SB American News Week Ending 6/18

Black Cities Targeted Again? Trump’s Federal Playbook Expands

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

As National Guard troops flood into Los Angeles at President Donald Trump’s command—without the consent of California’s governor— Black communities across the United States are seeing history repeat itself. The aggressive federal response mirrors what unfolded in Washington, D.C. in 2020, when Trump deployed federal forces to crush protests for George Floyd, resulting in the teargassing of peaceful demonstrators outside the White House. Now, with immigration raids sparking protest in majorityBlack and Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles like Compton and Paramount, Trump has again used federal troops to confront civilians. For Black communities in Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, New Orleans, and other cities where resistance often rises from the streets, the latest

crackdown in Los Angeles is not just another news story—it’s a clear and dangerous signal.

Here are five reasons why Black communities nationwide should be paying attention:

The Federal Response in L.A. Mirrors 2020’s Assault on Black Protestors

What Trump is doing in Los Angeles—using military force against protestors without state consent—is the same tactic used against Black-led protests in 2020. From Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., Black communities bore the brunt of that crackdown. This is not a new chapter—it’s a rerun. Cities with High Black Populations Are Often Epicenters for Protest Cities like Atlanta, Chicago,

Memphis, and Ferguson have been home to historic uprisings against police violence and systemic racism. These cities are likely to be on the federal radar again if unrest rises—especially under a Trump administration with expanded authority and a clear record of targeting protest.

Project 2025 Would Strip Civil Rights Protections and Expand Federal Policing Project 2025, developed by Trump allies at the Heritage Foundation, outlines plans to dismantle the DOJ’s civil rights division, roll back diversity programs, and grant the president sweeping control over law enforcement. That puts Blackled movements, Black mayors, and Black communities directly in harm’s way.

Federal Overreach Bypasses Local Black Leadership

Many majority-Black cities are led by Black mayors and city councils. But in 2020 and now again in 2025, the Trump administration has shown a willingness to ignore or override local Black leadership, sending in troops regardless of opposition. That same strategy could be applied to any Blackrun city.

Trump’s Rhetoric Continues to Criminalize Black Dissent Trump’s language— labeling protestors as “looters” and “thugs”—was widely condemned in 2020 as racist and inflammatory. Now, he’s using it again in response to the L.A. demonstrations. Black voices demanding justice are still being framed as threats, justifying federal crackdowns in ways that disproportionately affect Black communities.

Air Quality Board Rejects Two Rules Written to Ban Gas Water Heaters and Furnaces

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Two proposed rules to eliminate the usage of gas water heaters and furnaces by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California were rejected by the Governing Board on June 6. Energy policy analysts say the board’s decision has broader implications for the state. With a 7-5 vote, the board decided not to amend Rules 1111 and1121 at the meeting held in Diamond Bar in L.A. County.

The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units.

“We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez.

“It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

The AQMD governing board is a 13-member body responsible

for setting air quality policies and regulations within the South Coast Air Basin, which covers areas in four counties: Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and parts of Los Angeles County.

The board is made up of representatives from various elected offices within the region, along with members who are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Rules Committee.

Holly J. Mitchell, who serves as a County Supervisor for the Second District of Los Angeles County, is a SCAQMD board member. She supported the amendments, but respected the board’s final decision, stating it was a “compromise.”

“In my policymaking experience, if you can come up with amended language that everyone finds some fault with, you’ve probably threaded the needle as best as you can,” Mitchell said before the vote.

“What I am not okay with is serving on AQMD is making no decision. Why be here? We have a responsibility to do all that we can to get us on a path to cleaner air.”

The rules proposed by AQMD,

Rule 1111 and Rule 1121, aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters.

Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 were designed to control air pollution, particularly emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Two days before the Governing Board’s vote, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa asked SCAQMD to reject the two rules.

Villaraigosa expressed his concerns during a Zoom call with the Cost of Living Council, a Southern California organization that also opposes the rules. Villaraigosa said the regulations are difficult to understand.

“Let me be clear, I’ve been a big supporter of AQMD over the decades. I have been a believer and a fighter on the issue of climate change my entire life,” Villaraigosa said. “But there is no question that what is going on now just doesn't make sense. We are engaging in regulations that are put on the backs of working families, small businesses, and the middle class, and we don’t have the grid for all this.”

Rules 1111 and 1121 would also establish manufacturer

requirements for the sale of space and water heating units that meet low-NOx and zero-NOx emission standards that change over time, according to SCAQMD.

The requirements also include a mitigation fee for NOxemitting units, with an option to pay a higher mitigation fee if manufacturers sell more low-NOx water heating and space units.

Proponents of the proposed rules say the fees are designed to incentivize actions that reduce emissions.

Michael Bustamante, Executive Director and Board Chair of the Latino Consumer Federation, refers to Rules 1111 and 1121 as expensive “misguided rules” that would put more financial pressure on homeowners and renters.

Bustamante is a member of the Cost of Living Council, which consists of 75 social justice, affordable housing, landlord, tenant, and senior living advocates.

“We formed not only to help galvanize community leaders but also to make clear from a community standpoint that these rules will cause significant harm to renters and homeowners alike,” Bustamante said.

Inland Empire Regional Summit Reimagines Route 66 And Champions The Future Of Southern California Tourism

BARSTOW,CA — MAY 22, 2025 — Inland Empire Tourism:

The Regional Summit 2025 — the only official annual tourism conference and international marketplace dedicated to San Bernardino County and Riverside County — welcomed over 250 attendees, 30 sponsors, and more than 25 speakers to the historic Barstow Harvey House and the newly reopened California Route 66 Mother Road Museum. Hosted by Discover Inland Empire (Discover IE), the Summit spotlighted the region’s transformation into one of California’s most sought-after travel destinations. This year’s Summit took the form of an energetic “open house,” uniting elected officials, community leaders, Route 66 champions, travel suppliers, global buyers, and media under

one roof. Freddy Bi, President & CEO of Discover IE, set the tone with a compelling statement: “Travelers today either go where everyone goes, or where no one has gone before. With more than 60 million people and 19 million vehicles passing through Barstow each year, the upcoming Route 66 Centennial presents a oncein-a-generation opportunity to position the Inland Empire and greater Southern California as a leading travel destination. This milestone is also a powerful catalyst to boost tourism, uplift small businesses, and fuel sustainable economic growth across the region.” City of Barstow Mayor Tim Silva and Derek Armstrong, Director of Economic Development for San Bernardino

Soldiers march in formation

(Discover IE President & CEO Freddy Bi delivered opening remarks at the Inland Empire Tourism: The Regional Summit 2025)

Thursday, June 12, 2025 THE

The Building Blocks of Math That Young Students Need to Excel — But Aren’t Always Getting

By Holly Korbey, Hechinger Report

Maths learning concept

ATLANTA — Students gathered around a bright blue number board in Melissa Williams’ kindergarten class at the Westminster School, gazing at the bank of 100 blank squares, organized in rows and columns of 10. Their assignment was to pick a numbered tile and figure out where it should go on the board. The task seems simple, but Williams’ goal was to bolster students’ “number sense” — a difficult-to-define skill, but one that is nevertheless essential for more advanced mathematics. One student with a “42” tile carefully counted the squares in each row. “Ten!” he said. Counting each row by tens — 10, 20, 30 — he came to 40, then moved his finger to the next row and counted the next two to arrive at 42. The fact that the student was able to count by tens and then add two, rather than counting each square up to 42, is an example of number sense.

Other examples include understanding the size of numbers about one another, finding missing numbers in a sequence, understanding that written numbers like “100” represent 100 items, and counting by ones, twos, fives, and tens. Each of these skills is critical to understanding math, just like grasping the connection between letters and the sounds they represent is a must-have skill for fluent reading. Number sense

is so innate to many adults that they may not remember being taught such skills. It is crucial to mastering more complex math skills like manipulating fractions and decimals or solving equations with unknown variables, experts say. Research shows that a flexible understanding of numbers is strongly correlated to later math achievement and the ability to solve problems presented in different ways. Unlike the recent surge of evidence on science-based reading instruction, research and emphasis on number sense isn’t making its way into schools and classrooms in the same way. Students spend less time on foundational numeracy compared with what they spend on reading; elementary teachers often receive less training in how to teach math effectively; and schools use fewer interventions for students who need extra math support.

Many American students struggle in math. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, nearly 1 in 4 fourth graders and 39 percent of eighth graders scored “below basic,” the test’s lowest category. An analysis of state tests shows that few states have recovered students from pandemic math losses, with disadvantaged students from low-income neighborhoods hit especially hard. For those struggling students — including those diagnosed with dyscalculia and related learning challenges — lack of number sense often plays a significant role. “For kids that have a fundamental weakness in mathematics, 80 percent or 90 percent of the time that’s going to be linked to a lack of

continued in next 2 columns

Inland Empire Regional Summit Reimagines Route 66 And Champions The Future Of Southern California Tourism...continued from page 1

County welcomed participants to the “Hub of the West,” located in the nation’s largest county by land area. Lynn Carpenter, Visit California’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, delivered a rousing keynote highlighting statewide tourism trends and the Inland Empire’s growing role in California’s travel economy. Thanks to robust collaboration with Visit California, travel spending in the San Bernardino County and Riverside County surged to $16.7 billion in 2024, supporting more than 155,900 regional jobs. Kenji Hall, General Manager of Yaamava’ Resort and Casino at San Manuel, took the stage to share the recent reclamation of the ancestral name, Yuhaaviatam of the San Manuel Nation, along with ongoing investments in innovation, recruitment, and talent development.

Evidence-Based Early Literacy Bill AB 1454 Passes California Assembly with Unanimous 75-0 Vote

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assembly Bill 1454, jointly authored by Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), and Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) – passed the full Assembly floor with a unanimous 75-0 vote – a rare and resounding bipartisan show of support.

California’s reading achievement gaps by both income and race are among the widest in the nation. Only 4 in 10 third graders read at grade level, with outcomes even worse for English learners and low-income Black and Latino students.

AB 1454 directly addresses these disparities by equipping California’s elementary school teachers with effective training on reading instruction, and ensuring that evidence-based instructional materials used in classrooms are aligned to decades of research on how children learn to read.

AB 1454 also includes updates to administrator preparation programs, so principals and school leaders can support strong literacy practices in their school communities.

"Learning to read is lifechanging for a child,” said Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas). “And strong reading skills are the gateway to academic success, lifelong confidence and opportunity. With this legislation, we take a clear and a necessary step toward ensuring every child in California learns to read, and read well. This bill is supported by a broad and growing coalition all united in one belief: That we can and must do better for our students."

filled with opportunity,” said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice. “We’re seeing what’s possible when advocates, families, teachers, and policymakers work together to solve big challenges. We're thankful to have champions like Governor Newsom, Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Rubio, and Assemblymember Muratsuchi leading the charge on this vital issue for California's children. This is progress in action: we’re moving from talking about the literacy crisis to taking meaningful steps to address it – and EdVoice is proud to be a positive force in moving this issue forward.”

If enacted, AB 1454 would: Require the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt a new list of English language arts/ English language development instructional materials that aligns with evidence-based means of teaching literacy.

Local Education Agencies must follow the SBE’s guidance when updating materials or certify that the materials they choose are aligned with SBE’s criteria.

Provide funding for TK-5 literacy teachers to be trained in evidence-based literacy practices using a list adopted by the SBE and published by the California Department of Education.

Update standards for administrator preparation programs to include training on effective means of teaching literacy so that school leaders can better support their staff.

Legacy Bridges Foundation Launches Free 4-Week Virtual Advocacy Workshop to Empower Families, Caregivers, and SelfAdvocates

Inland Empire, CA – June 9, 2025 — The Legacy Bridges Foundation is proud to announce the launch of Your Voice, Your Power—a free, 4-week virtual advocacy workshop designed to equip individuals with the tools, confidence, and community support needed to create meaningful change.

This dynamic workshop is open to parents and caregivers of individuals with disabilities, self-advocates, and community allies who are ready to turn lived experiences into advocacy that gets results. Whether you’re just beginning your advocacy journey or feeling stuck navigating complex systems, this program offers a path forward.

“So many families feel alone, overwhelmed, or unheard. Your Voice, Your Power is here to change that,” said Melanee A. Stovall, MBA, Executive Director of Legacy Bridges Foundation.

“We want participants to leave this workshop feeling confident, connected, and ready to speak up—for themselves or their loved ones.”

���� Workshop Details:

Dates: Tuesdays – July 29, August 5, August 12, and August 19, 2025

Time: 5:30–6:30 PM (PT)

Format: Virtual via Zoom

Cost: Free

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�� Workshop Topics:

Each session is designed to build confidence, connection, and practical advocacy skills:

Week 1: Advocacy Starts with You

Week 2: Building Your Advocacy Network

Week 3: Communicating & Advocating Effectively

Week 4: Reflecting, Following Up & Moving Forward

�� Participants Will Learn How To:

Speak up with confidence

Navigate systems like education, healthcare, and social services

Build networks of support and collective power

Advocate effectively for lasting change

No experience is needed—just your lived truth.

About Legacy Bridges Foundation:

Register here: https:// us06web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/4ATX3DNfQSS-

Legacy Bridges Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to empowering individuals with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities and their families through education, advocacy, and community connection.

The panel celebrated the power of cross-sector collaboration, showcasing how global travel buyers and media have been successfully drawn to attractions such as The Cheech, Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre, Idyllwild Regional Park, and Desert Hills Premium Outlets through strategic partnerships with Discover IE. These efforts are driving not only tourism, but broader regional prosperity through cultural exchange and innovation.

The day concluded with the highly anticipated panel, “SoCal Is Who We Are,” featuring leading executives from Discover Los Angeles, Visit Anaheim, Ontario International Airport, and San Bernardino International Airport. Panelists championed the power of unified branding to elevate Southern California on the global stage — especially in anticipation of key events and projects like the Route 66 Centennial, OCVIBE, DisneylandForward, and the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games. Their unified message: this is Southern California’s moment to shine, and the world is watching.

Attendees also took part in the vibrant International Marketplace, where more than 60 global travel professionals and media outlets connected with local destinations and tourism businesses — laying the groundwork for fresh partnerships, international promotion, and long-term growth for the Inland Empire and beyond.

A standout panel discussion, “Endless Ways to Experience Route 66 in San Bernardino County” brought together civic leaders from cities and communities spanning Needles to Upland, representing nearly 80% of California’s portion of Route 66. The conversation centered on the revitalization of this legendary highway, a movement being spearheaded by Freddy Bi as a member of the California Route 66 Task Force, which is working to preserve its historic charm while unlocking its potential as a driver of economic development, cultural tourism, and community pride. In another highlight, “Endless Ways to Play in Riverside County” featured leaders from across the county’s five districts — representing sectors like retail, film, workforce development, regional parks, and economic development.

Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said: “I am so grateful for the support of my colleagues who continue prioritizing early literacy, especially as we head into a season of tough budget decisions. As a former teacher and an English learner, I’ve seen firsthand the life-changing power of investing in our students –and the lifelong consequences they face when they don’t get the instruction they need. AB 1454, if fully funded, will put California on a successful path to literacy. By equipping teachers with effective training and students with research-aligned materials, we would be creating the conditions for millions of children to become strong readers, confident learners and future leaders.”

“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to providing every child in California with effective reading instruction and futures

AB 1454 is co-authored by Assemblymembers Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), and Dr. Darshana Patel (D-San Diego County). The bill is the result of months of tireless advocacy and a meaningful compromise following the introduction of a similar early literacy bill earlier this year, AB 1121 (Rubio), which was co-sponsored by EdVoice.

As the bill has progressed through the California Assembly, the momentum for AB 1454 has continued to build. Dozens of education advocates from across the state have come together –including EdVoice, Decoding Dyslexia CA, the NAACP CA/ HI State Conference, Families In Schools, and others – to push for a change on how California students learn to read. Currently, 65 advocacy organizations across the state have signed on in support of AB 1454.

AB 1454 now heads to the Senate for consideration. For more information, visit www. CaliforniaKidsRead.org.

The Building Blocks of Math That Young Students Need to Excel — But Aren’t Always Getting...continued

understanding numbers,” said Ben Clarke, an early math researcher and department head of special education and clinical sciences at the University of Oregon. “If we want students to be able to access other pieces of mathematics that are really important, then they need to build this foundational understanding of numbers.” Doug Clements, the Kennedy-endowed chair in early childhood learning at the University of Denver, said many American students struggle with seeing relationships between numbers. “Children who see 98 plus 99 and line them up vertically, draw a bar underneath with an addition sign, then sum the eight and the nine, carry the one and so forth — they are not showing relational thinking,” Clements said. “Children who immediately say, ‘That’s 200 take away three, so 197,’ are showing number sense.”

Even in the early years of school, researchers can spot students who can make

connections between numbers and use more sophisticated strategies to solve problems, just as some students start school already reading. Also as with reading, gaps between students are present on the first day of kindergarten. Students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds arrive at school with less math knowledge than high-income students. Boston College psychologist and early math researcher Elida Laski said research has found income-based differences in how families talk about math with children before they ever reach school. “Lowerincome families are more likely to think about math as narrow, it’s counting and numbers,” Laski said. “Whereas higherincome families tend to think about math as more conceptual and around in everyday life.”

These differences in thinking play out in how flexible students are with numbers in early elementary school. In one study,

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet focused on education.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Tara Lynn Gray on How California Supports Small Businesses With Funding and Training to SCALE

Charlene Muhammad | California Black Media

Small businesses in California – from sole proprietorships to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – account for about 99% of all businesses in the state, making them the sector most responsible for job creation, more than 7 million.

Considering their importance to the state economy, Gov. Jerry Brown created the Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) in 2012 and paired it with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

In 2021, Dr. Tara Lynn Gray was sworn in as the 5th Director of CalOSBA.

In that role, Dr. Gray serves as a voice and visionary for California’s 4 million-plus small businesses, providing information about state resources, connecting owners with funding, and communicating the priorities of small businesses to decisionmakers in Sacramento.

On May 19, Gray spoke with a group of Black news publishers in Sacramento at a roundtable organized by California Black Media (CBM) as part of a legislative advocacy day sponsored by statewide organizations.

In the invitation-only information session, Gray spoke with the journalists and media outlet leaders, and small business owners, about her work with CalOSBA and shared insights she has gleaned over her three-decade career as a smallbusiness-owner-turned-advocate.

Which small business owners do you primarily serve?

All of them. I am responsible for state programs that support all small businesses. During my four-year tenure to date, my team and I have administered 14 programs, a total of $5.3 billion in appropriations, supporting more 500,000 of the state’s 4.2 million small businesses. Guided by the Governor's vision of building a California economy that works for all, our programs aim to deliver on that promise.

Describe the current state of small businesses in California.

The current state of small business is good. We are California. We are now the fourth-largest economy in the world. We invented the unicorn. Our businesses receive twothirds of the venture capital in the United States. We file more patents than any other state. We have the lowest first-year failure rate of all of the states in the Union. General conditions for small business success in California are good and we have to protect this so the horizon remains good. There are pockets in communities and regions across the state that are still struggling with building strong entrepreneurial ecosystems that reflect the greater success that coastal regions and Silicon Valley have experienced. We are fortunate to have a governor and legislature that value small businesses and have worked together to provide resources for their growth and development.

Are there still systemic barriers affecting underserved entrepreneurs?

Absolutely. In my office, we center our work around what I call three imperatives for small business success.

The first is democratizing access to capital. That's making sure that there is available capital

-- the right size and the right type of capital for every kind of small business. Capital not just for the start-up tech founder, but for the restaurant that wants to expand, for the nail salon that wants to add additional services, for the doctor who wants to add additional clinicians.

The second imperative is to diversify the innovation economy -- making sure that all founders have access to the social and financial networks, and the thought leadership, that really help create synergy and market advantage.

Lastly, we must drive economic mobility through entrepreneurship, which is really about making sure that the zip code you're born in, if disadvantaged, does not dictate how far you can go economically or how quickly you can build wealth.

Describe some programs CalOSBA has to support for aspiring small business owners or those struggling to stay afloat?

We tell small business owners not to go at it alone. There is help. The Governor made the funding for the Small Business Technical Assistance Program permanent at $26 million a year. We have $23 million dedicated to the Technical Assistance Program for the provision of one-on-one counseling sessions, training classes, and outreach. We rebranded the program from TAP to SCALE, which stands for Success, Capital, Access and Leadership for Entrepreneurs. The name is in line with the goals of the program, which is to help scale their businesses, by adding jobs, and to generating opportunity in their local economies

On a personal note, what motivates you to keep advocating for small businesses?

I'm driven to make a difference

for all entrepreneurs and small business owners. They put everything they have on the line, in pursuit of the California dream, and the American dream. I was raised by two blessed people. They were educators. They motivate me. My mom was a Spanish and French teacher at the beginning of her career. before going back to law school, and becoming an advocate for people who were less fortunate. She was active politically, managing local campaigns and being a delegate to state and national democratic conventions.

And my dad is no slouch with a pair of master's degrees. He retired as a high school principal after 31 years of service in the same school district. My mom retired as an assistant superintendent of a school district after years of labor negotiations work. I was raised with the belief that I could be anything and accomplish anything I set my mind to do. They taught us to be responsible, to participate in the political process, to exercise our right to vote, and to lift our voices in local government. Those are things that I learned in my childhood.

I combine that with my very close relationship to my maternal grandmother, who was an entrepreneur. I watched her influence in the community. I watched her support people. I watched her leadership in her circle lending to those in need.

I saw firsthand the power of entrepreneurship. It is naturally who I am, and I'm blessed to have been appointed by a Governor who saw it fit to utilize these gifts.

What's one misconception that people often have about small business success or failure?

That’s a great question. I have two primary thoughts about that. The first is that failure is not

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The Building Blocks of Math That Young Students Need to Excel — But Aren’t Always Getting...continued

outline those skills progressions. However, many teachers are unaware of them. Instructional coach and math consultant Neily Boyd, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, said she often works with teachers on understanding how one skill builds on another in sequence, how skills are connected, using the progressions as a jumpingoff point. “When teachers have been trained on both the whole math concept and how the pieces progress from year to year, they’re able to teach their gradelevel piece in a way that builds from the previous pieces and towards the future pieces,” she said. “Learning math becomes about widening and refining understandings you’ve already built, rather than a never-ending list of seemingly disconnected components.”

Young students also spend less time with numbers, which often only appear during “math time,” than they do with letters, reading, and literacy. “Often I’ll go into classrooms with literacy stuff all over the walls, but nothing in terms of number,” said Nancy Jordan, professor of learning sciences at the University of Delaware and author of “Number Sense Interventions.” “In the early grades, there are so many ways to build number sense outside of instructional time as well — playing games, number lines in the classroom. Teachers can think of other ways to build these informal understandings of math and relate them to formal understanding.” On a recent fall day at Nashville Classical Charter School, in Nashville,

Tennessee, fourth-grade math teacher Catherine Schwartz was walking students through a complicated subtraction problem with big numbers: “Lyle has 2,302 dog treats, but he needs 13,400. How many more treats does Lyle need?” To solve it, students had to “subtract across zeros,” regrouping from one place value to the next. Subtraction’s standard algorithm is an important skill to learn, Schwartz said, but can’t be done well without strong number sense.

Number sense for older students has some of the same ideas of magnitude and relationships, Schwartz said, but the numbers get bigger. Students began the subtraction problem using 13 thousand and four hundred to recognize the magnitude of the numbers in each place value, for example, but slowly simplified it into the classic stack-and-subtract method. Schwartz, who has taught for seven years, said at first she didn’t realize how big a role number sense played in calculations like subtraction with big numbers. ”Number sense or number flexibility, it’s never truly named” in the curriculum, Schwartz said. “We try to practice it.” Even something as simple as counting big numbers, including hundreds thousands, and millions, some educators say, can help develop number sense. Counting might seem simple, but for young children, it’s foundational and essential. “These are really big ideas for little kids,” Jordan said.

Tara Lynn Gray on How California Supports Small Businesses With Funding and Training to SCALE... continued

the end. Failure is often the pathway to success. I taught my students in past entrepreneurship classes to embrace failure. When you learn from your failures, you take those lessons on to the next thing. So, “Fail fast! Fail often! Fail forward!”

Riverside County DPSS Investigation Leads to Convictions in $330,000 EBT Fraud Scheme

Two men sentenced to three years in state prison for exploiting California’s EBT system

students learn number sense, said Clarke. “If you are only going to get X number of minutes in kindergarten or first grade to support student development in mathematics, kids that are not responding to the core instruction — you have to be pretty focused on what you do and what you offer.”

The Building Blocks of Math That Young Students Need to Excel — But Aren’t Always Getting... continued from page 2 Laski and her team found that higher-income kindergarten and first-grade students used more sophisticated problem-solving strategies than lower-income students, who more often relied on counting. The higher-income students also had more basic math facts committed to memory, like the answer to one plus two. The memory recall and relatively advanced strategies used by higher-income students produced more efficient problem-solving and more correct answers than counting did. Also, when students from high-income families produced a wrong answer, it was often less wrong than students who were relying on strategies like counting. Laski said many of the low-income students in the study struggled with addiction because they didn’t have a firm understanding of how basic concepts of numbers work. For example, “When we’d ask, ‘What’s three plus four,’ we’d get answers like ‘34,’” Laski said. “Whatever ways they’re practicing arithmetic, they don’t have the conceptual basis to make sense of it. They didn’t have the number sense, really.”

Laski said early childhood classrooms could be “far more direct” with students in teaching number sense, weaving it in explicitly when working on more concrete skills like addition. Clarke, the early math researcher at the University of Oregon, agreed. “Our understanding has drastically grown in the last 20, 25 years about effective instructional approaches” to help

But elementary school teachers often aren’t trained well on the evidence base for best practices in teaching number sense. A 2022 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality highlights that while teacher training programs have improved in the last decade, they still have a long way to go. By their standard, only 15 percent of undergraduate elementary education programs earned an A for adequately covering both math content and pedagogy. Teachers aren’t often taught to look at math learning as a whole, a progression of skills that takes students through elementary math, beginning with learning to count and ending up in fractions and decimals — something that some instructional coaches say would help emphasize the importance of how early number sense connects to advanced math. Grade-level standards are the focus that can leave out the bigger picture.

Both the Common Core State Standards and Clements, who served on the 2008 National Mathematics Advisory Panel and helped create a resource of early math learning trajectories,

Riverside County News

RIVERSIDE COUNTY,

Calif. – Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) investigations led to convictions in the theft of more than $300,000 from California’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system. The investigation, led by the DPSS Investigations Unit, uncovered a statewide fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of $330,000 from the system that provides financial assistance such as cash aid, food stamps, childcare, and general assistance to the state’s most vulnerable residents.

In October 2024, Nicholas James Hooper and Kenneth Acton illegally accessed the EBT system and stole $330,000.

The DPSS Investigations Unit detected suspicious activity and locked the account they were using to steal the money and prevented additional theft in Riverside County.

“The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services – Investigation Division formed a specialized enforcement team to attack major cases of this nature,”

said Shawn Ferris, Chief of Riverside Department of Public Social Services – Investigation Division. “The teamwork and special techniques used to investigate this crime led to a conviction in six months from the start of this investigation.”

Acton was arrested in December 2024 in Riverside County and Hooper was arrested in January 2025 in Orange County. Both men pled guilty to multiple felony charges, including grand theft, welfare fraud, identity theft, and whitecollar enhancements, and were sentenced to three years in state prison.

“This investigation brought together new technologies with old school detective work. The team worked tirelessly to identify the two defendants and bring them to justice,” said Supervising Fraud Investigator Raquel Teano.

The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services is committed to protecting public resources and ensuring that fraud is investigated and prosecuted. The Investigations Unit is vigilant in their efforts to combat fraud and protect the integrity of program benefits intended for the most economically vulnerable households in Riverside County. The unit has a variety of functions specializing in investigating preventative fraud, criminal fraud, and administrative fraud. To report suspected fraud, please call (800) 344-8477.

Second, entrepreneurs are often treated with a little bit more respect than small business owners. We think about small business owners as our restaurateur, as our nail salon

owner, as our hairdresser, as our dry cleaner. We think about entrepreneurs as hardware and software tech founders who attract venture capital and have a different level of access to resources than our local food vendor. We must recognize that all small businesses are putting everything on the line, every single day to support their families and realize their dreams - period.

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News

Submission Deadline: Mondays By 5 pm

Proposition 65 Notice: COUNTRY CLEANER, 13215 GLADSTONE AVENUE, SYLMAR, CALIFORNIA 91342

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received a Proposition 65 Notice from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles (Los Angeles Water Board) for a commercial/industrial property located at 13215 Gladstone Avenue, Sylmar, California 91342, where trichloroethene (TCE) was detected in the indoor air at the above-referenced (Site).

During a meeting on June 2, 2025, at approximately 3:00 PM, KCE Matrix (environmental consultants) and Hartman King PC (legal representative) notified the Los Angeles Water Board staff that the maximum indoor air concentration detected at the Site was 215 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) (see Attachment 2). As a reference, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 Interim TCE Indoor Air Accelerated Response Action is 8 μg/m3 and the Urgent Response Action Level (URAL) is 24 μg/m3

According to the State of California TCE can cause cancer.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 (US EPA) has identified cancer and non-cancer hazards from TCE exposure in indoor air, posing risks to pregnant women and potential for heart defects in the fetus. Prolonged exposure may also increase cancer risk.

Visit the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s (ATSDR) website for detailed fact sheets on the health effects of TCE. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is responsible for providing this information to the local news media pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 25180.7 (d). The intent of Proposition 65 - Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 is to protect the public and its drinking water resources, and to inform

Dr. Tara Lynn Gray

Thursday, June 12, 2025

THE SAN BERNARDINO AMERICAN NEWS- LIFESTYLE/ENTERTAINMENT/RELIGION

Safe Summer Family Fun: Camping Advice From An Emergency Room

Doctor

By Shea Allen | UAB News

Summertime lends itself to the joys of outdoor activities, like camping. With a little preparation and a lot of respect for the outdoors, campers can have a safe and unforgettable experience. (Adobe Stock)

More families are dusting off their tents and heading into the great outdoors now that it’s summer. While camping offers a chance to unplug and enjoy nature, it also comes with serious risks. Brandon Buchel, M.D., an emergency room physician at UAB St. Vincent’s, sees firsthand what can go wrong — and has advice on how to make sure camping trips do not end in a visit to the ER.

Fire safety: Respect the flames

Campfires are a camping tradition, but they are also one of the most common sources of injury in the wilderness.

“Burns are a huge issue every camping season,” Buchel said. “People often underestimate how quickly a fire can get out of control or how hot embers can stay long after the flames have died down.”

“If you do suffer a burn, the first step is to immediately cool the burn by running it under lukewarm (not cold) water,” Buchel said. “This can help reduce pain and limit skin damage. After cooling, gently clean the area with mild soap and water. Cover the burn with a sterile, non-stick bandage to protect it from infection. If your burn is severe, blistering or covering a large area, please seek emergency medical attention immediately.”

While it might be tempting to use common household items to treat burns, many do more harm than good. Here are some home remedies that should be avoided: Ice or ice water: Applying ice can constrict blood vessels and worsen tissue damage. Always use lukewarm water for cooling. Butter or oil: These can trap heat in the skin and lead to

infection. They do provide the cooling effect needed for a burn.

Vinegar, mustard or rubbing alcohol: These substances can irritate the skin and cause further damage or pain.

Toothpaste: Although some may suggest it for its cooling effect, toothpaste can irritate the burn and introduce bacteria.

Honey: While honey has antibacterial properties, it can also trap heat and is not an appropriate first treatment for burns.

Prompt and proper care can significantly impact healing and minimize complications. Avoiding common home remedies that can worsen the situation is crucial. Always consult a health care professional if you are unsure about the severity of a burn or how to treat it properly.

Buchel emphasizes keeping the fire small and contained, and never leaving it unattended. Always have a bucket of water or dirt nearby to extinguish the fire quickly if needed, he says. Buchel also reminds campers to keep the area around a fit pit clear of tools and other items to avoid tripping and falling near the flames.

“Clear a 10-foot area around the fire pit of any dry leaves or flammable materials, and teach children to keep a safe distance at all times,” Buchel said.

Food safety: Protecting yourself and the wildlife

Campers must be vigilant about food storage to prevent attracting dangerous animals — and about food preparation to avoid getting sick.

“Improper food handling can easily ruin a trip and land you in the hospital,” Buchel said. “We

see a lot of food-borne illnesses from undercooked meats or spoiled dairy products.”

Buchel advises keeping raw and cooked foods separate, using a thermometer to make sure meats reach safe internal temperatures, and keeping perishable foods in a cooler packed with ice.

“If the food gets above 40°F for more than two hours, you should throw it away — it’s not worth the risk,” Buchel said.

As for keeping animals away, Buchel stresses secure storage.

“Use bear-proof containers if you’re in bear country, and never keep food in your tent,” Buchel said. “Even a seemingly harmless raccoon can carry diseases and create a dangerous situation.”

Hiking safety: Watch your step and your surroundings

Proper hiking attire and awareness of the environment can prevent a host of injuries and emergencies.

“Every year, we see sprains, broken bones and snakebites because people weren’t prepared,” Buchel said. “Good boots with ankle support are essential, and wearing long pants can help protect against things like poison ivy and ticks.”

He also highlights the importance of trail safety. “Stay on marked trails,” Buchel said. “Going off-trail increases your risk of encountering snakes, stepping into a hornet’s nest or getting lost.”

If wildlife is encountered, Buchel recommends keeping a safe distance and avoiding sudden movements.

“Snakes generally don’t want to interact with you,” Buchel said. “Most bites happen when someone accidentally steps on one or tries to handle it.”

General safety: Stay prepared,

stay connected

In any camping scenario, preparation can be the difference between an inconvenience and a life-threatening situation.

“Always have a method of communication, like a charged cellphone or a satellite device, if you’re going off-grid,” Buchel said. “And let someone know your itinerary before you leave.”

A well-stocked first aid kit is a must. Buchel recommends it includes:

Adhesive bandages in various sizes

Sterile gauze and adhesive tape

Antiseptic wipes and antibiotic ointment

Tweezers (for ticks or splinters)

Hydrocortisone cream (for insect bites or poison ivy)

Pain relievers like ibuprofen

Antihistamines for allergic reactions

A digital thermometer

A space blanket

Scissors “Having these basics can stabilize minor injuries until you can get professional care,” Buchel said.

Finally, Buchel underscores the importance of knowing where you are at all times and sticking with your group. “In emergencies, time is always critical,” Buchel said. “Stay together, stay alert, and trust your instincts. If something feels unsafe, it probably is.”

With a little preparation and a lot of respect for the outdoors, Buchel believes campers can have a safe and unforgettable experience. “Nature is beautiful but also unpredictable,” Buchel said. “A little caution goes a long way toward making sure you bring home only good memories.”

Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed

New CalAssist Fund Offers $105M Lifeline to Homeowners Hit by Fires, Floods

personally invited by graduating senior MyShay Causey, who met Harris while working at a restaurant where Harris and her husband were dining.

“She wrote a note to me and shared it with him, telling me about her incredible work in her community and her dream to work in education policy,” Harris wrote. “We spoke on the phone, and she invited me to attend Compton High School’s graduation. It was my honor to attend her ceremony today and celebrate the outstanding Class of 2025.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at Compton High School’s graduation on June 5, joining more than 300 seniors and their families in a celebration held at the school’s new football stadium.

Although Harris did not deliver a speech, she stayed on stage throughout the ceremony. In a post on X, she said she was

Graduates took selfies with Harris and cheered her unexpected visit.

According to the district, 87% of Compton High seniors were accepted into community and four-year colleges, including UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and Cornell. The district called the moment “more than just a graduation -- it’s a moment that will live on in Compton history.”

California is launching the CalAssist Mortgage Fund to deliver $105 million in mortgage relief to homeowners whose properties were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by recent natural disasters, including the Los Angeles County firestorms in January. The program opens for applications on June 12, offering grants of up to $20,000 per eligible household.

“Homeowners whose homes were destroyed in a recent fire, flood or other disaster deserve support in their recovery,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The state is here to support. Today, California is extending this ongoing support to disaster victims in Los Angeles and beyond, by assisting with mortgage payments to relieve financial pressure and stress as families rebuild and recover.”

To qualify, the home must have been impacted by a disaster that received a State of Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration between January 2023 and January 2025, including events such as the Eaton Fire, Park Fire, and San Diego floods. The

WITNESS FOR JUSTICE Issue #1259

Medicaid Is About Belonging to God’s Beloved Community

Sarah Lund

Katie Beckett was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and at the age of five months old, she contracted a brain inflection and went into a coma. Most of the first three years of her life was spent in the hospital on a ventilator. Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are waivers that help people with disabilities and older adults get care at home or in their community instead of institutions. The first HCBS was in 1982 and was inspired by the story of Katie. This led to the first Medicaid waiver to allow families to access care at home instead of institutions. Hearing stories like Katie’s reminds us that loving our neighbors is a call to action.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan heard about Katie’s situation and changed the rule so she could leave the hospital and go home. One reason the Reagan administration supported the creation of HCBS program is because it cost significantly less — about one-sixth as much — for someone like Katie to receive the care at home, instead of in a hospital.

Money might be the political motivator for doing the right thing. But what motivates us in the church? We may want to consider our highest motivation is found in the invitation to follow the way of Jesus by loving our neighbors and creating beloved communities where all belong in the Body of Christ. Medicaid is about money. But it’s about more than money for us as Christians. It’s about belonging. People belong in their communities, not in institutions. Medicaid is essential to ensuring the civil rights of people with disabilities because it supports individuals living in the community rather than in nursing homes or other institutions. Medicaid is about belonging.

My friend Erin Raffety is the author of From Inclusion to Justice: Disability, Ministry, and Congregational Leadership and is a mom of a disabled child with complex medical needs and shares her families’ story on social media as a way to shine a light on the current challenges families face every day in this political climate to support inhome care for their children.

Erin is advocating by putting a name and a face on this real issue impacting millions of Americans. The life-saving HCBS program Katie’s life inspired is currently being threatened by Medicaid cuts.

California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) will manage the program, and funds will go directly to mortgage servicers. The grants do not need to be repaid.

The state is also pairing the fund with $25 million in housing counseling to help homeowners navigate recovery.

“The CalAssist Mortgage Fund will provide more than $100 million in valuable support to help ease the financial pressure survivors face,” said Tomiquia Moss, Secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

CalHFA Chief Deputy Director Rebecca Franklin emphasized, “Hard-working families across the state, from Altadena to Chico, deserve relief as they work to recover from these devastating events.”

Homeowners can find eligibility information and apply at CalAssistMortgageFund.org or call 800-501-0019 for assistance. Applications are free and grants are awarded on a first-come, firstserved basis

medical care for disabled people is immoral and unjust. Because many people with disabilities, older adults, and advocates are speaking out, Republicans are having a hard time moving this process forward. We can make a difference if we keep speaking out.

Medicaid covers one in five Americans. That’s over 70 million people. Kids. Seniors. People with disabilities. As Senator Warnock says, “This is getting lost in the conversation. Medicaid cuts aren’t just bad for folks who rely on it. They’re bad for everyone. Hospitals will close and health insurance premiums will go up across the board.”

Here’s how Medicaid cuts will hurt kids with disabilities, even if the federal cuts themselves don’t explicitly state that they will. Cuts to Medicaid mean that at the state level, the easiest cuts to make are optional services, like home-and- community-based care, which covers nurses and aides for direct care, occupational and physical therapy in schools, and most waiver services for children with medically complex needs and disabilities.

Republicans in both the Senate and House are trying to cut Medicaid and take it away from millions of people and even make it harder for people to get health insurance in other ways. They want to spend less money on Medicaid so that the government can spend more money on immigration police and helping some rich people spend less on their taxes. Cutting

Erin says her daughter’s healthcare remains in jeopardy with the proposals to cut Medicaid in the budget being presented in the Senate. She asks us, as siblings in Christ, to continue to advocate alongside her family by calling your Ssenators and helping them understand how critical Medicaid is to families like Erin’s. Because of pushback from people with disabilities, older adults, healthcare providers, and many more advocates, Congressional Republicans are feeling pressure to limit their proposals to cut Medicaid. Folks must continue to let their Members of Congress know how painful, misguided, and cruel any cuts to Medicaid would be. God’s love moves through the lives, stories, actions, and organizing of small groups of people doing the compassionate and right thing. Telling stories of hope and hardship open our hearts to the movement of God’s inclusive, accessible, and welcoming Spirit to move us to build a more just world for all. Disabled people are sacred members of our beloved community. Now is the time to take action to ensure disabled people have the choice to belong in beloved community. Action Item: Outreach and education efforts must now shift to the Senate to educate them on the negative effects of these cuts to Medicaid. Call your Senators and educate them on the importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities and their families and caregivers-you can use AUCD’s Medicaid fact sheet and talking points. Reach your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202224-3121.

Miss Out On

Photo by Dennis J. Freeman, News4USOnline

Vice President Kamala Harris receives an honorary diploma from Compton School Board President Micah Ali during Compton High School’s graduation ceremony.

Kamala Harris Surprises Compton High Grads at 2025 Ceremony

Bo Tefu | California Black Media

Thursday, June 12, 2025

AI and Our Healthcare: California Lawmakers Propose Safeguards

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

On May 28, the Assembly Health and Privacy and Consumer Protection Committees held a joint hearing on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

GenAI refers to digital systems that engineers train to conduct tasks or produce a range of content, including videos, text, music, code, graphics, and more.

The discussion focused on GenAI applications in healthcare -- the opportunities, challenges, policy implications, and how the advancing technology affects patient care.

“Although AI in healthcare is not new, interest in and research in AI and generative AI applications have dramatically accelerated,” Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) told California Black Media (CBM).

“A range of applications are being developed, tested, and deployed in medical research, administration, and even clinical tasks. There is excitement about these developments, but it should be tempered by caution,” she added.

The hearing was held as several bills make their way through the Legislature, including bills authored by Bonta as well as Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Castro Valley).

Bonta, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is also the chair of the Assembly Health Committee. Bauer-Kahan chairs the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

According to Bauer-Kahan, the hearing was organized to discuss a unique set of problems connected to the development

and deployment of AI, which she says is increasing existing inequalities and creating new forms of discrimination.

“Our panelists’ powerful testimony showed us that AI trained on incomplete or biased data, that isn't adequately reviewed and monitored, can perpetuate existing health disparities,” Bauer-Kahan said. “When the datasets that power these tools fail to reflect the diversity of California’s communities, their failure isn’t just technical – it’s moral.”

For nearly three hours at the Capitol Swing Space Annex, members of both committees hosted three panels, featuring physicians, researchers, and data analysts.

The participants addressed concerns about the regulation of AI, shared ideas about minimizing harm and explored ways the state can continue to guide the development of health care GenAI technologies.

Three topic areas framed the panel discussions: “How is GenAI Being Used in Health Care Now and What’s on the Horizon,”the Challenges and Policy Implications for California,” and “Stakeholder Perspectives.”

Among the challenges the panelists discussed are the inherent racial, ethnic, and gender biases in GenAI models; how to ensure safety and effectiveness; the problems associated with cost and affordability; and barriers to implementing accountable governance.

Dr. Ziad Obermeyer, a physician and researcher at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, said there needs to be

more accountability in AI.

Obermeyer shared that he and other researchers a few years ago identified racial bias “in a widely used family of algorithms used across the country in health systems,” he said. The tools were supposed to identify patients who were high risk and help get them medical assistance.

“Instead of predicting who is sick, those algorithms predicted who was going to generate high healthcare costs,” Obermeyer said. “It turns out that patients who are Black or poor, rural, or less educated often don’t get care when they need it, so they cost less. Not because they are healthier but because they are underserved.”

Several pieces of legislation focused on AI and healthcare have already been signed into law in California.

Others are making their way through the State Legislature. They include:

Senate Bill (SB) 503 –Health Care Services: Artificial Intelligence – authored by CLBC chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, proposes requiring developers of AI models or systems used in healthcare settings to test for biased impacts in output to ensure equitable treatment across diverse patient populations.

SB 503 was expedited on the Senate floor and taken up for a vote on May 29. The measure passed with a 38-0 floor vote, that included nine Republicans voting in favor of the bill.

Assembly Bill (AB) 3030Authored by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier), this legislation, signed by the Gov. Newsom last year, took effect on Jan. 1. It requires health facilities, clinics, doctors’ offices, and group practices to disclose when they have used GenAI to communicate clinical information about health status to patients.

AB 489 -- Bonta introduced this bill during the current legislative session, AB 489, that will protect Californians from AI systems that misrepresent themselves as nurses and health

professionals. The Assembly approved the bill with a 79-0 vote on June 2. It has now moved to the Senate for consideration.

AB 489 will provide regulators the authority to enforce “title protections,” Bonta said, against those who develop or deploy AI systems that claim to be licensed or certified health professionals.

“As state lawmakers, I believe we have a responsibility to pay attention to all of these developments, ask these questions, and help guide the technology in ways that maximize benefit to Californians and minimize harm, that is ethical, safe, effective, free from bias, and helpful versus harmful to the work of our clinicians. This is what Californians expect of us, and it's what they deserve,” Bonta said.

AB 1064 – According to Bauer-Kahan, who authored AB 1064 or the Leading Ethical AI Development for Kids (LEAD) Act – the legislation takes on one of the most urgent challenges in today’s health-tech landscape: the use of AI on and around children.

The LEAD Act would be the first oversight body of its kind, according to Bauer-Kahan’s office. The bill is designed to require safety assessments, prohibit the most dangerous technologies, and provide protection for children’s privacy through transparency and parental consent. The measure passed with a 59-12 vote in the Assembly on June 2.

AB 1064 will control AI systems used by or targeted at children because “There is no innovation more important than the health and safety of our children,” Bauer-Kahan said during one of the committee hearings.

“This joint informational hearing reaffirmed my belief that AI holds enormous promise to empower clinicians and improve healthcare,” Baur-Kahan stated. “Policymakers and healthcare institutions must develop guardrails to ensure these tools are ethical, inclusive, and accountable.”

Opinion: As Obesity Crushes Our Communities, California Can’t Afford to Cut Care

Obesity is a structural and systemic health crisis that demands a public health response.

Across California, nearly onethird of adults are living with obesity, according to data from UCLA. But behind this number lies a deeper truth: obesity is a disease, not a choice, and Black and Brown communities are bearing the brunt of its consequences.

The proposed budget cuts to Medicaid/Medi-Cal threaten to make things significantly worse. Obesity is linked to a host of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, all of which Black and Brown communities experience with worse outcomes and higher disease-related deaths. These health conditions drive nearly half the cost of chronic disease care in the U.S., draining both lives and livelihoods. And the

burden is not shared evenly. In California, 36.8% of Black adults are living with obesity, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Under-resourced communities already face barriers to accessing quality healthcare nutritious food, safe places to be active, and culturally competent healthcare providers.

California has the highest total obesity-related medical costs in the United States, with annual medical care expenditures of adults with obesity nearly three times greater than for adults with normal weight, the greatest difference of any state. Recent studies show that the obesity rate in California is projected to increase to 41% by 2030. Cutting access to effective, evidence-based treatments will exacerbate the disparities and costs -- particularly for newer classes of medications, such as

GLP-1 drugs.

These medications are proving to be effective not just at managing obesity, but at reducing downstream health conditions and costs. A recent workforce analysis from Aon found that individuals using GLP-1s saw a measurable reduction in healthcare spending, which could also result in potential gains in productivity and fewer workdays lost to illness.

However, this isn’t just about cost containment, it’s about transforming our healthcare system into one that provides quality, equity-centered care for everyone. The state’s proposed budget will cut GLP1 coverage under Medi-Cal, effectively denying access to these treatments for low-income and vulnerable Californians. At a time when we should be expanding healthcare access, the pending budget cuts will harm many Californians and their ability to live long, healthy lives, and it sends the wrong message about who we are and what we value.

While Black Californians represent about 7% of the total Medi-Cal enrollees, 1,013,251of them -- about 50% of the state’s total Black population -- are enrolled in Medi-Cal. The budget cuts risk reinforcing the very inequities California has pledged to dismantle. And while it may promise short-term savings,

Breaking the Cycle: My Journey to Freedom from Nicotine Addiction

By Keenan Abercrombia

I was 10 years old when I first snuck one of my mom’s cigarettes. By 15, I was smoking regularly. Where I grew up in Compton, smoking wasn’t just a habit—it was a way of life. My mom smoked. My family smoked. Everyone I saw hanging out around the neighborhood and at the corner stores smoked. It was normal. Cool, even.

My mom used to send me to the store with a note pinned to my coat, and the workers— who all knew me—would let me buy her cigarettes. They never pushed back and I never thought anything of it because my reward was extra cash for candy. Looking back, I realize how much I was shaped by the world around me. Nicotine was everywhere, woven into the fabric of my life, and before I even understood addiction, I was hooked.

After years of smoking, my addiction only worsened when I became a culinary chef. Kitchens are high-stress environments, and for a long time, smoking felt like the only way to take the edge off. The vast majority of chefs smoke—it’s part of the culture. I fell right into it, using cigarettes to push through the pressure, to keep up with the chaos. And as my smoking increased, my mom and I became two peas in a pod, enabling each other without thinking twice about the consequences.

At one point, I was smoking two packs a day, often smoking back-to-back cigarettes during my breaks. I tried quitting a few times. I even started vaping thinking it would help me cut back, but the flavors didn’t do it for me, and the headaches only made it worse. Clearly, I wasn’t ready to quit because I went right back to smoking cigarettes.

Then life started hitting me in ways I couldn’t ignore. I started losing family members to illnesses caused by smoking. My mom developed Chronic

the long-term costs -- medical, economic, and human lives -will far overshadow them.

California has long positioned itself as a leader in public health and health equity and we cannot retreat from being that beacon now. Instead of cutting access to healthcare services and treatments like obesity medications, we should be investing in scalable, community-driven solutions that address the root causes of health disparities.

State lawmakers must protect Medi-Cal coverage and preempt the risk of escalating costs and poorer health outcomes and focus on disease prevention and progression. Effective obesity treatments can be a solution. Equity, prevention, and a long-term vision should guide our budget choices, not short-term savings that come at the cost of our most vulnerable communities.

At such a critical moment for Americans’ healthcare at both the federal and state levels, California elected officials need to do the right thing and support coverage for anti-obesity medication, and protect MediCal.

About the Author

Rhonda Smith is the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network.

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a progressive lung disease that makes it hard to breathe, requiring her to rely on oxygen. I could feel my own lungs struggling at times. But the biggest wake-up call was my three kids. I grew up without a father, and I refused to let them experience that same absence. I had to stop making excuses. I had to face my addiction head-on. When I finally quit, I did it cold turkey. No patches, no vapes, no crutches—just pure willpower and the realization that I wanted better for myself and my family. Shortly after I quit, my mom passed away. It was a devastating loss, but it pushed me to stay strong. Instead of turning back to cigarettes, I threw myself into my work as a private chef and focused on raising my kids. I also immersed myself in my roots with the Compton Cowboys, caring for horses and mentoring youth. Horses have a way of grounding you, teaching patience and discipline. Now, I use that platform to show young people there’s more to life than the streets. More than addiction. More than the habits we inherit. Today, at 33, I am committed to choosing life. I share my story because I know the struggle firsthand. I don’t judge anyone still in the cycle—I’ve been there. I know how easy it is to think you have time until you don’t. My mom didn’t take quitting seriously until it was too late. I tell my loved ones and friends who still smoke to start now. Get ahead of it before it gets ahead of you because breaking free from the cycle of addiction is worth it. You are worth it. Big Tobacco deliberately makes products that are hard to quit because our addiction is their profit. Like Keenan, you can break this dangerous and deadly cycle with sciencebased quit programs like Kick It California , which provides trained Quit Coaches – for free.

FARSB Joins ABC7’s 14th Annual Feed SoCal Campaign to Feed the IE this Summer

Riverside, CA, June 10th, 2025— Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) is partnering with ABC7 for their 14th Annual Feed SoCal campaign. This campaign takes place throughout June, aiming to increase donations to FARSB and other food banks during the summer months, a period when contributions are typically lower. This effort comes amidst budget cuts and the rising cost of living, which have worsened already high levels of need.

“For many families, summer becomes the hardest season to keep food on the table. With schools out, kids lose access to regular meals, leaving parents who are already struggling to stretch their resources even further,” FARSB CEO, Carolyn Fajardo, said. “Feed SoCal helps us shine a light on this critical need and inspires giving to support our summer programs,” Fajardo added. This campaign highlights the most enjoyable aspects of fundraising, such as in-person activities and giveaways, live media coverage, and community engagement, all aimed at alleviating hunger in the region. ABC7 will partner with Stater Bros. Markets and FARSB to host the live portion on Wednesday, June 18th, from 1:30 PM-6:30 PM, to engage the community and bring awareness to food insecurity within the region. The event

Socal News

Rhonda Smith | Special to California Black Media Partners

Photo Credit: Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino

Force Escalation and 45 LA Arrests

By April Ryan

Protest, banner and megaphone with diversity, social justice and equality for angry, poster and people support in the city. Human rights,and global community frustrated, commitment or revolution

“Can you imagine all of this for 45 arrests?” Juan Proano of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) asked. Proano is in Los Angeles after President Trump deployed the National Guard in response to Ice raids in what he calls “An attack on a sanctuary city.” As the sun rose this morning in Los Angeles, it was quiet after what resembled a police state over the weekend. On this morning’s Coffee With segment on the Contrarian, Proano said since Thursday, “45” migrants have been arrested. The head of the organization, which focuses on the advancement of Hispanics, discussed the discriminatory nature of these arrests, lending “the only criteria they need to have is brown skin.”

Proano says the ICE raids “were not planned very well” as the ICE centers are already “overcrowded and moving to accelerated deportations” and stepping around due process for the new ICE arrests. Proano, the head of LULAC, said they [the Trump administration] originally hoped to achieve 3,000

deportations daily. Los Angeles has a large migrant population, with the most significant numbers in the Asian and Hispanic communities. California

Governor Gavin Newsom blames President Trump for the tensions in the Los Angeles area related to the latest ICE raids. This morning, President Trump retorted on the South Lawn of the White House, stating Newsom should be arrested as “he is grossly incompetent.”

President Trump deployed the National Guard to handle the LA protests stemming from the ICE raids in Los Angeles. LULAC, the NAACP, and other rights organizations have blamed President Trump for escalating the tensions there. Meanwhile, President Trump is prepared to escalate this even more. Marines at Camp Pendleton are on high alert for possible deployment to Los Angeles. Currently, 2000 National Guard are deployed to the City of Angles, with only 300 on the ground. California is suing the Trump administration for the unlawful deployment of the National Guard in their state.

Community Clinic Network Responds to ICE Activity, N’tl Guard in LA

County/World /Political News

Los Angeles – In response to the recent wave of immigration raids taking place across Los Angeles and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, St. John’s Community Health – a network of community health centers providing free and low-cost health care in Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and the Coachella Valley – released the following statement:

“The aggressive increase in ICE activity is forcing already vulnerable people to fear going to the doctor, school, or even the grocery store – and putting countless families in danger,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health. “We do not share patient information with immigration authorities, and have clear protocols around the privacy of all who walk through our doors – standards that every single health center and school in the United States should implement

to protect their patients and students.

“Health care access and immigrant rights do not exist in vacuums or separately from one another – they are two sides of the same coin that is human dignity. We stand with our patients, our friends, and our neighbors regardless of immigration status – and decry Trump’s orders to escalate violence in our city by sending in the National Guard.”

To ensure undocumented patients can still access health care even amidst ICE activity, St. John’s Community Health launched Health Care Without Fear – a program where providers will come to patient’s homes if they are afraid of going out due to ICE activity. The community health network also offers telehealth for patients who don’t need immediate physical examinations or services. To date, over 200 people have requested and received home visits through Health Care Without Fear.

Political Playback: California Capitol News

You Might Have Missed

Bo Tefu | California Black Media

New CalAssist Fund Offers $105M Lifeline to Homeowners Hit by Fires, Floods

California is launching the CalAssist Mortgage Fund to deliver $105 million in mortgage relief to homeowners whose properties were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by recent natural disasters, including the Los Angeles County firestorms in January. The program opens for applications on June 12, offering grants of up to $20,000 per eligible household.

“Homeowners whose homes were destroyed in a recent fire, flood or other disaster deserve

Thursday, June 12, 2025

New CalAssist Fund Offers $105M Lifeline to Homeowners Hit by Fires, Floods...continued

between January 2023 and January 2025, including events such as the Eaton Fire, Park Fire, and San Diego floods. The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) will manage the program, and funds will go directly to mortgage servicers. The grants do not need to be repaid.

The state is also pairing the fund with $25 million in housing counseling to help homeowners navigate recovery.

“The CalAssist Mortgage Fund will provide more than $100 million in valuable support to help ease the financial pressure survivors face,” said Tomiquia

Moss, Secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

CalHFA Chief Deputy Director Rebecca Franklin emphasized, “Hard-working families across the state, from Altadena to Chico, deserve relief as they work to recover from these devastating events.”

Homeowners can find eligibility information and apply at CalAssistMortgageFund. org or call 800-501-0019 for assistance. Applications are free and grants are awarded on a firstcome, first-served basis.

Cleaning up Trump’s mess, California surges regional law enforcement response in Los Angeles...continued support our regional partners during the ongoing civil unrest,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna.

"Cal OES is committed to protecting the safety and wellbeing of all Californians. We are working closely with local leaders to ensure they have the support they need to keep communities safe, uphold rights, and de-escalate tensions,” said Nancy Ward, Cal OES Director.

“This collaborative approach ensures appropriate resources respond swiftly and effectively while protecting the public."

Stay peaceful, never resort to violence

Cleaning up Trump’s mess, California surges regional law enforcement response in Los Angeles

What you need to know: California is surging mutual aid resources to support law enforcement as they clean up the actions caused by President Trump.

/Political News

LOS ANGELES – Moving quickly to support local response to federal actions that have caused unrest in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced surging state and regional law enforcement mutual aid to the region. After the President acted illegally to federalize the National Guard, who subsequently became the focus of large scale protests, the state is working with local partners to surge 800+ additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump’s mess.

“Chaos is exactly what Trump wanted, now we are sending in hundreds more law enforcement to pick up the pieces. State and local leaders stand together, coordinated and resolute to ensure the safety of the Los Angeles region.”

Governor Gavin Newsom

California’s mutual aid system, which is overseen by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, has been in place for decades and provides a framework for neighboring law enforcement agencies to assist one another during times of emergency. To ensure continued coordination among all law enforcement partners, the Governor has activated the State Operations Center to remain vigilant in the days to come.

“While Washington choreographed these chaotic events, the LAPD and local law enforcement continue to effectively respond,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “There is a strong local mutual aid agreement here in California and it has already been activated according to policy. To our local law enforcement partners: thank you for having our back just as we have yours.”

support in their recovery,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The state is here to support. Today, California is extending this ongoing support to disaster victims in Los Angeles and beyond, by assisting with mortgage payments to relieve financial pressure and stress as families rebuild and recover.”

To qualify, the home must have been impacted by a disaster that received a State of Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration

640+ Highway Patrol Officers on the ground

Through joint unified command between the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), the Governor is surging five CHP Special Response Teams of nearly 400 additional officers into Los Angeles in support of LAPD. In addition, CHP has activated a regional Tactical

Alert, which provides more than 250 CHP officers to assist with roadway and highway safety in Los Angeles.

“The California Highway Patrol’s top priority is the safety of every community we serve. We are working in full coordination with our local and state public safety partners to ensure a unified, strategic response,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The CHP is committed to restoring calm and protecting our communities with professionalism and resolve.”

A little over 300 of the 2,000 federalized National Guard members are on the ground in Los Angeles, the rest are awaiting orders.

240+ officers from neighboring jurisdictions providing mutual aid

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, in coordination with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), has formally requested mutual aid assistance from law enforcement agencies within and outside of Los Angeles County to support LAPD, and approved the following mobilization:

20 deputies from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department

83 deputies from Orange County Sheriff’s Department

32 deputies from Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department

44 deputies from Ventura County Sheriff’s Department

80 officers from municipal police agencies within Los Angeles County

To bring further support to the region, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has already provided more than 200 deputies to support the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

“This collaboration ensures a unified response and reinforces public safety efforts across the region. The Department remains committed to leveraging all available mutual aid channels to protect our communities and

As the entire region comes together to keep the peace, this is a reminder to Californians that they have a right to speak out, but they must remain peaceful. Those who engage in protests and demonstrations must always emphasize partnership, unity and non-violence. So far, officers have at least 40 arrests due to vandalism, looting and violence.

“I want to make it crystal clear, you can hurl insults at whoever you want. However, if you hurl cinder blocks, light vehicles on fire, destroy property and assault law enforcement officers, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "Our First Amendment right is precious and we will protect it, but if you cross the line and commit criminal acts, please know this is your warning."

OP-ED: From D.E.I. to Merit, Advancement and Opportunity (M.A.O.)

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association

Words matter. With all of the diversionary and distractive attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.), it is time not to retreat from freedom’s demand for equal justice. In America today it is time to move forward. “Forward ever. Backward never,” was the historic refrain from the Honorable Marcus Garvey.

Recently members of my family gathered together in our hometown of Oxford, North Carolina for an intergenerational family discussion on the periodic dispute over appropriate phraseology that should more accurately focus on increasing opportunity and how to improve the quality of life of all.

The Chavis family has been in Granville County, N.C. for over 200 years. We have witnessed the evolution of the Freedom Movement in America and the price that has been paid to advance the interests of Black Americans and all others who have cried out and struggled for equality.

We recall the national debate over “affirmative action.” We remember the recent disputes over “critical race theory” by people who could not even define what the phrase means.

In 2025, the issues of merit vs. the matters of societal entitlements resonate with renewed vigor and social division across the nation. In the halls of the U.S. Congress and in state capitals voices and policies are being raised in opposition to Medicaid and Medicare that will affect millions of people.

Many leading corporate executives have also put forth historical justifications to retreat from D.E.I., yet none have offered alternative language or wording that will make good business sense. To demand merit and at the same time to deny equal opportunity to education, employment and healthcare is a regressive formula for social

failure. The fact is we have always worked hard to attain excellence and respect. Being meritorious is in our D.N.A. Against all possible repressive odds, we continue to strive to overcome the legacies and ignorance of racism and hatred. Our family discussion did not relent until we all mutually agreed on what we are recommending as today’s alternative language and wording for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We believe that Merit, Advancement, and Opportunity (M.A.O.) should be universally stated as an achievable goal for corporate America and for all who are decision-makers in the U.S. Congress, state governments, and in local municipalities.

Merit is about recognizing and rewarding based on abilities, skills, and accomplishments. By centering on merit, M.A.O. aims to reward hard work and talent, fostering a culture of excellence. Advancement is key to M.A.O. to ensure that progress is based on performance and work-related contributions to success and mission fulfillment. Opportunity in M.A.O. is an outcome that provides equal access to resources, training, and to increased chances for success, regardless of background.

M.A.O. avoids identity-based preferences and minimizes considerations of race, gender, or other identity factors in decisionmaking processes.

In other words, M.A.O. promotes a fair, objective, and efficient system where individuals succeed based on their merits.

M.A.O. is aspirational without limitations to take advantage of opportunities to advance individual careers and greater societal good for all. We look forward to continuing the national dialogue and refinement of the conceptual framework of Merit, Advancement and Opportunity (M.A.O.). It is an urgent time to move our democracy forward and to reclaim the oneness of humanity.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the Black Press of America, http:// www.BlackPressUSA.com

(Photo by Armand Burger)

Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA.

The right support can make all the dif ference

With extra love, patience and play, we can help give children a stronger start and prevent

First 5 California is a proud sponsor of CAAASA

California Sports Hall of Fame to host 2025 induction ceremony June 29 in Ontario

(ONTARIO, California) –Five legends whose on- and off-the-field contributions have made an indelible impression on the California sports landscape will be inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame June 29 in Ontario.

Tee Off for a Cause: The 29th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic Is Back In San Dimas Celebrity Golf Classic Raises Funds for Youth Education and Business Development

Tee Off for a Cause Details:

WHO: 2025 inductees are boxer Shane Mosley, who held multiple world championships in three weight classes; former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jesse Sapolu, owner of four Super Bowl rings; soccer legend Paul Caligiuri, best known for his “shot heard around the world” goal in the United States’ 1-0 World Cup qualifier victory in 1989; Janet Evans, the first American to win four individual Olympic gold medals in swimming; and Ron Brown, an NFL wide receiver who also won a gold medal in the 4-by-100-meter relays during the1984 Summer Olympics.

WHEN, WHERE: Sunday, June 29, at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the induction ceremony at 6 p.m.

WHAT: Since its establishment in 2006, the California Sports Hall of Fame has honored more than 100 sports icons, while promoting fitness awareness, education and athletic activities for youth and adults. To be eligible, California Sports Hall of Fame candidates must have been born in California, have significant state ties, or spent a substantial part of their amateur or professional careers in the state. Nominations are accepted from the public at large as well as the Advisory Committee and current Hall of Fame members. After a vetting process, qualified candidates are voted on by an electorate that includes the organization’s Founder and Advisory Committee. Induction into the California Sports Hall of Fame is the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. Honorees have typically spent decades in the sports industry, have been leaders in the industryand have an extensive list of accomplishments.

RSVP: Steve Lambert, stevelambert2020@gmail.com, (909) 841-7527

SAN DIMAS, CA — The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Youth Power Community Solutions, is hosting the 29th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 16, 2025. The event will take place at the Via Verde Country Club, located at 1400 Avenida Entrada in San Dimas.

“This fundraiser event brings together business leaders, celebrities, and community champions for a day of golf, networking, and purpose— all to support programs that empower youth and promote small business development across Southern California,” said Rich Wallace, President of the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce.

· Check-In: 7:00 AM

· Tee Time: 8:00 AM

Shotgun Start

· Location: Via Verde Country Club, San Dimas, CA

· Dinner & Awards:

Following tournament play

Participants can look forward to celebrity guests, contests, and entertainment throughout the day, along with an awards dinner and networking opportunities with professionals and entrepreneurs. Sponsorships and foursomes are currently available for those interested in supporting the cause.

For more information, visit: https:// blackchamberofcommerce.org/ annual-celebrity-golf-classic

Protecting your personal information: Which documents to keep and which to shred

By BCP Staff

When it comes to protecting your identity, you might think about keeping usernames to yourself, using strong passwords, and reviewing your statements. That’s all great. But it’s also important to think about what you do with documents or digital files that contain your financial information. So, let’s