Vol. 49 No. 51
April 11, 2019 - April 17, 2019
This publication is a Certified DBE/ SBE / MBE in the State of California CUCP #43264 Metro File #7074 & State of Texas File #802505971 Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them and these will continue till they have resisted either with words or blows or words or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they suppress. —Fredrick Douglass (1849)
Senator Schumer: Trump and Barr Threaten African American Gains Under Obamacare
New York Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has continued to call out President Donald Trump and his administration’s assault on the Affordable Care Act. By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia New York Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has continued to call out President Donald Trump and his administration’s assault on the Affordable Care Act. Schumer noted that African American gains under the health care legislation, commonly known as Obamacare, are threatened by Trump and Attorney General William Barr as the Justice Department has argued in federal court that the law is unconstitutional and should be struck down – “Not just vital insurance reforms like protections for individuals with preexisting conditions, as they had first argued last year,” Schumer said. By Monday, April 1, Trump appeared to back away from his push for a vote on an Obamacare replacement until after the 2020 elections, a move CNN said was bowing to the political reality that major health care legislation cannot pass in the current Congress. Earlier, administration officials announced that they now agreed with a judge’s ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act should be scrapped. The opinion was a dramatic reversal from the administration’s previous stance that only portions of the
act could not be defended, CNN reported. However, the president’s latest move allows him to wait on the issue as legal challenges against the health care law make their way through the federal court system. If it’s ultimately overturned, Trump can claim he made good on a campaign promise in time for his 2020 re-election campaign – though he would then face the prospect of an estimated 20 million Americans losing their health insurance on his watch, with no Republican replacement in the legislative pipeline, according to a CNN analysis. If it’s upheld – as it has been in previous Supreme Court challenges – Trump can rail against a ‘liberal’ court system. Trump dialed back expectations that Republicans would be able to pass major health care legislation before the 2020 election, but his promise of a vote that would hinge on a Republican takeback of the House ensures nonetheless that health care will figure prominently in 2020. That is a fight Republicans are wary to have after they suffered huge losses in 2018 congressional races in large part over the issue of health care, accord-
ing to the analysis. In the court battle, the appeals process will likely stretch into next year. In a memo provided by Schumer’s office, the senator and Democrats noted that after the Trump administration and Republicans repeatedly have claimed that they are in favor of protecting people with preexisting conditions, they essentially have crystallized their actual position: “They think health insurance coverage for nearly 20 million Americans, pre-existing condition protections and tax credits to afford health care, should be annihilated.” Democrats are fighting against this new attack against President Obama’s legacy and working to provide better health care for communities that need it most, according to the memo. “The Affordable Care Act and its protections are vital to African Americans across the United States in helping them have access to quality, affordable health care,” Schumer said. “The African American community would be devastated if Republicans gut the backbone of our country’s health care system,” he said, according to the memo. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the
African American uninsured rate dropped by more than a third since passage of the ACA. The same report also noted that African Americans have higher uninsured rates than Whites and Asians. On top of this, Africans Americans are more likely to have a pre-existing condition, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Women of color will particularly be harmed if Republicans are successful in eliminating pre-existing condition protections. Black women have increased rates of maternal mortality and higher rates of pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, asthma, hepatitis B, and HIV/ AIDS, necessitating vital protections like those preventing discrimination against Americans with pre-existing conditions. The removal of these protections will make it harder for women of color to access affordable prenatal and postpartum care. “The contrast couldn’t be more stark,” Schumer noted. “The Trump administration now is going after health care as we know it, which if successful would result in skyrocketing health care costs – including for prescription drugs, millions more uninsured, and vital health care protections eviscerated,” he said. Schumer and the entire Democratic caucus have vowed instead to continue to fight for those with pre-existing conditions and to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care. “If the Trump administration has its way, it would raise health care costs, including prescription drugs, revoke coverage for millions who gained health care through Medicaid expansions, [and] strike preexisting condition protections for hundreds of millions,” Schumer said on the Senate floor this week. “Democrats will not stop fighting to protect health care for millions,” he said.
Assemblyman Obernolte and Victorville Mayor Gloria Garcia to Host Annual Free Tax Preparation for Veterans High Desert News HESPERIA – Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) announced he and Victorville Mayor Gloria Garcia will be hosting the annual free tax preparation event for veterans. “We owe our veterans so much for the sacrifices they have made to our country,” stated Assemblyman Obernolte. “I am honored to host this event offering free tax preparation to our veterans as a small way of showing my appreciation to all those who have served.” To RSVP and schedule an appointment for the event please contact (760) 951-2238. Annual Free Tax Preparation for Veterans Friday, April 12th, 9:00am to 2:00pm
Garcia Bookkeeping Service 14450 Park Avenue, Ste. A, Victorville, CA 92392 Veterans need to bring with them: *Photo ID (passport, green card, driver’s license, state DMV ID) for self AND spouse if married (Required) *For married filing joint returns, BOTH spouses must be present (Required) *Social Security Cards or ITNS for members going on the return, including spouse and all dependents (Required) *Last year’s tax return, if any
available (Recommended) *Proof of Income – W2s, 1099s, cash income, disability year-end statement (SSA, VA, insurance, etc.), interest income, etc. (i.e. SSA-1099, RRB-1099, 1099-INT, 1099DIV, 1099R, 1099-MISC, 1099-B, 1099-G state income tax refund, and information about other forms of income) *Proof of Expenses – childcare expense statements (including provider address and tax ID number), medical expenses, property tax bills, etc. (i.e. 1098 form for home mortgage interest, 1098-T & 1098E forms for tuition & student loan interest payments, list of medical/dental expenses [doc-
tor/hospital bills & medical insurance premiums, prescription medicines, costs of assisted living services and bills for home improvements such as ramps/railings for people with disabilities]summary of contributions to charity, canceled checks indicating federal and state income tax paid or prepaid or estimated tax payments, property tax and proof of payments) *Dependent care provider information (name, employer ID or social security number) *Checkbook with routing number and account number for direct deposit refund (recommended)
Publisher’s Corner Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com Clifton Harris Editor in Chief Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
Will Adelanto Officials Reform a Brutal Detention Center—Or Just Make It Bigger? Immigration activists and state agencies continue to put pressure on California’s ICE facilities. By Robin Urevich
The windswept town of Adelanto, in the High Desert near San Bernardino, recently became the second Southern California city to announce it would cut ties with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Since 2011, Adelanto has operated one of the largest and most troubled immigration detention centers in the country, the 1,940-bed Adelanto Detention Facility. Its contract is scheduled to terminate June 25. California currently holds about 4,500 detainees for ICE, more than any other state except Texas. But under pressure from local activists and Sacramento’s scrutiny of detention conditions, cities and counties are increasingly severing their connections with ICE. Earlier last month the city of McFarland, citing the state’s sanctuary laws and demands from the California State Auditor, terminated its contract with the federal agency for the operation of the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield. And last week Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said his department planned to give ICE four months’ notice that the county would no longer jail some 700 ICE detainees at its Theo Lacy and James Musick facilities. Attorney General: Three detainee deaths and six unsuccessful suicide attempts occurred at Adelanto’s detention center in fiscal year 2017. Adelanto is a city of 34,000 and among the state’s poorest, with a long history of political corruption. It has three prisons, including the ICE facility. Adelanto, however, is a detention center operator in name only. It holds an Intergovernmental Service Agreement with ICE, an arrangement the agency uses to quickly establish detention centers without public competitive bidding processes. The GEO Group, the nation’s largest for-profit prison company, runs the Adelanto center, and pays the city about $1 million annually. But in late February the state auditor released a report slamming Adelanto and two other cities for failing to properly oversee the detention centers, prompting city officials to reconsider their ICE contract. “The City of Adelanto has been closely monitoring the recent decisions made by other local agencies to stop housing ICE detainees,” City Manager
Jessie Flores texted Capital & Main. “Based on those observations and the issues raised in the State Auditor’s report, the City and the GEO group determined that it was in the parties’ interest to terminate the underlying agreements.” Adelanto’s decision to sever ties with the GEO Group may actually allow the company to expand its operations at the detention facility. The state attorney general recently noted “significant health and safety risks” at Adelanto, including nooses found in detainee cells, inadequate medical care and overuse of solitary confinement. The AG reported that three detainee deaths and six unsuccessful suicide attempts occurred at the detention center in fiscal year 2017. The auditor recommended legislation to take effect immediately that would require cities to adequately oversee the detention centers for which they contract. Adelanto city manager Flores said in his text that it would be too costly for his cash-strapped and understaffed city to adequately oversee the detention center. * * * The city’s decision to sever ties with ICE is not, however, the immigrant rights victory it might appear. Adelanto’s move may actually allow the GEO Group, which owns and operates the detention center, to expand its operations. State law forbids California cities from increasing detention space under their existing ICE agreements. But if ICE contracts directly with a private detention company like GEO, there is no such constraint. In a statement, ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley wrote that “ICE plans to continue to use the Adelanto ICE Processing Center as long as a viable contract is in effect with the facility.” The agency was able to contract directly with the GEO Group to keep the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield open when the city of McFarland pulled out earlier this year. Indeed, GEO Group President George Zoley personally lobbied for Adelanto to terminate its ICE contract, according to Adelanto City Councilwoman Stevevonna Evans. On (continued on page 8)
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