasts. “ The police have had to put in a lot of overtime lately,” said Dave Hoffman, senior pastor, Foothills Christian Church. “We simply want to say thank you for their willingness to serve and protect.”

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NEW OUTPLACEMENT AND CAREER COUNSELING FIRM LEO & LOY LAUNCHED IN SAN DIEGO

L

eo & Loy announced its official grand opening during a Zoom event with key stakeholders earlier this week. The virtual ribbon cutting was the appropriate kick-off for the outplacement and career consulting firm, whose business model is entirely virtual. Founded

by Katie Molloy and Keegan Leopold, the firm provides personal and compassionate one-on-one coaching and assistance in all aspects of career transitions.

Leo & Loy supports small to midsize companies (up to 5,000 employees) that are going through a reduction in force, guiding individuals through career transitions.

Their nationwide team of professional recruiters has expertise in all aspects of the job search, from resume creation to guidance on job interviewing. The firm’s mission is to help make downsizing and career transitions more affordable and manageable for the employer,

Keegan Leeopold, co-founder and head of operations

employee and individuals who are ready for change.

“I’ve worked in just about every aspect of recruiting and placement

Former Taco Bell executive Rich Pinnella named president of Luna Grill

Katie Molloy, founder and president

over the past two decades,” said Katie Molloy, founder and president. “What I’ve enjoyed most is helping people get back on their feet after a layoff and working with

them through career transitions.

It’s incredibly rewarding to help someone identify their skills, create a compelling resume and give them the confidence to find the next wave of their career.”

Molloy has more than 25 years of professional experience in recruitment, workforce solutions, sales and operations.

«By employing recruitment professionals, we›re able to provide insight from the perspective of a potential employer,» said Keegan Leopold, co-founder and head of operations. «Recruitment professionals know how to write effective resumes faster, how to clean up or set up attractive social media profiles and teach our clients how to use the top job aggregators.»

Leo & Loy packages start at $190 for individual career consulting and $490 for outplacement.

‘Great Plates’ to continue delivering free meals to seniors through July 10

F

ormer Taco Bell executive Rich Pinnella has been named president of Luna Grill (www.LunaGrill.com), a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant with 50 locations throughout Southern California and the Dallas, Texas metro area.

Pinnella came to Luna Grill in the summer of 2019 as chief brand officer and has been instrumental in the implementation of processes and operational planning.

Company CEO and co-founder Sean Pourteymour has handed dayto-day operations over to Pinnella and will focus on long-term expansion moving forward.

Luna Grill has also recently added a new culinary vice president and first-ever digital catering director, focusing exclusively on online/mobile and take out order execution.

Pinnella will continue to direct the overall Luna Grill brand position and marketing efforts, working with the team already in place, with modifications to team member roles and possible new additions coming in the future.

Before making the move to Luna Grill in 2019, Pinnella was an exec-

Rich Pinnella, president of Luna Grill.

utive with Taco Bell for 20 years, serving the last seven as a vice president and general manager.

During that tenure, he directed U.S.based and International functional heads to deliver results across marketing, beverage, culinary, operations, and supply chain, through an international expansion to over 500 restaurants.

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More than 1,400 older adults in the “Great Plates Delivered” program will continue to receive three free and healthy meals a day until July 10, the county Health and Human Services Agency Announced.

Launched in mid-May, the program was set to expire June 10, but the federal government decided to expand it for 30 days.

The initiative is a collaboration between the County and local restaurants to help older adults, who are at a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19, avoid going out to restaurants or the grocery store to get food.

Currently, 31 local restaurants are delivering meals to enrolled

seniors throughout San Diego County. The County is reimbursing restaurants for the cost of food, labor and incidentals, using a combination of funding provided by FEMA, the state and the County.

Those currently receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs, such as CalFresh or Meals on Wheels, are not eligible for the Great Plates Delivered program.

Participants must also fall within a specific income range.For more details on criteria or to sign up, call the County Aging and Independence Services at (800) 339-4661 or visit Great Plates. You can also call 2-1-1 San Diego.

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Edible San Diego E

dible San Diego stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Our hearts are in pain at how recent and historic violence against Blacks reveals how far we have to go as a people. We commit to exploring how Edible San Diego can do more to promote more equity, diversity, and inclusion.

We are a small food media company, but we have high hopes and standards. We understand the value of the tools we have, including our editorial voice and growing platforms, and we will use them to more explicitly and consistently share content that promotes food justice.

The intentions of our editorial path over the four years I have owned this company have aimed at an ever-more inclusive vision of health and

wellness, for each of us individually and for all of our neighborhoods. We’ve explored the cultural richness of San Diego County’s food system because these stories reveal different interpretations of meaning, solutions, and opportunities to work together as a community. Edible San Diego commits to serving as a platform and loudspeaker for diverse points of view and calls to action.

We reaff irm our commitment to contract more Black writers, photographers and other professionals whose diverse life experiences can show us all some new ways forward.

We aff irm that freelance professionals deserve to be fairly compensated for their time and talent, and while our budget is small, we commit to

VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 19 deploying it towards a more inclusive editorial voice.

Over the past three years, we have worked to transform our company, building digital platforms to better connect with more people. We share in the struggles of entrepreneurship, drawing energy from our motivation to be of service. Part of our work is celebrating the intentions, hard work, talent, and courage of people who start, nurture, or make enormous efforts to maintain local companies of all sizes in our food system. At the same time, we acknowledge the far greater challenges that all workers, entrepreneurs and food-related businesses face with the intersectionality of race, gender, access to land, capital, training and more. We commit to telling more of these stories.

Like many of us, I have been reflecting on my personal and family experiences with cultural identity, my biases, privileges, and the frontiers of my understanding. I see myself (and each of us) as part of a network, and I aff irm that there is power in numbers and in cooperation. The diverse organizations and leaders carrying out progressive, conscious food-systems work that I am aff iliated with give me hope, ways to contribute, and tools for change in this historic moment.

I commit to amplify the impact of my personal time, resources and professional capacity in the service of more inclusivity in our local food system and our country.

In the coming days Edible San Diego will be sharing stories from our archives that came from our earlier efforts to explore our food system from multiple vantage points. Since last week, we have commissioned several stories to explore race in our food system and will continue to do so. As always, we welcome all ideas for stories and contributors any time 24/7/365.

We are here to listen, to learn, and to take more focused, sustained action as a local food media company.

he University of San Diego’s T Children’s Advocacy Institute will receive a grant of $100,000 as part of

the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Voices for Economic Opportunity Grand Challenge, an initiative supported by eight philanthropic organizations.

The grant was announced by The Schultz Family Foundation. USD’s institute was one of three organizations awarded $100,000.

USD’s Children’s Advocacy Institute Fostering Fairness will use the money to launch a peer-to-peer education campaign to raise awareness of the unfair policies that prevent former foster youth from escaping poverty.

Around 20,000 young adults age out of foster care each year in the U.S.; members of this population, which includes an overrepresentation of African American or Latino youth, suffer disproportionately from mental health problems and have little preparation and support to become self-suff icient.

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Improving your mood

Improving

P

BREATHE...

You've heard this one time and time again -just DO IT and reap the rewards. "Belly breathing" (rather than chest breathing).

This activates the "Vagus nerve," and naturally serves to relax you. Even as few as 4 breaths "in" (counting slowing to 4) and holding the air in for 4 counts then exhaling for a count of 8 each time can calm you on the spot. Concentrating on your breath even for those few minutes will distract your mind from the source of your stress. When we feel stress rise up in our bodies it's best to stop the escalation in its tracks before it gets out of control - as in "controls" us..

ue Tr

S tr e ss R el

To p

Quali

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t

y

Tried &

ea

•

W i p r C y g b b m s t s

ACTS OF KINDNESS

SLEEP ENOUGH

Sleep during times of stress is sometimes hard to come by. You've probably heard some of the same suggestions repeated - sometimes they help you and sometimes they don't. The breathing exercise above can be really helpful. After you do the breathing exercise you may find yourself thinking...I'm still awake...this isn't working...and the next thing you know you're waking up to your alarm.

Though going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time is recommended, it might take a little while to get into the swing of that if you've been keeping odd hours, so don't hit the pillow if you still feel wide awake, but read a book rather than binge on electronics. And IF you have to resort to a nap during the day, keep it to under 30 minutes and DON'T get into your bed - a power

namp can do wonders but sleeping two or three hours during the day will not help you get on track - and you'll feel groggy for longer after you awake from a long nap. Are there LED lights from

electronics flashing in the dark? Does your TV have a "standby" light that stays on all night? These can also contribute to poor sleep. And the last tip... sleep in a VERY dark room. No night lights in the bedroom. Sleeeeeeep...zzzzzzz

Have you ever noticed that doing something nice for someone else actually makes YOU feel good? It's kind of a selfish good deed. Even taking the time to listen to an elderly neighbor's worries takes your mind off your own troubles and it's highly possible that your problems pale in comparison to someone else's. Even mowing someone's lawn without them asking you to do it is a gesture that engages several ways to relieve stress - all rolled into one good deed.

F

MOVE YOUR BODY

(movement of ANY kind) Take a walk after dinner — alone if are in need of some "me time" or with a companion if that suits you better. Vacuum, brush the dog, sanitize the kitchen counter — just keep moving for a while. Sometimes just diving into a small project that's not too daunting can boost your mood.

It's the perfect time for a little "spring cleaning!" Just get moving a little to boost your mood.

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VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 21

Your Mood POSITIVE FOCUS

When stressful times like the ones we live in right now dominate our world, it's important to focus on what we CAN control rather than what we CAN'T control. You CAN control what you eat and how much you eat. You CAN control what time you go to bed and parts of your routine can be controlled. You CAN control your breathing. You CAN carve out a few minutes for yourself — you CAN and you should. Spend a few minutes watching the dog play or a squirrel frolic. You CAN slow down for a moment and recharge.

FEED YOUR BODY

Okay, this one sounds like permission to eat everything in sight. Maybe this is the time to put some time and effort into creating a new normal in terms of how you're nourishing your body. This doesn't have to be drastic, and probably shouldn't be. Change one (not-so-great) thing about your eating habits. Maybe you drink five cups of coffee a day and you cut down to four and exchange that fifth cup for water. By all means treat yourself here and there, but this isn't the time to go off the rails and ditch everything you know about eating right. (Now go dig out that smoothie blender and keep it on the countertop!)

GRATITUDE

Practice this. Every time you find yourself thinking there's nothing to be grateful for, take a pause and look around you. Something as simple as discovering a corner of the top shelf of your pantry dedicated to a dozen gourmet teas you forgot were there can lift your spirits just long enough to move you into a different mindframe.

Is your family healthy? Are you among the lucky people who still have a job? Do you have enough to eat? There's ALWAYS something to be grateful for.

ittle l a s k o ld lo The wor — try w o n t h t rig differen tions s e g g u s the f o e n o just o this! d n a c you — y a d o t

FEED YOUR MIND

How many things have you said you'd like to learn but you've never had time? There are SO many things you can learn at no cost to you — or you can enroll in a class that will actually add something to your resume that could change your financial life in the long run. Maybe you can never find time to read a series of historical books. Have you always wanted to learn another languate? When we're reading or learning it's very hard to be stressed or to worry because these activities afford us the opportunity to get lost in another world — one that doesn't remind us of our own problems.

FEED YOUR SOUL

Passions have a way of feeding our soul.

If you're a musician (closet musician or a pro) and that's fallen to the wayside, adding that to your daily routine will fill you up in ways nothing else can. Even if you're not a musicion and you simplylove music, pop those earbuds in and get lost in your favorite songlist — or take the time to explore new music and transport yourself to somewhere else and get lost in a serenade just for you.

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St ude nt s Eme rge as Le ade r s Dur ing COVID-19 Thr ough Se r v ic e Le ar ning

(StatePoint) As learning has gone virtual to curb the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and parents have been left with a pressing concern: how will this experience impact social and emotional development? “ The pandemic is having profound effects on children’s mental well-being, their social development, their safety, their privacy, their economic security and beyond,” a policy brief by the United Nations stated. “While children are not the face of this pandemic, its broader impacts on children risk being catastrophic and amongst the most lasting consequences for societies as a whole.”

While maintaining progress in core subject areas is imperative, a curriculum that develops leadership skills is equally essential to ensure that emotional development continues virtually.

An independent research study commissioned by Lead4Change found that students who completed the Lead4Change Student Leadership Program experienced tangible emotional growth. The program involves lessons in leadership, as well as creating and implementing team projects to meet a need in the community. Those that completed the program experienced significant changes in leadership skills (60 percent of students improved), respect for others (54 percent) and ambition and innovation (53 percent). Programs of this nature can be completed virtually by adapting projects to address current concerns, and they can not only succeed without physical contact, but offer unique

challenges that help students to grow as leaders.

Students at Mohave High School in Bullhead City, Ariz. reconsidered their project when quarantine began, creating a read-aloud library of developmentally appropriate books for preschoolers. With high schoolers reading preschoolers books and teaching them literacy and social

development skills, this resource allowed an early childhood program to continue virtually. “ The students developed a ‘can do attitude’ while working collaboratively to adapt to their new normal,” said teacher, Michele Leyendecker.

“With so much uncertainty, this project truly gave them purpose.”

The “ T-Bird Readers” team was

awarded Lead4Change’s grand prize, a $10,000 grant for a nonprofit of their choice.

In Garner, N.C., students participated in service learning and emerged as community leaders by directly addressing the local impact of the pandemic. The “Corona Relief Crew” collaborated with volunteers and vendors to create and distribute kits with essential food and supplies for the homeless and those in nursing homes who have been severely impacted by the pandemic.

“Being an adult leader for the Corona Relief Crew has caused a paradigm shift in how I view youth strength and their ability to lead,” educator Dr. Cleopatra Lacewell shared. “ This experience has taught me when students have well-organized plans, identified goals and established team structures, they can then perform as stellar leaders with minimum support.”

The Corona Relief Crew was also honored with Lead4Change’s $10,000 grand prize for their initiative. For more information about the Lead4Change Student Leadership Program, visit lead4change.org.

While distance learning’s impact on students’ education has been unprecedented, this disruption also has presented a unique opportunity for students to overcome obstacles and grow as leaders. With a service-learning project, students can gain a sense of purpose, lead real change in their local community and maintain a sense of unity that is integral during challenging times.

How to Eat to Feel Strong While Sheltering in Place

(StatePoint) With social distancing orders in place in many areas across the country, you may be doing your grocery shopping with shelf stability in mind. But this factor should not be your only priority.

Right now, it’s especially important that the foods you eat also support your health and longevity.

Here are three things to know about eating to feel strong while sheltering in place: 1. Empty Calories Should Get the Boot. Many products designed to last a long time don’t contain the vital nutrients your body needs, and instead, contain artificial ingredients that lead to quick energy and crash cycles. While empty calories will keep you alive, they won’t allow you to thrive, promoting fat over muscle and actually weakening your body’s ability to defend itself.

2. Nutrients Ignite Your Body’s Natural Power to Defend. The COVID-19 crisis highlights the fact that those with compromised

immune systems and those with chronic disease are often the most vulnerable to viral infection. Fortunately, you can help to boost your immunity and defend against certain chronic diseases with a nutrient-packed diet. Why? Nutrients nourish your cells, defend against free radicals, give you energy, and aid muscle growth and repair.

3. Eating to Thrive is Easier Than it Sounds. Getting the “Big Five” -- protein, vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and fiber -- doesn’t have to be a challenge during difficult situations. To get all your essential nutrients in every meal, consider stocking up on products supported by research, such as Nutrient Survival, a line of nutrient dense foods and drinks that are simple to make. Developed by a team of food scientists, researchers, chefs, outdoorsmen, survivalists and adventure athletes who were frustrated with the lack of effective emergency food options, these non-perishable snacks, drinks, entrées and

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Fuel your body right and give empty calories the boot. PHOTO SOURCE: (c) Yuliya Apanasenka / iStock via Getty Images Plus

even coffee are high in protein and contain 14 vitamins and 14 minerals, so you can provide your body with what it needs throughout the day.

To learn more, visit NutrientSurvival. com.

Social disruption should not stop your ability to survive and thrive.

In these challenging times, fueling your body right is one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself.

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BITES

BEVS

5 ISSUE VOL. 5 VOL. ISSUE 5 72323

P K UP UIC PICKP

Many restaurants remain open with reduced staff and increased health protocols to service the community and to weather these very challenging times. To aid in the communication of dynamic changes in the industry, Local Umbrella Media is a resource for san diegans to find restaurants that are currently still open and offering food for pick-up and/or delivery. landini’s Pizza, little italy pick-up and third-party delivery only at little italy location. in-house orders for local deliveries within little italy are available; call 619.238.3502. liberty station location is closed. (liberty public market is closed until further notice.) landinispizzeria.com las Olas mexican Restaurant, Carlsbad and Cardiff pick-up only. call in order ahead. hours may vary. 10% off all food items. margaritas, beer and wine in sealed containers are available with food purchases. catering services via curbside pick-up also available. lasolasmex.com/index.html little Cakes Cupcake Kitchen, vista take-out and curbside pick-up. free next day delivery within 10 mile radius; call for details. email info@ littlecakeskitchen.com or call in for orders. vista location closed during the weekdays starting march 30; open on weekends. bakeries inside of gelson’s markets in la costa and del mar will stay open. littlecakeskitchen.com lobster West, all locations online ordering available at encinitas location only. carlsbad and coronado locations closed as of march 23. lobsterwest.com lotus Café & Juice Bar, encinitas take-out and delivery only. lotuscafeandjuicebar.com love Boat Sushi, Oceanside and San marcos take-out and delivery only. phone, online or in-person take-out orders (not delivery) receive 10% off with coupon (see facebook page). loveboatsushi.com mama’s ‘n Papa’s Pizza grotto, vista pick-up and delivery only. order by phone or online. mamanpapaspizza.com

to-go only. growlers available (new grower fee waived) as well as bottles and local honey. modified wednesday-sunday hours; closed monday and tuesday. check facebook page for menu. meadiocritymead.com

Hacienda de vega, Rancho Santa fe and Carlsbad pick-up and delivery only. family meals are available; $29 for twoperson dinner and $49 for fourperson dinner. haciendadevega.com

mendocino farms, la Jolla and del mar pick-up for online and phone orders, as well as catering and third-party delivery. la jolla and del mar locations open; carlsbad and downtown san diego locations closed. check website for updated location hours and closures. mendocinofarms.com

Helia Brewing Co., vista pick-up and delivery only. open for pick-ups and delivery monday through friday, 3 to 6 p.m. all orders need to be pre-ordered (and prepaid online with credit card) through direct message (@heliabeer), text message 760.274.4968 heliabeer.com Hooked On Sushi, encinitas and Carlsbad take-out only. closed sunday. see website for each location’s adjusted business hours. beer and cold sake are now available to-go. hookedonsushi.co

mikko Sushi, all locations take-out and delivery only. beer and sake available to buy with any food order. locations in carlsbad, vista and escondido. check website for adjusted hours and updates. mikkosushi.com mustangs & Burros, la Jolla to-go menu, drinks and produce bags available for curbside pick-up. see the full menu online. meritagecollection.com/estancia-lajolla/dining/mustangs-and-burros

iron fist Brewing, vista and Barrio logan to-go only. kegs, cans, bottles and growlers are available from vista location only. both tasting rooms in vista and barrio logan are temporarily closed. ironfistbrewing.com

nado republic, coronado take-out only. 15% off all orders. menu available online. nadorep.com

isabelle Briens french Pastry Cafe, encinitas take-out only. pre-order by phone at 760.942.7891. ibcafe.com

napizza, encinitas and little italy pick-up, delivery or catering only. call in or order online. na-pizza.com

Jacked up Brewery, escondido to-go only. kegs (multiple sizes) and $5 cans of beer available. call 760.300.0633 for questions. jackedupbrewery.com

Cesarina, Ocean Beach take-out and delivery only. order online. 100 percent of proceeds will be given to employees. cesarinarestaurant.com H Brothers, escondido open for take-out during temporary hours, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. call ahead at 442.999.5542. closed sunday and monday. hbrothers.net

meadiocrity mead, San marcos

Jojo’s Creamery, encinitas pick-up and delivery only during modified shop hours. closed mondays. order online or by phone. jojoscreamery.com Jorge’s mexicatessen, encinitas (Two locations) take-out only at both encinitas locations. phone orders accepted; call at new number 760.452.2535. facebook.com/jorgesmexicatessen

Kai Ola Sushi, encinitas 15% off to-go and curbside pick-up orders. call ahead at 760.452.2493. see website for full menu. kai-ola.com Ki’s Restaurant, leucadia to-go only. order online or call ahead at 760.436.5236. kisrestaurant.com/ lamppost Pizza, vista to-go only. see website for menu. diy pizza kits offered (while supplies last), as well as four-pack beers and new growlers (growler fee waived). hours may change daily; call 760.407.7600 to confirm. lamppostpizzavista.gimmegrub.com Baps Restaurant, escondido open for curbside, pickup and delivery. bapsrestaurant.com Battlemage Brewing, vista online crowler sales available with curbside pickup. battlemagebrewing.com Birdseye Kitchen, encinitas take-out and phone orders only. call ahead at 760.479.0488. birdseyekitchen.com Bump Coffee, Cardiff By The Sea grab-and-go only. limited menu: hot and cold coffee, bags of coffee, and empanadas. drinkbumpcoffee.com Burger Bench, escondido take-out and curbside pick-up only. limited hours; no breakfast available at this time. burgerbench.com California Homemades, escondido to-go menu only. order online or by phone. preparation time is 25 minutes. prepacked soups and salads are also available. californiahomemades.com Cava, all locations online ordering and pick-up only.

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24 VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

Stay Safe, San Diego

California’s no-bid contracts for pandemic supplies reveal collapsed deals, untested vendors S

ome of the contracts topped out at a half-billion dollars. And in a few instances, readily available public records and some Googling should have raised potential red flags.

A medical equipment supplier that was once raided by the FBI. A business executive fined for making false or misleading statements in financial reports. A corporation fined for Medicaid fraud. At least two companies that had existed less than a week.

These are among the hundreds of vendors the state of California has contracted with, or nearly gone into business with, as government off icials rushed to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic.

While normal bidding and vetting procedures have been suspended during the state of emergency, California has entered into roughly $3 billion worth of no-bid contracts for masks, ventilators, call-center workers and other supplies and services to respond to the health crisis, the state’s procurement database shows.

Some of the vendors are established companies the state has been doing business with for a long time, but others are newcomers that launched amid a chaotic quest for medical supplies. The nationwide scramble kicked off in March when President Donald Trump told governors that states were on their own to secure equipment necessary to manage the pandemic.

Some of the contracts topped out at a half-billion dollars. And in a few instances, readily available public records and some Googling should have raised potential red flags. “Unfortunately, there was a big rush� for equipment around the world, said Francesco Decarolis, an economist at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, and former Stanford University assistant professor with expertise in U.S. procurement policy. “ There was fear of not doing things in time, and under emergency situations normal procedures are bypassed, and it’s very hard to ensure that things run smoothly. This is a wakeup call.�

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state hasn’t lost a penny — though a series of deals that collapsed or stalled have delayed California’s effort to obtain a huge volume of N95 masks. In one case, the state yanked its money back after bankers raised suspicions about a $456.9 million wire transfer to a company called Blue Flame, an intended down payment for 100 million N95 masks, as first reported by CalMatters. The payment and swift reversal were detailed in records obtained from the state Treasurer’s Off ice.

A subsequent deal to buy N95 masks from a company called BYD was delayed because federal health off icials did not initially certify the

masks. After the company missed two deadlines to earn certification, the state extended the contract again last week. The federal occupational safety agency certified the masks Monday, Newsom announced, adding that the company would begin shipping the first of 150 million N95s to California later this week. BYD already refunded half of its initial $495 million payment after blowing an earlier certification deadline.

Asked last week about delays with the BYD transaction, Newsom said: “Under the contract, we pay for what we get. We don’t pay for things we don’t get.�

Newsom’s staff declined to answer a question from CalMatters about whether the governor was personally involved in approving any pandemic contracts.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks out at rows of graves before a wreath laying ceremony in the cemetery at the Veterans Home of California May 22, 2020, in Yountville. Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo/Pool Many of the statewide contracts for pandemic supplies flowed through the Department of General Services, the state’s so-called business manager. Department spokeswoman Monica Hassan said in an email that no purchase is made without approval from the department’s chief procurement off icer. And “high dollar� orders are reviewed and discussed by additional DGS executives, she said.

Since the pandemic began, California off icials have distributed 46 million N95 masks and 104 million procedure masks, according to state data.

Mark Ghilarducci, Newsom’s director of emergency services, has said the state improved its vetting process after the Blue Flame deal collapsed, and that law enforcement off icials are now involved in reviewing potential vendors.

A review of purchase orders and no-bid contracts the state entered into for coronavirus supplies and services, each worth at least $10 million, shows California doing business — or on the brink of doing business — with a handful of vendors who have had brushes with the law or are simply untested.

A company called MedSupply America, for example, lists an Arizona address on its website but filed incorporation papers in Wyoming on April 14. The very same day, it landed a $10.6 million contract with the state of California. The state agreed to buy 3 million N95 medical masks from MedSupply, according to its contract, and the company planned to ship them all by the end of April.

But MedSupply America has had a hard time getting ahold of the coveted N95 masks, a

company spokesman said. So while it’s hoping to deliver at least some of the N95s later this month, he said, it’s also trying to sell the state on a substitute mask it’s marketing. “We will be selling (the N95s) as we can acquire them,� said Kenn Lindh, director of marketing for MedSupply America. “We are really pushing them to our mask because it’s a 30-day mask.�

Branded as “InvisiSmart,� the mask can be reused for up to 30 days, Lindh said, during which the “InvisiSmart� logo fades until it becomes invisible, signaling the mask is no longer effective. It’s a pleated surgical-style mask covered with what Lindh described as an antimicrobial titanium dioxide coating that kills the coronavirus on contact. “Anything that gets near your face, it kills the virus,� he said.

He acknowledged that California hasn’t yet agreed to buy the InvisiSmart masks, although he’s preparing samples for state off icials to evaluate.

An epidemiologist contacted by CalMatters urged the state to be cautious. “ This product makes some concerning claims without any data or research to back it up,� Saskia Popescu, a senior infection prevention epidemiologist at George Mason University, said by email after reviewing the company’s website and a scientific study. “A procedural mask has filters built into it to prevent microbes from getting in, so this attempt at making it microbe-resistant doesn’t make sense.�

She said a scientific study of a similar product — a titanium dioxide coating sprayed on hospital surfaces — found it had no effect in reducing the growth of microbes. The study, unrelated to COVID-19, was published in 2018 in the Journal of Hospital Infection.

Lindh said the company is working on getting certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: “We want to have the best product available out there.�

MedSupply America isn’t the first brand-new company California has gone into business with in its quest to get masks. On March 26, the state wired $456.9 million to Blue Flame Medical — a company two political operatives had created just three days earlier, according to Delaware incorporation records. The state rushed to get its money back after bankers involved in the wire transfer alerted state off icials that they thought the transaction might be fraudulent.

Since then, Congress has announced an inquiry into the company and the Washington Post reported that the federal Department of Justice

Stay Safe, San Diego opened a criminal investigation focused at least on Blue Flame’s failed deals with Maryland and California.

“Widespread shortages of (personal protective equipment) are putting both health care workers’ and patients’ lives at risk,” leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce wrote in a May 18 letter to Blue Flame. “ The serious consequences stemming from PPE shortages are pushing states and localities to turn to new and unproven companies with limited experience in the medical supply industry to supply this critical medical equipment.”

Blue Flame has not yet responded to the letter, a committee spokesperson said, and the company’s attorney declined to comment for this article.

Among other California big-dollar mask deals that fell apart: a nearly $800 million contract with Bear Mountain Development Co. LLC. That company, run by former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, failed to deliver, the Los Angeles Times reported last month.

FREMONT, CA – MARCH 19: Nurses at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Fremont including Madelaine Cuevas, left, protest urging the hospital to give them the right protective equipment such as N95 masks and goggles, on March 19, 2020, in Fremont, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) CalMatters discovered yet another failed attempt by the state of California to obtain millions of N95 masks from a vendor inexperienced in obtaining medical supplies. According to state documents, a $550 million purchase order prepared by the California Department of General Services outlined a deal with Syrup Ventures, a trade financing company. The business address is a 3,500-square-foot home in Houston belonging to Charles Leaver, who describes himself on LinkedIn as Syrup’s chairman and co-founder.

Had Syrup’s purchase order gone through, it would have been one of the state’s largest COVID-19-related contracts.

“We never had any official agreement,” Leaver told CalMatters. “ There was a conditional agreement that was set up, but nothing was ever met and nothing was ever done.”

Syrup canceled the deal with California, a spokesperson for the Department of General Services said, because the vendor couldn’t deliver the goods.

It’s unclear whether California officials knew that in 2006, Leaver was assessed a $30,000 civil penalty in a Texas federal court after he and 12 others were sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over an alleged stock manipulation scheme. The SEC had accused Leaver of making false or misleading statements in financial reports for a software company he once ran. Federal court documents show Leaver did not admit or deny the allegations in the SEC complaint.

“No charges were ever brought,” Leaver said. “I can serve on a board. And I can be a CEO of a public company.”

The quest for masks wasn’t the only thing attracting some unusual players to California’s system of government contracting. The state in April agreed to buy $139 million worth of ventilators and related equipment from Ashli Healthcare Inc., a medical supply company that was raided by the FBI in 2013.

Neither Ashli nor its owner, Heriberto Diaz of Bakersfield, were charged with any crime or assessed any penalties. In January 2018, the search warrant affidavit was suddenly unsealed in the Eastern District of California. The 111-page document signed by then FBI Special Agent Sharron M. Cannella cited probable cause to Local News > LocalUmbrellaNews.com

suspect Medicare fraud, saying the company “exhibited a significant spike in billing from 2010 through 2012” that included billing for more than 125 patients who were dead. Ashli’s Medicare billing increased more than 500 percent during that two-year period, according to figures from the affidavit.

The FBI agent’s affidavit alleged a kickback scheme between Ashli and several doctors who prescribed equipment such as ventilators, power wheelchairs and hospital beds that patients did not need or use.

“While Ashli may have conducted a small amount of legitimate business, given what appears to be a high volume of fraudulent billings

by Ashli, it is not possible to distinguish fraudulent records from non-fraudulent ones prior to a search,” the affidavit states.

Diaz did not return CalMatters’ calls for comment. In 2013, he released a statement saying he was confident the federal investigation would “reaffirm our ongoing ethical business practices.”

In the Sacramento-based Eastern District, the U.S. Attorney’s Office refused to move forward.

The “investigation has since been closed and did not result in any indictments,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant B. Rabenn on Jan. 10, 2018, while requesting that the court unseal documents in the case.

In 2015, two years after raiding Ashli Healthcare’s Bakersfield office and several other locations, FBI special agent Cannella was reprimanded in a scathing ruling in Texas by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert F. Castaneda. The case, unrelated to Ashli Healthcare, involved her role as the lead investigator in a 2010 bank robbery case in El Paso.

According to Judge Castaneda’s ruling, Canella’s “distortion of certain facts in her probable cause affidavit” led to false imprisonment of a robbery suspect. The suspect was eventually awarded $402,000 in damages. “ The Court finds that SA Cannella’s conduct crossed the line from negligent to intentional misconduct, or at a minimum bad faith,” wrote Judge Castaneda on March 23, 2015.

According to her LinkedIn profile, special agent Cannella left the FBI in July 2013, a few months after the Ashli raid.

Cannella did not respond to calls and messages for comment. An FBI spokesperson in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on Cannella’s time as an agent and if any of her cases were tossed out because of Judge Castaneda’s ruling.

Diaz told The Sacramento Bee last month that Ashli had not yet been paid by the state for the ventilators, and wouldn’t be until the equipment was delivered.

Hassan, a Department of General Services spokeswoman, said the state did not know about the FBI raid on Ashli.

Asked whether the department has any plans /LocalUmbrellaMedia

VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 25 to change its emergency contracting procedures, she said: “DGS enhanced its procurement process during this emergency response and continuously re-evaluates its process in order to ensure the state gets the best products for the best price.”

One company that has been doing business with the state for many years got an additional $15.5 million contract to answer phone calls from Californians about COVID-19. Maximus — a Virginia-based company that runs call centers across the country to help people apply for government benefits — has entered into dozens of contracts with California going back to 2007, according to the state’s procurement database.

That year, it paid $30.5 million and admitted responsibility in settling a federal investigation into Medicaid fraud after it was accused of billing the government for more services than it actually provided. The company has faced other legal challenges over the years: In 2010, Maximus paid $2.5 million to settle a lawsuit by the state of Connecticut over a contract to revamp its criminal justice computer system. The company denied it had breached the contract and blamed the problem on a subcontractor. In 2017, it paid $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit by supervisors at its Idaho and Texas call centers, who alleged various labor violations, including that the company failed to pay overtime. Maximus did not agree with the allegations but said in court documents that it settled the case to “avoid further expense and risk associated with protracted litigation.”

More recently, NBC News and the Hattiesburg American newspaper reported workers at a Maximus call center in Mississippi have complained that the company failed to follow social distancing guidelines to stem the spread of the coronavirus — even as its workers were tasked with dispensing advice to callers about the importance of social distancing — and that the company lagged in providing masks to its workers and allowing them to work from home.

Maximus employees have called attention to the issues as part of a broader effort to join the Communications Workers of America, as detailed on the labor union’s website.

The company’s contract with California, however, involves “an entirely work from home model, protecting our staff and helping employ residents who may have experienced job loss during the crisis,” Maximus CEO Bruce Caswell said on a quarterly earnings call last month.

California State Auditor Elaine Howle called out problems with the state’s use of no-bid contracts in a 2017 audit. Though the report didn’t specifically look at contracting during emergencies, it found that during a five-year period, key departments “did not provide adequate oversight of the billions of dollars that agencies awarded through noncompetitive contracts.”

Competitive bidding should be used whenever possible, the audit said, because its processes are designed to “eliminate favoritism, fraud, and corruption.” The audit recommended that the Legislature require state agencies to submit an annual report detailing all noncompetitive contracts they approve worth $1 million or more.

“In addition, the Legislature could require agencies to publicly justify their noncompetitive requests in Legislative hearings when it sees fit,” the audit recommends.

A 2018 bill that would have required annual reporting on no-bid contracts was killed by lawmakers before it could get a vote on the Assembly floor.

CalMatters reporter Rachel Becker contributed to this article.

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26 VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

A

Stay Safe, San Diego

San Diego Oasis Featured in National Campaign on Virtual Senior Centers

t the onset of the shelterin-place orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, the leaders at the nonprofit San Diego Oasis had to make very quick decisions on how to continue to deliver their classes and workshops virtually. Until then, all of their classes were delivered in-person at more than 40 locations throughout the San Diego County region.

Although San Diego Oasis’ mission is to change the way people experience aging, adjusting to a 100% fully online environment was a big change and risk. The team trained and coached their professors and experts in history, humanities, language, technology, art, finance, fitness, and more to bring their presentations online. It has paid off for the nonprofit, in ways they could never imagine, and created a virtual senior center, replacing their physical community presence temporarily. “ Today’s older adults are more vibrant and busier than seniors of yesteryear,� says Simona Valanciute, president and CEO, San Diego Oasis. “Some of our students jumped in to take on the challenge of taking classes online, others were hesitant, but with coaching from volunteers from Qualcomm and the community at large, we have been able to be there every step of the way to transition how students take classes and how instructors present them.

We are also attracting new students who haven’t had an opportunity to come into our physical location at Grossmont Center, but through the new ‘virtual senior center’ model, they can. The classes we offer allow students to continue with their studies and participate in new ones, while not physically being together.�

San Diego Oasis featured in new campaign produced by Cox A new social media campaign from Cox Communications features the virtual senior center created by San Diego Oasis, as part of the technology company’s Connection Project initiative, a non-branded campaign which began the COVID-19 period by reaching people with messages of connection. A short film captures the importance of connection and the real power of technology to bring us closer to one another at a time when it is needed. The production team also created a second short film, which focuses on one student’s story. Vickie Daleo from Escondido was a caregiver for her husband, and after his death, she sought new connections through San Diego Oasis. “Using video conferencing and live streaming, Cox partnered with the

Oasis Senior Center in San Diego to help take their curriculum into a virtual world and reunite older adults with their friends and communities,� says Chanelle Hawken, vice president of government and public affairs, Cox California. “We have always known that the most meaningful connections are the ones people share with each other.

As a digital connections company, we know that we are really in the business of human connections. It’s our purpose and why we do what we do.�

“Today’s older adults are more vibrant and busier than seniors of yesteryear,�

- Simona Valanciute “Social isolation is an epidemic among seniors already, with some studies indicating social isolation is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day,� continues Valanciute. “So when Cox connected with us to create this documentary style film to feature a virtual senior center, we immediately said yes, because if we can reach more people to inspire them to stay connected, we can combat the detrimental effects of social isolation, among seniors in San Diego, throughout California, and across the United States.�

Longtime San Carlos resident Ed

Robles is not someone who stays at home easily. Before California’s shelter-in-place orders went into effect, the 93-year-old World War II veteran was busy and active, filling his time with personal training sessions, coffee club, and volunteering with the San Diego Police Department’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP), where he even won “Law Enforcement Volunteer of the Year� in 2015.

Almost as soon as the pandemic hit, his granddaughter Christianna Ortiz set Robles up on Zoom, and he dove right into the San Diego Oasis course catalog. He now takes 8 to 10 classes per week, in subjects such as philosophy, tai chi, history, and technology. His new online life isn’t limited to educational pursuits, either. “He loves Instagram,� says Ortiz with a laugh. “He has his own page and spams me.� However, she emphasizes online learning has been the key to preserving Ed’s mental health—and thereby his physical health—while he’s social distancing. “ The classes make him think and engage while at home. It’s amazing the amount of questions he has.�

Robles has eagerly embraced virtual learning, fitness classes and social groups, and he will likely keep these up long after the state re-opens. “Ed’s experience shows that our 65+ population can confidently navigate life online, which will be crucial for combating social isolation in the long months until it’s safe for seniors to re-engage physically with society—and, even more importantly, demonstrates that the solution to isolation in older adults may very well be virtual, especially for those who are already home-

bound or have limited mobility,� says Valanciute.

Featured class on June 30 addresses racism, social justice All classes offered by San Diego Oasis range from free to low-cost and are available to adults age 50 and over. Class fees cover costs and support the mission of San Diego Oasis. On Tuesday, June 30 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., San Diego Oasis hosts “Dismantling Racism One Insight at a Time,� led by popular instructor Peter Bolland who is featured in the short film produced

by Cox and is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Southwestern College. Class description: Our great unfinished work in the United States, and the world over, is finally coming to terms with racism in authentic, meaningful, and transformative ways. At root, racism stems from deep structures within consciousness, which then get codified into repressive hierarchical systems that benefit the in-group at the expense of the out-group. In this inquiry we will do the important work of peeling back the layers of unconscious bias, laying bare the untold history of supremacy, and raise our eyes to the realization of the promise of America – a land where all are created equal.� Course fee for Class #321 is $15. Participants are encouraged to pre-register for Bolland’s presentation and other classes, through their website, www.sandiegooasis.org. For more information, call 619-881-6262.

About San Diego Oasis San Diego Oasis, an award-winning nonprofit organization, is on a mission to change the way people experience aging and pursue vibrant, healthy, productive and meaningful lives through education and community service. The community-based organization hosts over 3,000 workshops annually at over 40 locations to 5,600 active participants throughout San Diego County, and is now delivering programs and workshops with their virtual senior center in response to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place health order.

The nonprofit’s Intergenerational Literacy Tutoring Program matches an older adult in the life of an at-risk, low-income student in grades K-4. Their flagship center, located in La Mesa’s Grossmont Center, is an exemplary model of engagement for people age 50 and better. Learn more at www.SanDiegoOasis.org, connect on Facebook or call 619-881-6262.

About Cox Communications Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve six million homes and businesses across 18 states.

We’re dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.

Stay Safe, San Diego

VOL. 5 ISSUE 7 27

A

Newcourse offering led by Scripps Oceanography enables students to develop solutions to real-world problems facing theocean

new course offering at UC San Diego is providing students with tools and training to tackle real-world problems facing the ocean environment. Launched in the spring of 2020, Hacking for the Oceans is a solutions-focused class led by marine scientists Eric Terrill and Sophia Merrifield at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and collaborator Steve Weinstein, a lecturer at UC Berkeley and Stanford.

In the course, of which the development was co-funded by the National Philanthropic Trust, interdisciplinary teams of students work closely with outside sponsors to develop rapid prototypes and innovative solutions to ocean-related challenges (think: ocean pollution, illegal fishing, real-time monitoring). Students are challenged to develop feasible solutions that are not only scientifically or technically possible but also have high potential to be adopted by end-users and a revenue-generating strategy.

Each team receives weekly guidance from their sponsor as well as an entrepreneurial mentor, further exposing students to the possibilities of a career outside academia. Sponsors range from local, state, and federal agencies to industry and non-governmental organizations. “ There’s certainly a gap between innovative research in academics and the translation of those ideas into products and services that are available to the public,� said Scripps scientist Merrifield, co-developer and instructor of Hacking for the Oceans. “ The course focuses on ‘outside-of-the-classroom’ interviews to understand the demand signal for a solution before pivoting to technical development and deployment strategies, similar to what you would find in a startup.�

The oceans-oriented program is modeled after Hacking for Defense, a course that focuses on training students to address national security challenges. Initially launched at Stanford, Hacking for Defense has since expanded to more than 30 universities across the United States, including UC San Diego. It is a program of the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), powered by BMNT Inc. and the Common Mission Project—BMNT’s nonprofit arm which coordinates and facilitates entrepreneurship programs. “I was thrilled to find kindred spirits at UC San Diego in Sophia and Eric who felt that it was important to create a new generation of entrepreneurs focused on the mission of ocean health,� said class instructor Weinstein, senior vice president of strategy at BMNT and a board member of the Common Mission Project. “Our mission at the Common Mission Project is to create an international network of entrepreneurs solving the tough problems. We felt that the oceans was an area that is underfunded and not a focal point for entrepreneurship, and figured teaming up with UC San Diego was the first step in creating a new network of mission-driven entrepreneurs.�

Students in both the hacking courses learn how to apply lean startup principles—a variation of the Lean LaunchPad methodology developed by Steve Blank, creator of the Lean

Startup movement—to topical problems. This agile approach flips the standard business model on its head, calling for startups to rapidly experiment and gather feedback from potential customers before developing any further plans. “ The lean methodologies are designed to allow the students to apply the rigor of their science and engineering backgrounds to oceanthemed societal and technical challenges in an eff icient manner,� said Scripps oceanographer Terrill, co-developer and instructor of the new course. “We hope that the students’ experiences in communicating with their external sponsors and mentors, framing problems, and scoping solutions will carry with them as they leave the confines of academia. The outpouring of support from our sponsors and external mentors should cement for the students the value of their greatest asset—their education.�

While Hacking for the Oceans is led by Scripps, most of the 20 students are from other departments on campus, primarily the Jacobs School of Engineering. Enrollees include both undergraduate and graduate students, with areas of study including computer science and engineering, nanoengineering, electrical engineering, physical oceanography, and more.

This quarter, teams are working on the following projects: • Using radar and satellite data to detect routes in sea ice that can be used for safe polar navigation (Sponsor: Capella Space, Mentor: Gwen Nero, Scripps Oceanography); • Creating a software suite of autonomous unmanned surface vehicle (USV) behaviors for scientists and USV pilots to plan and execute their missions, including monitoring the environment for harmful algal blooms (Sponsor: Boeing, Mentor: Ellen Chang, BMNT); • Designing a cheap, durable flooding sensor and data acquisition system to provide critical alert information for vulnerable coastal communities (Sponsor: Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, Mentor: Rustom Jehangir, Blue Robotics); • Leveraging shortcomings in available data and technology to provide an insight into ‘potential fishy activity’—illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (Sponsor: NASA, Mentor: Chris Ward, Delawarde Consulting); • Designing a hardware attachment that effectively collects and analyzes in-situ water samples for micro-pollutants on location from different depths of the water column (Sponsor: AIIM Partners, Mentor: Paula Silvia, Port of San Diego).

Michelle Sit, a computer science and engineering master’s student, is on the team that’s developing a generalized autonomy software package for unmanned surface vehicles. The team is working to develop a user-friendly interface for scientists monitoring harmful algal blooms (HABs) by using the Liquid Robotics Wave Glider. “Broadly, we are excited about how our framework can be used for other similar scenarios that involve patrolling an area and following

a target of interest,� said Sit. “Some relevant audiences that come to mind are biological oceanographers, trash clean-up efforts, oil and gas companies, and the Navy.�

The interdisciplinary nature of this class was a major draw for Sit, who comes from a technical background. She started the course with no scientific knowledge about the ocean but said she’s already learned a great deal from the lectures and guest speakers. “As an engineer, I find it fascinating to learn about what solutions interdisciplinary teams have come together and created to solve these problems,� said Sit. “I really appreciated conducting informational interviews to get a better sense of the current state of problems that scientists and engineers are looking to solve in this field. The teaching team and mentors have been phenomenal in providing great advice and feedback to guide us in the right direction.�

While in-person collaboration wasn’t possible this quarter due to the COVID-19 campus closure, the instructors tried to foster comments between groups with breakout rooms, feedback documents, and encouraging comments after presentations. The instructors hope to offer the Hacking for the Oceans class again next spring, and eventually, to expand it to other universities.

The current teams will be sharing their final projects on June 11 in a public presentation, giving sponsors and mentors a chance to see the culmination of 10 weeks of hard work, and the potential for future collaboration and innovation. Those interested in tuning in to the remote event can RSVP by visiting the event registration page. – Brittany Hook About Scripps Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today on every continent and in every ocean. The institution has a staff of more than 1,400 and annual expenditures of approximately $195 million from federal, state, and private sources. Scripps operates oceanographic research vessels recognized worldwide for their outstanding capabilities. Equipped with innovative instruments for ocean exploration, these ships constitute mobile laboratories and observatories that serve students and researchers from institutions throughout the world. Birch Aquarium at Scripps serves as the interpretive center of the institution and showcases Scripps research and a diverse array of marine life through exhibits and programming for more than 430,000 visitors each year. Learn more at scripps. ucsd.edu and follow us at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About UC San Diego At the University of California San Diego, we embrace a culture of exploration and experimentation. Established in 1960, UC San Diego has been shaped by exceptional scholars who aren’t afraid to look deeper, challenge expectations and redefine conventional wisdom. As one of the top 15 research universities in the world, we are driving innovation and change to advance society, propel economic growth and make our world a better place.

Learn more at www.ucsd.edu. https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/students-poised-tackle-environmental-challenges-hacking-oceans-course

28 VOL. 5 ISSUE 7

Stay Safe, San Diego

Nonprofit r e t n e C r o i n ‘Se ’ s l l a W t u o With Helps Local

y a t S y l i m a F Connected

By Simona Valanciute San Carlos resident Ed Robles is not someone who stays at home easily. Before California’s shelter-in-place orders went into effect, the 93-year-old World War II veteran was busy and active, filling his time with personal training sessions, coffee club and volunteering with San Diego’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol, where he even won “Law Enforcement Volunteer of the Year” in 2015. Unfortunately, social distancing restrictions have forced him to sideline all of his in-person social, fitness and volunteer activities.

But Ed hasn’t been lonely or lacking in purpose.

In fact, just the opposite: he has eagerly embraced virtual learning, fitness classes and social groups, and he will likely keep these up long after the state re-opens. Ed’s experience shows that our 65+ population can confidently navigate life online, which will be crucial for combating social isolation in the long months until it’s safe for seniors to re-engage physically with society—and, even more importantly, demonstrates that the solution to isolation in older adults may very well be virtual, especially for those who are already homebound or have limited mobility.

Not all elderly individuals are able to be as active as Ed. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness and social isolation were already a serious concern for seniors. Studies show that social isolation, which leads to higher levels of cardiac disease and mental health issues, can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Being in lockdown has inevitably exacerbated these negative effects for seniors who were already isolated and cut many more off from their social lifelines outside the home. California has recognized this, and implemented statewide efforts to combat social isolation among seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while immediate services such as meals and transportation are vital to every seniors’ wellbeing, the longer-term benefits to their health will come from social engagement online.

Ed’s granddaughter Christianna Ortiz, who he has lived with for the past three years alongside her wife Jeune, knew her active grandfather needed a way to be engaged with the world if he couldn’t leave the house. Almost as soon as the pandemic hit, Christianna signed Ed up for online classes with San Diego Oasis, a nonprofit that provides lifelong learning courses for seniors. Due to the pandemic, the organizaLocal News > LocalUmbrellaNews.com

tion moved its courses online (literally over one weekend) - and has seen a new level of engagement from older students and instructors alike as hundreds enrolled and continue to sign up in droves. The average San Diego Oasis online student is 71 years old, and some are in their 90s.

Instructors are typically around 60 years old.

All have eagerly embraced the online learning model, and some classes are seeing upwards of 150 registrants.

Once Christianna set him up on Zoom, Ed dove right into the Oasis course catalogue. He now takes 8 to 10 classes per week, in subjects such as philosophy, tai chi, history and technology. His new online life isn’t limited to educational pursuits, either.

“He loves Instagram,” says Christianna with a laugh. “He has his own page and spams me.”

However, she emphasizes online learning has been the key to preserving Ed’s mental health— /LocalUmbrellaMedia

and thereby his physical health—while he’s social distancing. “ They make him think and engage while at home. It’s amazing the amount of questions he has.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on older adults, both physically and mentally.

Whether they’re virtual classes, social media groups or any other sort of online gathering, “senior centers without walls” may be crucial to the health of our seniors. Students like Ed prove how flexible, dynamic and curious our seniors are—far from the fearful, technology-shy stereotypes often reflected in the media. Creating new virtual spaces for seniors to gather, socialize and learn new skills will keep them truly healthy both now and for years after life resumes something resembling “normal.”

Simona Valanciute is the president and CEO of San Diego Oasis, an award-winning nonprofit organization serving people age 50 and better, who pursue healthy aging through lifelong learning, active lifestyles, and community service. Learn more at http://www.sandiegooasis.org.

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