SB American News week ending 8/22

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Vol. 49 No. 17

August 16, 2018 - August 22, 2018

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)

Trump's Secretary of Commerce Allegedly Stole $120 Million White man affirmative-action – the most often seen kind of affirmative action in America.

Editor in Chief’s Corner Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com Clifton Harris Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News

Bail Reform This Year? Proposed Legislation Raises Fears of Computer-Based Bail System By Manny Otiko | California Black Media

By Keka Araujo

Manny Otiko

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross allegedly bamboozled $120 million dollars from his Wall Street buddies over the years during his tenure as the head of the privateequity company WL Ross & Co., according to a report from Forbes. The report alleges that Ross has been the target of numerous lawsuits alleging various financial improprieties. Ross is reported to be worth about $700 million. Last year, it was discovered that he overwhelmingly inflated his wealth in order to gain access to the exclusive Forbes billionaire's list. Forbes's Dan Alexander reported that, based on conversations he had with 21 sources, Ross took incredible amounts of money from business partners and consistently swindled investors for his own personal gain. The magazine states: "If even half of the accusations are legitimate, the current United States Secretary of Commerce could rank among the biggest grifters in American history." Forbes went on to cite:

In 2005, former WL Ross vice chairman Peter Lusk sued the future commerce secretary for $20 million, ultimately alleging that he had tried to cut him out of his interests. The executives reached a settlement in 2007, which former WL Ross employees say cost roughly $10 million. Asked to comment on the suit, Ross responded, "The Lusk case ended with mutual confidentiality requirements." Three years ago, [equity manager David] Storper launched what became a $4 million lawsuit against both his former employer, WL Ross, and former boss, the commerce secretary, alleging that Ross stole his interests. Attorneys for Ross admitted in court filings that one of his companies took Storper's interest and reallocated part of it to the commerce secretary. But Ross' lawyers also insisted all of that was allowed under internal agreements. "Simply put," they wrote, "this lawsuit is a personal vendetta against Mr. Ross." After a judge rejected attempts to prevent the case from going to trial, just days

before the jury selections the two sides agreed to settle. A former colleague was even quoted saying, "He's a pathological liar." It appears that Ross has had a problematic business reputation for quite some time. His dealings in upper echelon business circles landed him on Alexander's radar again after Ross was appointed to the Secretary of Commerce position in 2017 by President Trump. After being appointed, Ross upheld his assets in foreign companies. This is an obvious conflict of interest. One of these firms had major ties to a Russian business magnate who had been hit with American sanctions. Last November, Ross signed a form stating that he had divested all the assets he had with the companies. That was a lie. Of course, the White House vehemently denied the accusations. A statement issued by the Department of Commerce said: "The anonymously sourced Forbes story is based on false rumors, innuendo, and unveri-

fiable claims. The fact remains that no regulator has made any of these accusations against the Secretary. This rehash of old stories is clearly the result of a personal vendetta. The baseless claims made in this story were well publicized long ago and are not news." Many people are unaware of what the Secretary of Commerce actually does. That role, specifically, develops and maintains relationships with the business community in order to initiate and grow job opportunities in industries for American workers. The role requires someone who actively works in various communities, businesses and universities. This appointee would also engage with American workers to promote economic growth, job creation and balance economic development. Having integrity and being ethical are paramount to this position. Given Ross' alleged unscrupulous business dealings, how is he qualified or worthy of this role?

Oakland City Council Endorses Prop 10 to End Skyrocketing Rents State/Government News OAKLAND, CA (August 13, 2018) On July 24, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to enthusiastically endorse Proposition 10. The statewide ballot measure will allow communities to urgently address California’s housing-affordability and homeless crises by limiting rent increases. Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan said, "Proposition 10 will bring much needed local control back to communities to create stability for renters in Oakland and across California. I am proud that the Oakland City Council has stepped up and endorsed a much needed tool to help keep rents affordable and people from falling into homeless." According to Trulia, Oakland saw a 51.1% price spike from a

median rent of $1,952/month in 2012 up to $2,500/month in 2017. Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb said, "Prop 10 will return decision-making to local communities to help level the playing field for renters in cities across our state. We have seen speculators take over rental markets in California sending rental prices skyrocketing to dollar amounts that working people can't afford.” He added, "This kind of price gouging has exacerbated the homeless crisis as never seen before. Working residents have been forced to live in cars and tents, and in conditions that are not humane. Let's pass Prop. 10 to reduce displacement of our residents and give control back to local communities like Oakland so we can work to protect individuals and families struggling to

keep a roof over their head.” While teachers, nurses, seniors, and working-class families struggle to pay skyrocketing rents, corporate landlords and Wall Street speculators profit. Even worse, corporate landlords Blackstone Group, led by CEO Stephen Schwarzman, and Equity Residential, founded by Sam Zell, are funding the opposition campaign. The Wall Street companies who played a major role in creating the nation’s worst housing affordability and homelessness crises, are opposed to the Prop 10 effort to address it. Prop 10 would close the current loophole in California rent control laws that allow rent increases to skyrocket in cities like Oakland. The initiative also guarantees landlord’s right to a fair rate of return, bringing stability to the

rental markets, mitigating displacement and creating economic equality. Lead Strategist Joe Trippi of Yes on 10, said, “We are pleased to welcome the City of Oakland to this epic David and Goliath effort to return power to local communities. The rent is too damn high, and far too many hard-working people are being forced into the streets.” The City of Oakland joins a large and growing coalition of labor, housing advocacy, community, and civil rights organizations who support Proposition 10, including the City of West Hollyw o o d : www.affordablehousingact.org/ endorsements. Follow #YesOn10 on Facebook and Twitter.

Progressives and some black activists have long complained about America's bail system, which treats people with means differently from low-income people. Under the current cash bail system, people charged with a crime can sit in jail for months, and sometimes years, without seeing a judge simply because they can't afford bail. A good example of this situation is seen in the story of Kalief Browder, a New York teen, who was arrested on charges of petty theft. Because his family couldn't afford his $3,000 bail, he languished in Rikers Island for three years, before a judge dropped the charges. Two years after his release, Browder committed suicide. His family said his experience in jail, where he had to fight to survive and was placed in solitary confinement, killed him. The other side of the American justice system is seen in the case of Cameron Terrell, a white teenager from Palos Verdes Estates, who was behind the wheel in a drive-by shooting. His parents put up $500,000 in cash to secure a $5 million bond. Terrell was acquitted in July. Two black males, who were passengers in the car, are still facing life sentences. However, a proposed bill suggests taking the setting of bail amounts out of human hands and making the criminal justice system fairer. According to a section of Senate Bill 10 "The California Money Bail Reform Act of 2017," the new legislation would require the use of a "pretrial risk assessment tool." Critics of the bill interpret this to mean using a computer algorithm, that takes into consideration the suspects' age, location, and criminal record, to set bail. This conjures up images of the automated system used in the Tom Cruise movie "Minority Report." More than 100 civil rights and civil liberties organizations have complained about the potential use of an algorithm-based system to evaluate bail. "Last week, the national ACLU signed onto a statement along with other civil rights, digital justice and community-based organizations, which included a call for important policy reforms to

accompany any use of pretrial risk assessment tools. "It's far overdue for government jurisdictions to end the money bail systems that have kept poor people and people of color locked up while awaiting their day in court. Many jurisdictions, however, are turning to pretrial risk assessments, placing a technological barrier between people and their freedom. Algorithms cannot undo the racial bias that exists in the criminal legal system. These and other high tech tools will always disadvantage communities of color and threaten to replace mass incarceration with digital prisons. We join the chorus of civil and human rights organizations in calling on jurisdictions to reconsider their use of pretrial risk assessments and adopt solutions that actually set people free.” Said Myaisha Hayes, criminal justice & tech organizer for Center for Media Justice. One of the fears about SB 10 is its reliance on technology. Technology is far from perfect, as shown in Russia's use of hacked emails to tamper with the 2016 elections. And according to the ACLU of Northern California, Amazon's face recognition technology, which is currently used by some police departments, has shown signs of bias. White faces were found to generate less false matches than black faces. According to Jaivon Grant, writing in the Sacramento Observer, this may encourage opposition to SB 10. "The local and national civil rights groups have long sought to end the money bail system, and SB 10 is the closest they have come to doing so to date. However, Sen. Hertzberg and Assemblymember Bonta may have a very difficult time persuading enough of their fellow Democrat colleagues to support an algorithm-based bail program in the face of such compelling opposition by a powerful coalition of civil rights organizations opposing it," he said. Leaders of the assembly and senate were both reported saying this was a priority before the Aug 31 end of this year's legislative session.

Our Values, Mission, & Vision Statement Our Values: Treat all people with care, respect, honor, and dignity. Tell it as it is with love, truth and integrity. Promote the interests of advertisers and sponsors along their strategic interest for the betterment of the community and beyond. Speak truth to power. Our Mission: To continuously improve communication between all people of the world. Our Vision: To be the best community newspaper in our region and the nation. Provider of: A voice for the poor, the underserved, those that are marginalized, Positive and edifying news about people, places and businesses. Keep San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles Counties informed about global trends while retaining the consciousness of local events and processes. Memberships and Associations: The San Bernardino American Newspaper is a member of the California Newspaper Publishers Association, National Newspaper Association and addociated with California Black Media.


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