SB American News Week Ending 2/27

Vol. 49 No. 44

February 21, 2019 - February 27, 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)

**BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT**

Black History Month: The oldest university in the world is in Africa

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

White Supremacist's Apology Doesn't Deter Judge From Giving Him a Life Sentence Family and friends said the apology was insulting, and that Timothy Caughman's death was their "life sentence."

By Jayme S. Ganey

By Mo Barnes

A view of Timbuktu and the University of Sankoré (Image Source: Drawn by Martin Bernatz (1802–1878) after a sketch

by Heinrich Barth (1821-1865)-Public Domain) When it comes to Black colleges and Universities, the common historical narrative is the vast majority of these schools were founded after the Civil War. Because of this, it is assumed that Black higher learning did not commence until after slavery. This however, is far from the truth. A simple look at history will find the first and still standing Black University was founded in Timbuktu.

This hallowed institution is called the University of Sankoré.

The Sankoré Mosque was founded in 989 AD in the country today known as Mali. Mali was part of the ancient African Songhai Empire, one of the

most powerful Kingdoms in the known world. It was located in the city of Timbuktu, a lynchpin in the trades of salt, gold, and other goods to the Arab, African and European powers of the time. That mosque would become known as the University of Sankoré and was so well known that it was added to maps produced in Europe.

Its greatest expansion came under the rule of King Mansa Musa, who was the richest man in the world. His wealth at that time was estimated to be $400 billion. He restructured the university with jurists, astronomers and mathematicians. Scholars from around

Africa, the Middle East and Europe traveled to Timbuktu to study. Because of King Mansa Musa, the Sankoré University had been converted into a fully staffed university with the largest collection of books in Africa since the Library of Alexandria.

Sankoré University was capable of housing 25,000 students and had one of the largest libraries in the world with roughly one million manuscripts. According to the website Muslim Heritage, The University of Sankoré is still functioning, but with very limited resources on its ancient site. Sankoré is now a shadow

of its former self and it is hoped that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) will help preserve its history and ancient buildings.

Maurice “Mo” Barnes is a graduate of Morehouse College and Political Scientist based in Atlanta. Mo is also a Blues musician. He has been writing for Rolling Out since 2014.

Whether it means walking through a bloody police shooting to help a family find justice or showing the multifaceted talent of the Black Diaspora I write the news.

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

James Jackson, 30, a white supremacist, killed Timothy Caughman, 66, a Black man with a sword. Jackson was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

His apology: "I just wanted to apologize to everyone who has been negatively affected by this horrible and unnecessary tragedy.

If I could do it all over again, this never would have happened."

Caughman's friends dismissed the apology, as fake.

State Supreme Court Justice Laura Ward said, "You killed a man solely because he was Black.

And there is no excuse for your actions."

Jackson's attorney, Frederick Sosinsky, said his client had protested racial injustice, had served with Blacks in the military, and had never committed a crime before.

Portia Clark, who knew Caughman from childhood, said Jackson's apology was "B.S." Clark's husband, Carl Nimmons, said while crying, that the apology was "insulting because I know he didn't mean it, no kind of way."

Jackson had plead guilty to firstdegree murder, terrorism, hate crime and weapons charges.

He is a veteran of the Army and worked as an intelligence analyst.

He wrote in a manifesto: "The racial World War starts today. This political terrorist attack is a formal declaration of a global total war on the Negro races Negroes are obviously first on the list for extermination."

Jackson told police the document was on an unencrypted flash drive labeled with a swastika and a Crusader's Cross.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. said that they didn't want to release the full manifesto to avoid spreading "his message of terror and hate."

The DA said the document ended with "Hail Victory! Sieg Heil."

Richard Peek, Caughman's cousin, read a letter from the family: "We'll never be able to share another family moment with Timothy, we'll never get to say goodbye to our loved one, we'll never know how much he truly suffered or how alone he felt in his last moments."

"That is our life sentence. We get no parole either."

Colin Kaepernick Settles Collusion Case Against The NFL Kaepernick filed his grievance against the NFL in 2017, accusing team owners of violating the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Chief Joseph Paulino Speaks to Youth of Beautillion Program

By Antonia Blumberg

Community News

Mr. Joseph G. Paulino, Chief of Police for San Bernardino City Unified School District Police Department spent Sunday, February 17, 2019 speaking to youth of the Social Lites, Inc. Beautillion program at the Center for Youth and Community Development in San Bernardino. Chief Paulino inspiring words resonated in the thoughts of Jordan DeanReynoso, Knight of program. Mr. Dean-Reynoso stated, “Besides proper interaction with authorities, if you can make a positive impact on one person, then you single handed made the world a little better, and that’s all that really matters.” “If you can’t feed a thousand, you can feed one.”

Chief Paulino made a difference and a positive impact on future leaders of tomorrow!

The Beautillion Knights and their court (Fairmaidens, Squires, and Pages) are participants in a mentorship program sponsored

by The Social Lites, Inc. of San Bernardino. The five-month extracurricular program centered

In 2017, Jackson traveled to NYC from Baltimore with the intent of starting a race war.

Colin Kaepernick ended his legal battles with the National Football League on Friday after initially accusing owners of colluding to keep him from playing over his national anthem protest.

In identical statements on Friday, the NFL and Kaepernick’s at-

torney, Mark Geragos, said the grievance was resolved. The NFL also said it had settled a similar complaint filed by Eric Reid.

“For the past several months, counsel for Mr. Kaepernick and Mr. Reid have engaged in an ongoing dialogue with representatives of the NFL,” the statement said. “As a result of those discussions, the parties have decided to resolve the pending grievances. The resolution of this matter is subject to a confidentiality agreement so there will be no further comment by any party.”

Kaepernick filed his grievance (continued on page 8)

Our Values, Mission, & Vision Statement

Front Row Beautillion Knights (L/R): Neuman Sneed II, Syree Rucker-Spears, Joseph Paulino (Chief of Police), Tynan Currie, Jordan Dean-Reynoso (Not in Photo: Zamir Subero) Second Row (L/R): Wynter James, Abdul Chapman, Jaydeen Overstreet, Karmelo Musgrove, Royal Turner-Robinson, Calif Riley, Courtney Crawford, Joshua Dean-Reynoso around academic and community service projects, is focused on leadership, character, life development skills and health educa-

tion for students of color from elementary to high school.

The Beautillion program will commence on Saturday, March

30, 2019 at the National Orange Show of San Bernardino. For more information, please contact: knight.beautillion@gmail.com

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.

Visit Us Online: www.SB-American.com

PAGE 2

February 21, 2019

COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/ADVERTISING

Four Lynwood students to travel abroad in summer

By Wave Staff Report

Lynwood High School students. (Photo by: wavenewspapers.com) LYNWOOD — Four Lynwood High School students will experience Japanese tea ceremonies in Tokyo, taste paella in Alicante, Spain, and learn German while traveling through Berlin this summer after earning Global Navigator Scholarships that will allow them to study abroad this summer.

Junior Melanie Pacheco will venture to Spain, juniors Crystal Cervantes and Daniel Perez will visit Germany and freshman Alicia Norberto will spend time in Japan during four-week trips in June and July that immerse the students in language and culture.

“I have never really traveled outside of the state, so it’s a good opportunity to see the world and broaden my horizon,” Pacheco said. “I also want to improve my Spanish, and I know that their Spanish differs from what I speak so I’m interested to see the differences.”

Each student will be joined on their travels by approximately 40 high school students from around the U.S. The participants will receive 60 hours of language instruction while spending time with a host family to share meals and learn local customs. Students also will receive college credit.

The Global Navigator program is run by the Council on International Exchange, a nonprofit organization promoting international education. The local students applied for the program by

writing essays that shared their personal stories and expressed their desire to travel abroad.

Applicants must demonstrate leadership, and in some cases must be at a competent level of foreign language — the trip to Alicante requires students to speak Spanish at all times.

The program offers 18 destinations to choose from.

“In history, I learned about the Berlin Wall and Germany looks like such a beautiful country to visit,” Perez said. “I like the language as well. I’m looking forward to meeting people from all over the world and sharing experiences with them.”

Cervantes said she has not traveled much beyond Lynwood and has her heart set on tasting the chocolate and cheese in Germany. She and Perez both study in Lynwood High’s biomedical pathway program and spend free time volunteering at St. Francis Medical Center.

Norberto is fascinated with Japanese culture, from anime to sushi and kimonos. She has dreams of one day becoming an international architect and is motivated to learn Japanese.

The students were encouraged to pursue the Global Navigator program by counselors and educators who observed their capacity for foreign language and appetite for personal growth.

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

It’s official: Female presidents are held to higher standards than males Analysis of presidential approval ratings reveals truths about gender biases

By Tess Eyrich Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar — the list of women who have thrown their hats into the ring for the 2020 U.S. presidential election continues to grow.

But as they build their campaigns, these women and others who follow in their footsteps might want to heed the results of a new study published by a trio of political scientists from the University of California, Riverside; Georgia State University; and the University of Mississippi.

The researchers compared the approval ratings of more than 150 male and female presidents in 20 Latin American and Asian democracies. Through their analysis, they sought to answer one question: Does the public support male and female presidents similarly?

Their findings, published last month in the British Journal of Political Science, suggest that female presidents are decidedly less popular than their male counterparts upon entering office. In addition, these women experience shorter “honeymoons” before their approval ratings begin to dip, and their ratings suffer steeper declines over the course of their terms in office.

“The effect of the sex of a president on approval is very dramatic,” said Miguel Carreras, an assistant professor of political science at UC Riverside and one of the paper’s authors. “As researchers, we weren’t necessarily expecting such a large effect.”

Carreras and his co-researchers, Ryan E. Carlin of Georgia State University and Gregory J. Love of the University of Mississippi, posited that ingrained gender ste-

reotypes play an outsize role in determining public approval of elected officials.

To test their theory, the researchers gathered data from third-wave democracies with presidential systems in 18 Latin American countries as well as the Philippines and South Korea.

Their final sample included 150 presidential administrations spanning from the 1970s to 2017, with 10 of the administrations classified as female-led.

The researchers enlisted the help of the Executive Approval Project, an initiative on which Carlin, Love, and others collaborate, for access to survey data from both public and private polling firms for each country included in the sample. This allowed the researchers to devise a system for comparing overall approval ratings.

Moreover, Carlin, Carreras, and Love also gauged how male and female presidents’ perceived handling of three key issue areas — corruption, security, and the economy — affected their approval ratings, and whether a president’s sex seemed to have any bearing.

To estimate corruption, the researchers turned to the corruption index compiled by Varieties of Democracy, or V-Dem, which weighs perceptions of both a country’s executive leader’s corruption and corruption across its public sector as a whole.

To quantify physical security, Carlin, Carreras, and Love evaluated both in-country crime rates and annual homicide-rate data published by the United Nations.

They also measured a second indicator of security, terrorism, using the open-source Global Ter(continued in next 2 columns)

It’s official: Female presidents are held to higher Students get scholarships, acceptance letters at Black College Expo...continued standards than males...continued rorism Dataset.

Lastly, the researchers assessed economic conditions using data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators to measure each country’s gross domestic product per capita growth and natural log of inflation.

The results of their analysis confirmed the researchers’ theory that “female presidents are, generally, viewed with a more critical eye than male leaders and their popular support suffers in return,” they wrote. The study demonstrated that female presidents are less popular on average than their male counterparts; additionally, its results suggested that perceived weakness in key issue areas led to more pronounced downturns in approval ratings for female presidents.

In particular, women in executive roles saw their public standing suffer greater damage when they were associated with corruption or security failures.

“Mounting corruption perceptions have essentially no effect on male presidents’ approval ratings but significantly, and substantially, damage public support for female presidents,” the researchers wrote. Likewise, “the popularity of female leaders is, indeed, more sensitive to that of male leaders to terrorist attacks and homicide rates.”

The analysis, however, revealed no major differences between how female and male presidents are supported based on economic outcomes — possibly because perceived economic

prowess (or weakness) isn’t as closely associated with gendered traits, the researchers said.

Conversely, Carreras noted that women in power are likely judged more harshly for perceived security failures because competency in handling such issues is associated with stereotypically masculine traits and behaviors.

“There’s a stereotype that women are ‘soft’ and might not be able to deal with a security crisis or a war, for example,” he said.

“But if they’re ‘too aggressive’ or try to show too much ‘masculinity,’ they might be accused of not being ‘nice’ or ‘feminine’ enough. It’s a difficult line for women to walk when it comes to satisfying people; whichever direction they take, they’re likely to run into problems.”

Similarly, because women are often considered “morally superior” to men, and thus more honest and trustworthy, they tend to pay a higher price — namely in the form of diminished levels of public support — when they’re tied to claims of political corruption.

Carreras said the research highlights the need for all citizens to be more cognizant of their own implicit prejudices when evaluating elected officials.

“Even women hold other women to higher standards, and that’s partially a result of the ways in which we’ve been socialized,” he said. “These biases can certainly be hard to get rid of, but fixing the problem starts with awareness.”

Students get scholarships, acceptance letters at Black College Expo

By Shirley Hawkins

“At HBCUs, they teach you about the rich legacy of African Americans that are not in the history books,” Harris added. “My HBCU experience taught me that there are great black people all around us.”

Amer Walton, who attended Bowie State College in Prince Georges County, Maryland, agreed.

“Most of your lawyers, doctors and judges graduated from HBCUs,” Walton said. “HBCUs help you to maximize your potential.”

Dozens of students flocked to a booth to pick up literature from Black College Tours, which was founded 30 years ago by Gregory and Yasmin Delahoussaye. The tour arranges for high school students to visit different colleges across the country each summer.

“I realized that young people would have a better chance to go to college if they knew that HBCUs existed,” said Gregory Delahoussaye, who estimated that nearly 5,000 students have taken the tour.

Seventeen-year-old Da’Shawn Lennan eagerly handed out literature detailing information about Miles College, an HBCU in Fairfield, Alabama.

“When I was still attending Pete Knight High School in Palmdale, I visited Miles College and they had the major I wanted, which was business,” said Lennan, who applied to Miles and was accepted at the school.

“I am so glad to see young people attending this expo,” said Lennan as he surveyed the crowd. “This is a great opportunity for seniors and juniors from high school to get acquainted with different schools from across

the country.”

Eighteen-year-old Prosper Egbador, a student at Aquinas High School in San Bernardino who emigrated from Nigeria at 16, proudly walked away with an acceptance letter from Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas.

“It feels great to be accepted — this is a dream come true. Not a lot of people get this opportunity, but God helped me, and here I am — I’m going to college,” he said, eagerly clutching his acceptance letter.

Brandon Lee said that after checking his high school transcripts, admission personnel at Tuskeegee University in Tuskeegee, Alabama, also offered him an acceptance letter.

“I want to major in mechanical engineering,” said Lee, who traveled from San Gorgonio Hugh School in San Bernardino, to attend the expo. “I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere, culture and climate at Tuskeegee.”

Towards the end of the Expo, 25 high school students were led to the stage and presented with scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,500. They were greeted with loud applause from the audience.

“In order to win a scholarship, the students had to write an essay about why they wanted to go to college,” Price said.

Nicole Tinson, a speaker at the “Boom Careers” workshop, told the students, “Don’t be discouraged. You can have a 2.0 [grade point average] but you can recreate your grade point average.

There’s lots of opportunities, internships, jobs and resources out there. You just have to make a plan and apply yourself.”

This article originally appeared in the Wave Newspapers.

It’s Time to Stop Marginalizing African Americans in Public Higher Education

By Spencer Overton, The Joint Center for Economic Studies

Photo by: wavenewspapers.com LOS ANGELES — Students from Riverside, San Diego and Orange County made their way to the Los Angeles Convention Center Feb. 2 for the 20th annual Black College Expo.

More than 15,000 high school students met with representatives from more than 200 colleges and universities including Ivy League schools and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) from across the country.

“The Expo started as a dream and a passion of mine,” said Theresa Price, founder of the expo who said that years ago, she was not aware that HCBUs even existed.

“Once I discovered historically black colleges and universities, I wanted to spread the history and legacy of these great schools,” she said. “It is great to see the students so happy and excited to attend the expo and I wanted students from all over the world to know about it.”

Some schools were able to check high school transcripts of students at the expo and hand out acceptance letters on the spot.

During a seminar titled “How to Get Money for College,” Gloria Ponce Rodriguez of the National College Resources Foundation said that there are billions of dollars available for high school students who want to attend colleges and universities, particularly if they come from impoverished backgrounds.

“There are all kinds of resources and money out there, especially for the African-American male,” she said while distributing a brochure filled with information about how to receive money for college.

“There’s state, federal, institutional and private scholarships available,” she added.

“If you’re currently enrolled in ROTC at your school, ROTC money is available. If you want to become a teacher, you can get a teaching grant as long as your grade point average is 3.2.”

“If your family makes less than $65,000 a year, you can go to Harvard, Princeton or Yale. There are also the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant and the Pell grant, which offers students $6,095 in free money as well as schools that also offer workstudy programs,” Rodriguez said.

“If a student really wants to go to college, the opportunities are definitely there,” Rodriguez said.

“There are at least 80 colleges across the country that will offer you a pathway to acquiring an education, particularly if you come from a disadvantaged background.”

Rodriguez shared her own story, revealing that she only had a 1.1 grade average when she dropped out of high school to care for her six siblings.

“But I knew I was a smart cookie,” she said. “I finally went back to school and earned my GED.” Rodriguez applied for and was accepted at Norfolk State College in Norfolk, Virginia. “After improving my grade point average, I received a full fellowship and majored in special education. I pursued my degree while I raised my special needs child,” said Rodriguez, who eventually became the admissions director at Norfolk.

“Don’t ever give up,” she told the students.

During the day-long event, a number of speakers who had attended HBCUs said that they formed close bonds with their alma maters that will last forever.

“I visited the University of Southern California and no one was going the extra mile to interact with Jawanza Harris,” said one speaker. “But when I went to Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia they said, ‘You’re great.

We see something in you.’ The difference is your people surround you and affirm you,” he said. (continued in next 2 columns)

The largest Black underrepresentation in selective public colleges is in the Deep South. In Mississippi, for example, African Americans account for 44 percent of 18-24 year olds, but only 11 percent of students at the state’s selective public college (the University of Mississippi). (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) Students across the country are putting final touches on their applications for some of our country’s most prestigious public institutions. Higher education officials and policymakers alike need to ensure that these universities are not underserving Black students.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of work to do. A new study from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that African Americans aren’t attending selective colleges (e.g. the University of Michigan, University of South Carolina, University of Houston, and others) at the same rates as their White peers. Even states with a sizable population of average-college-aged Black people (18-24 years old) are falling short.

In Delaware, for example, African Americans account for 26 percent of 18-24 year olds, but only 6 percent of students at the University of Delaware.

These public colleges should serve a representative cross-section of students, and be engines of mobility for all students. Unfortunately, they are not. White students make up 54 percent of 18-24 year olds, but account for 64 percent of freshman enrollment in selective public colleges.

Meanwhile, Black students account for 15 percent of 18-24 year olds in the United States, but only 7 percent of students in public selective colleges.

Some argue that African American students are less qualified to attend selective enrollment schools, but that isn’t the case.

Among students who score in the upper half of standardized test scores, 31 percent of White students enroll in a selective college, but only 19 percent of Black students get that chance. All of these students are highly likely to graduate—students in the up(continued on page 6)

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News Staff Samuel Martin Sr.-Founder Clifton Harris/Editor in Chief/Investigative Reporter Mary Martin-Harris/Editor Clifton B. Harris/Audio Engineering Editor Legal /Display Advertising & Sales (909) 889-7677 The San Bernardino American News was established May 8,1969. A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 153913 by the Superior Court, of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News, a division of Don Roberto Group, Inc. is published every Thursday by Mary Martin-Harris and Clifton Harris P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393, Telephone (909)889-7677, Emails: msbamericannews@gmail.com sbamericannews@gmail.com The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $58.00 per year.

The San Bernardino AMERICAN New is committed to serving its readers by presenting news, unbiased and objective, trusting in the mature judgment of the readers and, in so doing strive to achieve a united community.

News releases appearing in the San Bernardino AMERICAN News do not necessarily express the policy nor the opinion of the publishers.

The San Bernardino AMERICAN News reserves the right to edit or rewrite all news releases.

Visit Us Online: www.SB-American.com

PAGE 3

February 21, 2019

WORLD GOVERNMENT/BUSINESS/ADVERTISING

Auto loan delinquencies climbed to $9 billion in 2018

By Charlene Crowell, NNPA Newswire Contributor

A new and independent research report entitled, Driving Into Debt, found that the money now owed on cars is up 75 percent since the end of 2009, an all-time record. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) In recent months, many economists and lawmakers have frequently touted how the nation’s economy is performing really well.

Often citing historically low unemployment rates, I’ve always felt that such pronouncements failed to consider the untold millions of Americans who are eking out a living on low or no raises, or others who work multiple jobs trying to piece together a living for their families.

But new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, offers hard evidence that a key sector of the economy is showing signs of distress: auto loans. At the end of 2018, 7 million consumers were three months behind on their car payments, according to the Fed’s Liberty Street Economics.

Addressing its finding of multimillion auto loan delinquencies, the Fed wrote, “That is more than a million more troubled borrowers than there had been at the end of 2010 when the overall delinquency rates were at their worst, since auto loans are now more prevalent.”

I suspect that many consumers want to keep a car available just as much as a roof over their heads.

Reliable wheels also offer a certain amount of freedom of mobility that eliminates the need to know a train or bus route or the fare.

So why are so many consumers delinquent on their car loans?

Answers can be found by examining the terms of the loans.

Just as the foreclosure crisis took people’s homes, the wrong car loan takes your mobility. Consumers with lower credit scores – less than 620 on a scale that reaches 850 – become easy targets for sub-prime auto finance that comes with interest rates from the mid-teens to as high as 20 percent. Auto finance companies are often used by lower credit score consumers looking to buy a car.

By comparison, consumers with credit scores of 661 to 780 or higher typically have car loan interest rates of 6 percent or less.

These consumers frequently finance their autos from banks, credit unions, or the financing arms of major auto manufacturers. Of the nation’s $1.27 trillion in car loan debt, 30 percent of loans were made to consumers with credit scores over 760.

As Liberty Street reports, 6.5 percent of auto finance loans are

90 days or more past due, compared with only 0.7 percent of loans originated by credit unions.

So unfortunately, once again, it is the struggling, working poor who are bearing the brunt of car loan delinquencies, often forged by predatory high-interest rates and other practices.

Another new and independent research report entitled, Driving Into Debt, found that the money now owed on cars is up 75 percent since the end of 2009, an alltime record.

Jointly authored by U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG) and the Frontier Group, this report states that subprime auto lenders inflict financial abuses that are both predatory and discriminatory from making loans to people without the ability to repay, marking up rates and prices on both Black and Latino customers, and financing expensive add-on products like extended warranties and insurance into the car loans.

“Americans shouldn’t have to fight their way through a thicket of tricks and traps at the auto dealer just to get the transportation they need to get to work or school,” said Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG’s senior director for federal consumer programs and a report co-author.

Nor does it help that in April of last year, Congress used the Congressional Review Act to nullify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) auto finance guidance that held auto lenders responsible for discriminatory lending practices prohibited under the Equal Credit Protection Act. This distorted use of the Congressional Review Act, sometimes known as another CRA, was never intended to overturn longstanding agency practices.

But in 2018, the law was used to overturn 14 agency rules. At the time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described the auto lending CRA as part of a broader deregulation effort, stating: “Our whole economy is getting a tune-up. And now it’s time for the front end of the auto industry to come along for the ride.”

That kind of perspective suggests that the Majority Leader may have an unhealthy regard for fair lending laws, particularly those aimed at eliminating racial (continued on page 6)

ACLU, Community Groups Demand Sheriff Villanueva Fulfill Campaign Promises Letter protests his rehiring of deputy accused of domestic violence and his immigration and jails policies LA County News

LOS ANGELES — Alex Villanueva ran an underdog campaign for Los Angeles County Sheriff, vowing to bring sweeping reforms to the Sheriff’s Department if he was elected. He won, much to the joy of many community groups and activists who worked hard for his election at a time pundits gave him no chance of succeeding.

But Villanueva has betrayed the very groups and activists who fought for him. In less than three months since his swearing in, he has not only turned his back on many of his campaign promises, he has also in some instances even thrown out reforms made by previous sheriffs.

Today, organizations and individuals including the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, Justice LA, Dignity and Power Now, Youth Justice Coalition,

Patrisse Cullors, Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, Rev. Larry Foy, Geri Silva, and many others joined forces to send a letter of fervent protest to Villanueva’s troubling actions. It specifies “blatant disregard for the pledges you made on the campaign trail as well as the people who believed them and voted you into office.”

The letter focuses on three areas.

Reinstatement of Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan: Villanueva promised to root out cronyism from the department, and yet he reinstated his campaign buddy Mandoyan who had been fired by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department after an internal investigation into domestic violence. The allegations were (continued in next 2 columns)

ACLU, Community Groups Demand Sheriff Villanueva Fulfill Campaign Promises...continued so troubling that not only the department but also the Civil Service Commission County Appeals Board agreed Mandoyan should not be on the force, but not Villanueva, who took the ageworn tactic of questioning the female survivor’s credibility.

His stance is all the more troubling in that as sheriff, he’s tasked with ensuring that deputies respond appropriately to domestic violence and sexual assault. The letter asks that Villanueva rescind the reinstatement of Mandoyan.

Violence in the Jails: During his campaign, Villanueva disdained former Sheriff Lee Baca and former Undersheriff Paul Tanaka, both of whom were convicted on charges stemming from a culture of unreasonable force by deputies against those incarcerated in county jails.

Moreover, a significant number of sheriff’s personnel were convicted not only of using unreasonable force but also filing false reports to cover up their actions.

And yet, astonishingly, Villanueva as sheriff has called the court-ordered reforms put in place to curb those abuses a “social experiment,” and he used faulty sta-

tistics to characterize the deputies as the victims.

The letter asks that Villanueva commit to ensure deputies abide by obligations under the consent decree in Rosas v Baca, a key case addressing jails violence.

By Porsha Monique

Immigration Policies: During his campaign for sheriff, Villanueva promised he would reform the department’s stance and policies in regard to cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). And yet, his actions since the election have barely deviated from the past.

“You have made it clear that you intend to continue the destructive practice of transferring people from your jails to ICE,” the letter says. His plan to allow ICE contractors instead of ICE agents for transfers “is a cosmetic difference with the same result.”

The letter asks that if Villanueva plans to continue with ICE transfers and notifications that he “only do so for serious or violent felony convictions with a washout period of three years.”

Read the letter to Villanueva here: https://www.aclusocal.org/ sites/default/files/aclu_so cal_20190219_villanueva_letter.pdf

The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” Creates Opportunity Zones to Spur Economic Development

By Christopher G. Cox, publisher and managing editor, www.realesavvy.com

A relatively small component of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in December of 2017, was the creation of Opportunity Zones in every state in the U.S., as well as in the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) A relatively small component of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in December of 2017, was the creation of Opportunity Zones in every state in the U.S., as well as in the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.

The purpose of this legislation is to encourage investment in economically distressed communities by making it possible for investors to receive preferential tax treatment for investments made in businesses operating within these Zones.

Tami Bonnell, CEO of EXIT Realty International, explains that individuals who invest in Opportunity Zones are eligible to reduce taxes on capital gains, depending on how long the investment is held. “If the investment is held for 10 years,” she said, “there are zero capital gains taxes on the increase in the investment. It’s a great thing when you can get a return on your investment and invest in people at the same time.”

At a time when bipartisan agreements are rare and becoming rarer, Bonnell points out that the Investing in Opportunities Act was initially supported by Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Representative Pat Tiberi of Ohio and Democrats Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Ron Kind of Wisconsin.

Opportunity Zones have the potential to address many of the country’s most vexing economic problems, Bonnell notes. “One in six Americans lives in an economically distressed community,” said Bonnell. “There is something wrong with the way we’re operating when we have that much poverty in the United States.”

Bonnell cautions that the goals related to Opportunity Zones need to be closely monitored to ensure that both investors and communities benefit. “We don’t want to impose gentrification

General Motors’ Black History Month event focuses on ‘The Power of Reinvention’

where people in poverty zones end up with fewer options in smaller and smaller communities,” she said.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, agrees with Bonnell that this legislation has great potential to reinvigorate urban communities, but must be carefully implemented with important “guard rails to ensure that it does not become a tool for removal and gentrification.”

“I think what is required,” said Morial, “is for community leaders – mayors, city council members, county commissioners and other local leaders – to legislate conditions that require affordable housing to be an integral component of new projects.”

Morial also wants Opportunity Zone projects to require that minority and women-owned businesses have a chance to participate in construction and that local residents have access to jobs within the Zones.

In addition, Morial adds, community leaders — who clearly want these investments — should not wait for Congress to act but should take the initiative to make certain these protections are in place before projects get under way. “When I look at Opportunity Zones,” Morial notes, “I see green lights and yellow lights.

The yellow lights say caution.”

Moving forward, Bonnell sees one of the biggest challenges associated with Opportunity Zones as making investors aware of them and how they work. Noting that she travels the country giving dozens of speeches every year, Bonnell often asks audience members to raise their hands if they’re aware of Opportunity Zones.

“Typically, less than half the audience raise their hands – sometimes it’s just a handful of individuals,” she said. “This is a big opportunity that people are not embracing because they’re not aware of it.”

GM Executives, past and present, photographed with the 2019 GMAAN Black History Month honorees. (Photo provided) The General Motors African Ancestry Network (GMAAN) held its 13th Annual Black History Month Celebration on Friday, February 9, 2019 at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. This year’s program theme included The Power of Reinvention, and was presented by Cadillac, which is undergoing a dramatic reinvention of its own and now has a complete family of SUVs for the first time in its 116-year history.

From the “Queen of Soul” riding the freeway of love in her pink Cadillac… to becoming a “Rapper’s Delight” in the first commercially successful hip-hop single, Cadillac is one of the most referenced brands in African American music.

“Cadillac is a brand of substance and quality that has been a pioneer of reinvention, and we are honored to have the brand as this year’s sponsor,” said Telva McGruder, president of GMAAN and director of Facility Engineering and Manufacturing Operations in Sustainable Workplaces.

“As we recognized the achievements of community leaders and employees, we were inspired by stories of perseverance, dedication and courage that have opened more avenues of growth in our society. The evening crystalized the ways innovation manifests today and reminded us that it is woven throughout the fabric of the African American community,” McGruder went on to say.

For the past 13 years, GMAAN has produced a Black History Month Program that aimed to increase awareness of the GM brands and focused on its ties to the community, African American culture and community leaders.

This year’s program continued that tradition as the program honored six African Americans that have demonstrated the power of reinvention in their lives and made valuable contributions in their respective communities and also featured esteemed film producer and entrepreneur, Jeff Friday, as their keynote speaker. Friday is the founder of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and CEO of ABFF Ventures. Friday and Cadillac has maintained a thriving partnership for nearly 10 years and this year, Friday was presented with the 2019 Trail-

blazer Award for excellence in leadership, outstanding achievements and community engagement during the program.

“A reinvention moment sparked a career change for me as I discovered a burning passion for black storytelling,” said Friday during his acceptance speech.

“There needed to be a platform for young, black film makers, writers, directors and actors to tell stories specific to our experiences. In 1997, we had our first black film festival with 90 people.

Now, in our 23rd year, the fiveday festival attracts nearly 10,000 guests,” Friday continued.

The program’s musical entertainment was provided by fourtime Grammy, multiple Stellar and GMA Dove award winning singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, Karen Clark Sheard, who sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

And multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning R&B singer and acclaimed actress Brandy closed out the evening with a first-class performance that kept the audience dancing and singing all night long.

John Henry, a DominicanAmerican entrepreneur, investor and host of Viceland’s unscripted series, HUSTLE, a series co-produced by Cadillac, served as the evening’s master of ceremonies.

There was also a very entertaining fire-side chat between Friday and Yvonne Orji, Nigerian-American actress, comedienne, writer, and star on HBO’s comedy series Insecure.

Each year, the GMAAN Black History Month Program draws approximately 1K people and is a much-anticipated community event in Detroit. For the past 25 years, GMAAN has been a major sponsor of North-End, donating $5,000 for food and entertainment, along with recruiting employee sponsors for 200 children. Over the past 10 years, GMAAN members have raised nearly $65,000 for the American Breast Cancer Society through its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign. For more information on GMAAN, visit their website at www.gmaan.org.

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Issues Statement In Response To Burberry’s “Noose Hoodie” Government News

WASHINGTON -D.C. - In response to news high-end luxury fashion brand Burberry featured a hoodie featuring a noose around the collar as part of its autumn/winter collection, Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement: “It is astounding to see Burberry showcase and profit from conduct that dehumanizes African Americans and makes light of our nation’s dark history of lynchings. From 1882 to 1968, there are 4,743 recorded lynchings that have occurred in the United States and the majority of victims were black. At a time when we are witnessing a spike in racial violence and hate crimes

both here and abroad, it is irresponsible and reckless for Burberry to make light of this dark period of history. Normalizing racism is dangerous and corporations like Burberry that seek to profit off of racist symbols must be condemned.”

Clarke continued, “Burberry joins a long and growing list of corporate actors such as Gucci, Prada and Katy Perry that appear to be profiting off of racism. One can only wonder whether this pattern of corporate racism is part of an intentional ploy by companies seeking to create controversy and public outrage as a part of their overall marketing strategy.”

Learn more at Lawyerscommittee.org.

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PAGE 4

February 21, 2019

HEALTH/FITNESS/SENIOR NEWS

Md. Lawmakers Pitch Health-Insurance Down Payment Plan

By William J. Ford

Maryland Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk speaks at a Feb. 13 press conference about legislation she and state Sen. Brian Feldman (right) propose to give the state an individual health care mandate. (Photo by: William J. Ford/The Washington Informer)

ANNAPOLIS — About 130,000 uninsured Marylanders could receive health insurance in the next two years, said two state lawmakers floating a health care proposal Wednesday in Annapolis.

With the support of several health care organizations and advocates, Delegate Joseline PeñaMelnyk (D-District 21) of College Park and state Sen. Brian Feldman (D-Montgomery County) plan to use an individual health care mandate in the state.

Their bill allows residents to make a down payment on an insurance plan or pay a $700 penalty during tax season. Either way, the lawmakers said, the money would be minimal and allows more people to receive health coverage.

Tax refunds could be used to sign up for health insurance and forwarded to the state’s health insurance exchange to purchase plans.

“We have to make sure everyone in our state has insurance,” Peña-Melnyk, a sponsor of the bill in the House, said at the Maryland State Medical Society office.

“This one, wonderful creative

way to do it. This is another in the toolbox. It really is the right thing to do.”

Feldman said the plan would help keep the Affordable Care Act alive in Maryland. The federal government stopped the requirement of the ACA’s individual mandate after a change in the federal tax code in 2017.

He also said prior to the ACA, the state’s insurance rate stood at 12 percent. Today, he said, it’s been cut in half to 6 percent.

“We’re trying to avoid the rancor from Capitol Hill,” Feldman said. “This proposal does that.”

The health care idea, which Peña-Melnyk said has been in the works for about eight months, came from Families USA, a health care consumer organization.

Stan Dorn, a senior fellow with the D.C.-based Families USA, briefly outlined who would benefit in Maryland: 70,000 uninsured residents who have access to federal tax premiums; 50,000 could qualify for Medicaid, a program for low-income residents; and another 10,000 whose down payment could possibly cover most

of their premiums.

Dorn said states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington and Vermont and the District of Columbia implemented individual mandate requirements.

However, Maryland would be the only state with an option to provide a down payment.

“We see it as an important, national model,” said Dorn, who is also the director of the National Center for Coverage Innovation.

Representatives for various health organizations such as the American Heart Association, Maryland Hospital Association and SEIU 1199 attended the press conference and applauded the “creative” proposal.

“Our physicians see quite regularly, especially in the emergency rooms, people who come in with illnesses and ailments that could have been prevented if only they had access and if they had known they had access,” said Teresa Healey-Conway, executive director of the state medical societies for Anne Arundel, Howard and Prince George’s counties.

Feldman’s legislation will be discussed at a March 6 hearing in the Senate, but no date has been scheduled yet for PeñaMelnyk’s bill in the House. Neither communicated with Republican Gov. Larry Hogan on this year’s proposal, but he worked with lawmakers last year on similar legislation that stalled.

Hogan spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said the governor generally favors incentives over penalties.

“For example, by successfully enacting legislation and securing federal approval of Maryland’s reinsurance waiver, premiums on the individual market are decreasing across the board for the first time in decades,” she said. “The new Maryland model all-payer contract incentivizes providers to increase quality of care while lowering costs across the health care system. The governor will review and consider any legislation that reaches his desk.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Our Approach to Heart Failure is Failing Patients

By Philip B. Adamson

Photo by: Pixabay | Pexels.com Heart failure is becoming more and more common. Nearly 6 million Americans are suffering from it today. That figure will grow to more than 8 million by 2030.

The condition exerts an enormous toll on patients, their families, and the economy.

Fortunately, medical research has yielded new technology that can help people with heart failure live healthier, fuller lives – and reduce overall healthcare costs.

It’s time to fully deploy that technology.

Heart failure occurs when a person’s heart struggles to pump blood. This deprives the body of oxygen and nutrients, which can make performing even basic daily activities – like walking or climbing the stairs – difficult.

Heart failure hospitalizes more than 1 million Americans annually.

About half are back in the hospital within six months of diagnosis; the average stay lasts five days. That’s a huge burden for patients – and for caregivers, who may not live nearby and thus may have to miss work. In total, the condition costs the U.S. more

Photo: Wikimedia Commons hudsonvalleypress.com than $30 billion every year.

The standard treatment regimen for heart failure – take medication, reduce salt intake, and stay active – has been in place for years.

But it has never been truly effective, largely because it’s complicated and difficult for patients to follow.

Consider medication. Some drugs do help patients. But threequarters of patients don’t consistently take their medications as instructed. More than one in four never fill a new prescription. And doctors sometimes don’t prescribe all the medication that’s recommended.

Advising patients to eat less sodium is ineffective, too. Do you know how much sodium you consume? Neither do patients.

Ninety-seven percent of Americans underestimate – or don’t feel confident estimating – the amount of sodium they eat each day.

As for exercise, many patients don’t have the time, resources, or social support to get in recommended workouts.

In other words, the status quo

for treatment of heart failure isn’t working. But medical researchers are changing that by developing technologies that can help physicians more effectively monitor and treat heart failure – and improve patients’ quality of life.

Consider one device that measures the heart activity of cardiac patients during rehabilitation training. The smartphone-sized unit helps ensure that workouts are at a safe intensity level and duration. Clinicians can immediately determine if a patient’s heart rate is becoming too fast or irregular. The device is demonstrated to improve the health and recovery of heart failure patients.

Researchers at Harvard University are toying with a wearable device that can monitor ankle swelling – a common symptom of worsening heart failure. That could help ensure patients seek medical attention before a major problem occurs.

Or consider an innovation I helped develop at Abbott. The CardioMEMS HF system enables doctors to proactively monitor

patients’ pulmonary artery pressure and heart rate remotely. So clinicians can detect worsening heart failure before a patient even feels symptoms and adjust medications accordingly. That helps keep patients out of the hospital.

Indeed, research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2017 showed that hospitalizations for heart failure declined 46 percent in patients six months after receiving the device. Based on Medicare claims data, average healthcare costs per patient were $10,500 lower than in the six months before the implant.

Traditional treatment for heart failure is, itself, failing. We can achieve far greater success by embracing new technology that can better monitor and treat heart failure.

Philip B. Adamson, M.D., is a cardiologist, heart failure specialist and medical director at Abbott (www.abbott.com).

This article originally appeared in the Hudson Valley Press.

Blindness is Preventable with Treatment and Good Health

By Nyesha Stone In life, as people become older the weaker their body may become, and eyesight is no exception. February is Low Vision Awareness Month, so, Dr. Judy E. Kim, an ophthalmologist in the greater Milwaukee area, wanted to get the word out about common treatable conditions that could lead to blindness.

Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Wet AMD) is an age-related condition that is treatable. But what is it exactly? Wet AMD is a chronic eye disorder that causes blurred vision and blind spots, said Dr. Kim. Most people 50 and over have some type of form of Wet AMD. In Wet AMD, new blood vessels grow in the area of connecting tissues called choroid, which is near the retina.

Eventually the vessels get weak and fluid begins to leak into retina. This can cause retina cells to stop functioning, which in turn affects an individual’s sight.

But according to Dr. Kim, “Blindness can be prevented in many instances if things are caught early.” She stated that Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is currently the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. DME is another eye condition but can only occur in individuals who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

When someone has a form of diabetes it means that their body is producing high amounts of blood sugar, but their body isn’t able to properly break it down. When the body has to deal with constant high amounts of blood sugar, small blood vessels can get damaged, including the ones in an individual’s eyes.

But, just like Wet AMD, DME can be treated with different types of medication and keeping one’s health up to par, said Dr. Kim. “It’s always a good idea in life to eat healthy and keep healthy weight,” said Dr. Kim to those wondering how they can prevent conditions such as these.

Wearing sunglasses when it’s bright outside is another preventative tactic to take.

A common eye condition, which can happen to anyone is “floaters.” These are black specs someone may see in their vision. According to Dr. Kim, as we get older the jelly inside of our eyes becomes loose. She said not to worry if you have them, unless you see new ones.

Dr. Kim suggests regular visits to the doctor for eye examination, and if you’re worried somethings wrong, there’s help out there.

Getting older is inevitable. However, just because you gain years doesn’t mean that your health has to deteriorate. One of the keys to living a long life is making the right choices when it comes to what we eat and what we do. Although it’s hard to imagine, the decisions we make today could impact us tomorrow and, in the years to come, both physically and mentally. So many illnesses and diseases such as diabetes are preventable.

During Low Vision Awareness Month, take the time to get your eyesight tested and learn more about how healthy living can help you.

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Courier.

How An Early Orthodontist Visit Can Head Off A Child’s Jaw Problems

By Dr. Stuart Frost

Photo by: Daniel Frank | Unsplash.com

While it may seem premature to take a 7-year-old child to the orthodontist, such an early visit can save thousands of dollars in future dental issues.

“Jaw issues especially are much more easily ? xed when children are young,” says Dr. Stuart Frost, an orthodontist and author of The Artist Orthodontist: Creating An Artistic Smile is More Than Just Straightening Teeth (www.drstuartfrost.com). “This includes imbalances of the muscles of the face along with tongue and tooth-positioning problems.”

It is easier to correct skeletal jaw problems at an early age while guiding the teeth into the mouth correctly. Doing so maximizes the ability to create or maintain space in the child’s jaws to allow teeth to grow in, and minimizes the opportunity for the teeth coming in wrong, says Dr. Frost.

Dr. Frost says that after about age 9, the window closes on ?xing most of the problems easily. At that age, he says, the seam in the roof of the mouth fuses into solid bone and once it does, widening the upper palate from side-toside is nearly impossible. If the problem is addressed before that happens, the upper jaw can be more easily expanded to create the space needed for all the teeth to come in, he says.

If a child snores, has sleep issues, bedwetting or is grinding their teeth they should have an airway evaluation done by an orthodontist as soon as possible, says Dr. Frost.

“Waiting even a few years can have a lifetime impact,” Dr. Frost says. “By the time the child hits 11 or 12 years old and the adult teeth are coming in, the problems multiply. If we can ?x the issues while the child’s bones are still developing, it will be easier and a lot cheaper to accomplish instead of after all the damage has been done.”

Many of the issues can be remedied by the orthodontist applying braces and an expander appliance to coax the structures into balance. Not tackling these issues

early can cause issues such as a ?aring of teeth, underbites and adult teeth erupting sideways through the gums.

Dr. Frost says other issues that could get complicated if they are not treated early include: Breathing problems. These breathing issues lead children to thrust their tongues and heads forward when asleep, causing further misalignment of the jaw and interrupted sleep. Adults with sleep apnea are fatigued and unrefreshed, causing their bodies to break down as the cells become slowly malnourished.

Immune system Issues. Immune system issues unknown to humans in past generations are common today. The immune system can be impacted by dental problems at an early age.

Increased allergy problems. Allergies can play a crucial role in childhood development of the face, jaw, and teeth. They can be an early warning sign that your child’s teeth aren’t growing properly.

Jaw alignment problems. -Misaligned jaws lead to chronic head, neck and shoulder pain.

“The bottom line is that an early investment in your child’s health will almost certainly pay off in time and money,” Dr. Frost says, “as well as enhance their future health.”

[Dr. Stuart Frost, author of The Artist Orthodontist: Creating An Artistic Smile is More Than Just Straightening Teeth (www.drstuartfrost. com), is an orthodontist and sought-after speaker who has given seminars, lectures, and speeches throughout the world to dentists and the general public on groundbreaking dentistry. He graduated from the University of the Paci?c School of Dentistry and has continued his education at the University of Rochester, where he accomplished a one-year fellowship in Temporomandibular Joint Disorder and a two-year certi?cate in orthodontics.]

This article originally appeared in the Pasadena Journal.

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PAGE 5 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190001125 Filing Type: FBN ABANDONMENT Date Filed: 1/28/2019 Related FBN Number: 20180006526 County Where Filed: SAN BERNARDINO Date Filed: 6/04/2018 Began Transacting Business:N/A Filing Expires On: 1/28/2024 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): MARISCOS MAR AZUL Business Address: 1310 W. FOOTHILL BLVD. UPLAND, CA 91786 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: JOSIE CASTELLANOS 8526 SAN VICENTE AVE. RIVERSIDE, CA 92504 Signature/Officer Title: Josie Castellanos

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper January 31, Correction February 7, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190000185 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 1/04/2019 Began Transacting Business: N/A Filing Expires On: 1/04/2024 Business is Conducted By: A General Partnership Fictitious Business Name(s): LI’L LUCY’S Business Address: 6087 AQUAMARINE AVE. RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91701 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: TAMMY D. O’GUINN 6087 AQUAMARINE AVE. RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91701 LAURA A. O’GUINN 6087 AQUAMARINE AVE. RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91701 Signature/Officer Title: Tammy D. O’Guinn/Partner

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190000977 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 1/24/2019 Began Transacting Business: N/A Filing Expires On: 1/24/2024 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): MI AMIGOS TIRES Business Address: 10714 I AVE. UNIT A HESPERIA, CA 92345 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: PAUL D. ZAHARIA 14560 JENNY ST. HESPERIA, CA 92345 Signature/Officer Title: Paul D. Zaharia, Owner

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190001996 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 2/14/2019 Began Transacting Business: 2/09/2019 Filing Expires On: 2/14/2024 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): MI AMIGOS PAINT Business Address: 10714 I AVE. SUITE A HESPERIA, CA 92345 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Mailing Address: 14560 JENNY ST. HESPERIA, CA 92345 Registrant(s)Address: PAUL D. ZAHARIA 13059 1ST. AVE. VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 Signature/Officer Title: Paul D. Zaharia, Owner

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190001794 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 2/11/2019 Began Transacting Business: 2/15/2017 Filing Expires On: 2/11/2024 Business is Conducted By: A Corporation Fictitious Business Name(s): R & J TREE SERVICE, INC. Business Address: 9570 WILLOW WELLS AVE. LUCERNE VALLEY, CA 92356 County of Principal Place of Business:SAN BERNARDINO Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 1348 LUCERNE VALLEY, CA 92356 Registrant(s)Address: R & J TREE SERVICE, INC. 9570 WILLOW WELLS AVE. LUCERNE VALLEY, CA 92356 A1#: 3979244 State: CA

February 21, 2019

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BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20190001158 Date Filed: 1/28/2019 Filing Expires On: 1/28/2024 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): FRISSON GRAPHICS County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 15053 BINFORD AVE. ADELANTO, CA 92301 Name of Individual Registrant: JULIANNA R. ZEITER Name of corporation or limited liability company as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.:State of Inc./Org./Reg.: Inc./Org./Reg. No.: Residence Street Address: 15053 BINFORD AVE. ADELANTO, CA 92301 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A Signature/Title of Person Signing: Julianna R. Zeiter, Owner

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).

NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190000471 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 1/11/2019 Began Transacting Business: N/A Filing Expires On: 1/11/2024 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): J & J TRANSPORT Business Address: 16235 RANDALL AVE. APT. #17 FONTANA, CA 92337 Phone Number: 909-419-0157 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Registrant(s)Address: MORY A. GALDAMEZ 16235 RANDALL AVE. APT. #17 FONTANA, CA 92337 Signature/Officer Title: Mory A. Galdamez

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2019 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT Doc# 20190001841 Date Filed: 2/12/2019 Filing Expires On: 2/12/20/24 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): TERRY’S SMOG County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 333 S. WATERMAN AVE., STE. D SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92408 Mailing Address: Same as above Name of Individual Registrant: TERRY L. TEAGUE Name of corporation or limited liability company as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.:State of Inc./Org./Reg.: Inc./Org./Reg. No.: Residence Street Address: 720 MURCHSON ST. POMONA, CA 91768 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A Signature/Title of Person Signing: Terry Teague, Owner

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of the Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).

NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 2019

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FBN Number: 20190001806 Filing Type: FBN Filing Date Filed: 2/11/2019 Began Transacting Business: 1/01/2019 Filing Expires On: 2/11/2024 Business is Conducted By: An Individual Fictitious Business Name(s): A & W RENTALS Business Address: 320 BARSTOW RD. BARSTOW, CA 92311 County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Mailing Address: 436 FENOAK DR. BARSTOW, CA 92311 Registrant(s)Address: LORETTA A. MALDONADO 436 FENOAK DR. BARSTOW, CA 92311

Signature/Officer Title: Loretta A. Maldonado

BY SIGNING, I DECLARE THAT ALL INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. (A registrant who declares as true any material matter pursuant to Section 17913 of Business and Professions Code that the registrant knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000).) NOTICE - IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920. WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET. SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE.) Published In The San Bernardino American Newspaper February 14, 21, 28, March 7, 2019

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1901908 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: VERONICA CRUZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. ALYZIA MONZERRATT CRUZ to Proposed name: ALYZIA MONZERRATT CRUZ-AYON Present name: b. SOPHIA PRIZILA CRUZ to Proposed name: SOPHIA PRIZILA CRUZ-AYON THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3-05-19 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: S17 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 WEST 3RD STREET SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415 A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 22, 2019 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 21, 28, March 7, 14, 2019

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1902668 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: LUCINA BARTLETT filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name : a. LUCINA BARTLETT to Proposed name: SOFIA LUCINA MORAN THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3/11/19 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: S17 Superior Court of California, County Of San Bernardino 351 N. Arrowhead Ave. San Bernardino, CA 92415 San Bernardino Superior Court A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: Jauary 28, 2019 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper January 31, February 7, 14, 21, 2019.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVVS 1900057 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: WILLIAM EDWARD NELSON filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a. WILLIAM EDWARD NELSON to Proposed name: EDWARD MAXWELL NELSON JR. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3-22-19 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: V15 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, VICTORVILLE DISTRICT 14455 CIVIC DRIVE STE. 100 VICTORVILLE, CA 92392 A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date: January 30, 2019 Judge Lisa Rogan Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2019 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CIVDS 1903685 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: ADELA ORTIZ MARTINEZ filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: a.

ANGEL SEBASTIAN LEON ORTIZ to Proposed name: EMILIANO DAVID ORTIZ THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter shall appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING Date: 3-18-19 Time: 8:30 a.m. Dept: S17

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 WEST THIRD STREET SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92415 A Copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: The San Bernardino American Newspaper P.O. Box 837 Victorville, CA 92393 Date:February 04, 2019 Michael A. Sachs Judge Of The Superior Court Published in the San Bernardino American Newspaper February 14, 21, 28, March 7, 2019

SUMMONS

SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER (Número del Caso): CIVDS1823713 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): JOYCE LANGFELS YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF(LO ESTÁ DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away.

If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service.

If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court's lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación.

Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro.

Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 West Third St, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REESE LAW GROUP, Harlan M. Reese, Esq., (Bar # 118226), 3168 Lionshead Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92010; 760/8425850 (File No. 553911) DATE (Fecha): SEP 07 2018 Clerk(Secretario), by Nancy Liemsithisak, Deputy (Adjunto) (SEAL) NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served 1. as an individual defendant.

1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21/19 CNS-3215323# THE SAN BERNARDINO AMERICAN SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER (Número del Caso): CIVDS1818501 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): JESUS C FONG YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF (LO ESTÁ DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must

be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away.

If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service.

If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court's lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación.

Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro.

Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 West Third St, San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REESE LAW GROUP, Breanne L. Reese, Esq., (Bar #314663), 3168 Lionshead Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92010; 760/842-5850 (File No. 555571) DATE (Fecha): JUL 16 2018 Clerk (Secretario), by Sabrina Duran, Deputy (Adjunto) (SEAL) NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served 1. as an individual defendant.

2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14/19 CNS-3222359#

SUMMONS (CITACION JUDICIAL) CASE NUMBER (Número del Caso): CIVDS1821168 NOTICE TO DEFENDANT (AVISO AL DEMANDADO): NARVOLEAN JACKSON YOU ARE BEING SUED BY PLAINTIFF (LO ESTÁ DEMANDANDO EL DEMANDANTE): Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. NOTICE! You have been sued. The court may decide against you without your being heard unless you respond within 30 days. Read the information below.

You have 30 CALENDAR DAYS after this summons and legal papers are served on you to file a written response at this court and have a copy served on the plaintiff. A letter or phone call will not protect you. Your written response must be in proper legal form if you want the court to hear your case. There may be a court form that you can use for your response. You can find these court forms and more information at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), your county law library, or the courthouse nearest you. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the court clerk for a fee waiver form. If you do not file your response on time, you may lose the case by default, and your wages, money, and property may be taken without further warning from the court.

There are other legal requirements. You may want to call an attorney right away.

If you do not know an attorney, you may want to call an attorney referral service.

If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court's lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación.

Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta.

Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia.

Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte.ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales.

AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil.

Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso.

The name and address of the court is (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO, 247 West Third St., San Bernardino, CA 92415-0210 The name, address, and telephone number of plaintiff's attorney, or plaintiff without an attorney, is (El nombre, la dirección y el número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante que no tiene abogado, es): REESE LAW GROUP, Golnaz Heidari, Esq., (Bar #317574), 3168 Lionshead Avenue, Carlsbad, CA 92010; 760/8425850 (File No. 5556885) DATE (Fecha): AUG 13 2018 Clerk (Secretario), by Nancy Liemsithisak, Deputy (Adjunto) (SEAL) NOTICE TO THE PERSON SERVED: You are served 1. as an individual defendant.

2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7/19 CNS-3220839# THE SAN BERNARDINO AMERICAN

$40.00 TO PUBLISH YOUR FBN CALL TODAY! (909) 889-7677

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PAGE 6

February 21, 2019

LEGAL ADVERTISING/ LOCAL/NATIONAL NEWS

RUHS Medical Center expands access to advanced care with new Heart, Neuro and Vascular Cath Lab Local/National News MORENO VALLEY, Ca.—Riverside University Health System— Medical Center celebrated the opening of its new state-of-theart cath lab this week in a move that hospital officials say will expand services for heart and neurovascular patients in the region.

“Our patients previously had to go to other hospitals for advanced procedures,” said Dr. Rajogopal Krishnan, chief of cardiology at RUHS Medical Center.

“We are grateful to have the ability to offer a higher level of care to our patients and community.

This is a dream come true for our patients and our team.”

The fully integrated $4.3 million GE lab includes imaging equipment to visualize the heart and other cerebrovascular structures, and a special system to monitor blood flow throughout the body.

Cath Lab Director Reuben Butler said the team that will be assisting doctors in the cath lab has combined experience of more than 50 years.”

“Our patients are in good hands,” Butler said.

Having a cath lab opens the door for RUHS—Medical Center to become a receiving center for patients experiencing one of the deadliest forms of heart attack, an ST-Elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Butler said patients

experiencing a STEMI require rapid intervention. Currently, ambulances transporting STEMI patients bypass the 439-bed medical center in Moreno Valley in favor of hospitals more miles and minutes away that can provide STEMI intervention.

RUHS Chair of Neurosurgery and founder of one of the Neurosurgery Residency Program, Dr. Javed Siddiqi, said the advanced level of care being offered at the

It’s Time to Stop Marginalizing African Americans in Public Higher Education...continued from page 2 per half of high school test distribution scores have an 85 percent chance of graduating from college. And evidence suggests that some schools may over-rely on these scores, a practice that may over-emphasize affluence and access to quality K-12 schooling.

This can hide race and class inequality behind a façade of quantitative metrics.

The Georgetown study also acknowledges Black students may be choosing to attend colleges other than the highly selective public universities. In fact, Black students are going to college in greater numbers than ever. Unfortunately, the open-access colleges they are attending are overcrowded and under-resourced.

This is likely affecting their chances of obtaining a degree, as graduation rates are significantly lower for students at open access colleges than they are at selective schools.

America’s higher education system sees the problem, but it is getting worse, not better. Over the last decade, Black representation at selective public colleges fell.

For every 100 average collegeage African Americans, four fewer are attending public selective colleges than a decade ago. The largest Black underrepresentation in selective public colleges is in the Deep South. In Mississippi, for example, African Americans account for 44 percent of 18-24 year olds, but only 11 percent of stu-

dents at the state’s selective public college (the University of Mississippi).

The same states where African Americans are underrepresented in selective public colleges are also underfunding the open-access colleges that African Americans attend. According to Georgetown’s study, selective public colleges spend nearly three times more on instruction and academic support than open access colleges. At a time when we need to further invest in developing a skilled workforce for a changing labor market, it’s more important than ever to adequately support public open-access colleges and hold selective public colleges accountable to avoid underserving Black students.

We must bring an end to this separate and unequal education system. It is in our country’s best interest to engage with people from all communities to reach their educational potential. Increasing skills and expanding the number of people who have access to higher paying jobs will help grow the economic pie for all Americans.

Adequately supporting openaccess colleges and holding selective public colleges accountable for educating people from all communities would take us a long way toward a public university system that truly serves the best interests of all members of the public.

Senator Leyva: We Must Improve Disabled Veterans’ Access To Service Dogs SB 312 Helps Disabled Veterans Readjust to Civilian Life and Stay Safe Local/National News

SACRAMENTO – Earlier today, Senator Connie M. Leyva (DChino) introduced legislation establishing a service animal assistance program providing support to disabled veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with the cost of acquiring and training service dogs.

Specifically, SB 312 would require the California Department of Rehabilitation, in coordination with the California Department of Veterans Affairs, to develop a program that would provide financial assistance so veterans with PTSD may get a service dog. Additionally, this bill would require the program to help cover additional costs associated with the service dog, including training, equipment, and veterinarian services.

Currently, there is no state supported program that pairs disabled veterans with service dogs nor helps with the cost incurred by the veteran in procuring a ser-

vice dog.

“These brave men and women put their lives at risk every day to protect our country’s freedom.

When they return home from service, we must make sure that we are doing everything possible to provide them with the necessary support in readjusting to civilian life,” Senator Leyva said. “There are already several nonprofits that work to pair veterans with service dogs across our state, but so much more can and must be done to standardize the process and make these connections a reality. These brave heroes deserve to be able to access service dogs so that they can receive the support they need from these faithful companions. SB 312 will help to bridge these gaps in our system that currently make it difficult for our veterans with PTSD to receive the service dogs they need for their safety and indepen(continued in next 2 columns)

125-year-old public teaching hospital is good news for patients and his neurosurgery residents, who spend 7 years training in their specialty “High-end stroke and cardiac care is a community service. Adding the new cath lab is the first step towards RUHS self-sufficiency in neuro-endovascular care, a requirement for a future Comprehensive Stroke Center designation,” Siddiqi said. “Im-

proving access to acute stroke and cardiac care is an important public health measure and the whole community stands to benefit.”

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors in 2015 approved $4.3 million to help fund the cath lab as part of a larger spending package that included a da Vinci surgical robot, and new CT and MRI scanners to replace brokendown, obsolete diagnostic machines. Residential home builder KB Home Inland Empire division contributed $1.1 million to the projects with funding raised by the annual KB Home Golf Classic, heading into its thirteenth year this spring. The tournament benefits RUHS Foundation, which raises support for lifesaving programs and equipment at RUHS Medical Center.

“We are proud to support the RUHS Foundation as it works to expand healthcare access in the Inland Empire, said John Fenn, president of KB Home’s Inland Empire division. “KB Home is in the business of building communities, so we recognize the importance of organizations like the RUHS Foundation in contributing to the health and vitality of our neighborhoods and residents.”

Senator Leyva: We Must Improve Disabled Veterans’ Access To Service Dogs...continued dence.”

The United States is home to nearly 20 million veterans. Of those, nearly two million live in California, which is the most in the country. Unfortunately, in some cases, these brave men and women return from service mentally and/or physically disabled.

Of the 20 million veterans in the United States, 5 to 20 percent suffer from PTSD. The trauma that some veterans endured during service has led to higher rates of

suicide than the general population. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, on average 20 veterans per day commit suicide as result of PTSD. Studies have shown that the pairing of veterans with service dogs has a significant effect on reducing symptoms associated with PTSD. SB 312 will soon be assigned to the appropriate Senate policy committee(s) for consideration.

Hollywood’s Hijack of the #MeToo Movement

By Armstrong Williams, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Hollywood’s Hijack Movement...continued of the abuse claims, which immediately preceded the #MeToo movement’s genesis, he stayed quiet. Whether because of shyness or misreading the times, he failed to defend himself.

How has Hollywood punished Heard? They made her the leading lady of the billion-dollar Warner Bros. “Aquaman” franchise, the global ambassador of L’Oreal, an ambassador for women’s rights at the American Civil Liberties Union and a human rights activist at the U.N. Hollywood’s media outlets plaster Heard on their magazine covers, trumpet her as a “survivor” and term Johnny Depp a “monster.” Meanwhile, she has penned a vague op-ed about her ordeal for the Washington Post and hurled domestic abuse PSAs at the public.

Hollywood has crowned Heard the face of the #MeToo movement, ignoring the remarkable details of Heard’s prior arrest for domestic violence against her female partner. The #MeToo movement itself is tragically harmed by these leaders, and Hollywood looks on approvingly.

Quite simply, Hollywood has attempted to finish the job on Depp.

Warner Bros. sought to throw Depp out of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” in which he played the title character. Only J.K. Rowling’s quick defense of Depp saved him, and perhaps only temporarily. Disney recently threw him out of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

of

the

#MeToo

Hollywood is where the #MeToo movement started for a reason. It’s a place where the powerful can make or break “the talent.” “You’ll never work in this town again” is the threat. Abuse has often been the result.

When Hollywood serves as judge, jury and executioner of something as serious as abuse allegations, our society and our justice system are ultimately the victims. Real perpetrators can smugly hide their actual abuses behind the smokescreen of a public flogging and the sacrifice of a famous innocent. #MeToo stands for society’s rejection of the sexual abuse, in its many forms, of men, women and children. #BelieveWomen, a favored hashtag of Heard and others, ignores the fact that justice, not gender, is the arbiter of guilt. #MeToo is an important new movement for justice, far too important to be hijacked by the same Hollywood whose crimes and misdemeanors helped create it in the first place.

To find out more about Armstrong Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlackPressUSA.com or the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

Auto loan delinquencies climbed to $9 billion in 2018...continued from page 3 and ethnic discrimination. Further, time and actions will tell how much Kathy Kraninger, the new CFPB Director, is attuned to the predatory and discriminatory lending that continues despite federal laws.

“We need a strong Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and help from state Attorneys General and local officials to enforce consumer and fair lending laws against unfair car loan tactics,” added Mierzwinski. “Otherwise, consumers and the overall economy will suffer.”

“Predatory and discriminatory auto lending practices notoriously prey upon the financially

distressed, with loans that disregard the consumer’s ability to afford them,” noted Rebecca Borne, a Senior Policy Counsel with the Center for Responsible Lending.

“Common-sense regulation and enforcement are needed to ensure responsible underwriting and elimination of other predatory practices that are consistently shown to result in borrowers of color paying more than white borrowers, even controlling for creditworthiness.”

Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Communications Deputy Director. She can be reached at Charlene. crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Trade Policies and Tax Reform are Working for Small Businesses By: Michael Vallante, U.S. Small Business Administration Region IX Administrator

(Photo: iStockphoto.com / NNPA) The powerful #MeToo movement was established to address real injustices suffered by women — and in some cases, although significantly less common, by men. This movement has undeniably affected societal norms and readjusted the fabric of American life.

But such an important movement can be felled by its own excesses. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, people are immediately rushing to judgment and to punishment of any accused individual — in many cases, without due process. Naturally, this moblike mentality to blindly punish an accused individual has the potential for farreaching negative consequences — namely, collateral damage to the falsely accused by those who misuse the movement for their own ambitious aims.

Take, for example, the domestic abuse allegations against Johnny Depp, which should serve as a cautionary tale. Depp is a beloved actor who has won a 14 People’s Choice awards. He is, by all accounts, a serial monogamist. His first wife and three decades’ worth of long-term girlfriends uniformly characterize him as a sensitive and caring partner.

And then he met and married Amber Heard, who has made the following allegations: According to Heard and two of her friends, on May 21, 2016, Depp wound up his arm and threw

Heard’s iPhone at her face from point-blank range “with great force.” Apparently, Depp then continued to batter Heard’s face.

Heard said Depp then “destroyed” the penthouse by wielding a magnum-size wine bottle, leaving the remnants of smashed “fruit,” “glass,” “baskets,” “bottles” and “flowers” littering the floors. As to the injury, Heard’s friend said: “Just the whole side of her face was like swolled up (sic) and red and puffy … and progressively getting worse.”

Yet, other eyewitnesses tell a different story. Two domestic abusetrained police who arrived on the scene soon after the alleged incident — and who later gave sworn witness depositions — as well as surveillance camera videotapes of Heard’s face and a growing group of witnesses who interacted closely with a makeup-free Heard over the five ensuing days all agree that the injury she presented to the world wasn’t legitimate. Six perfect-face days after Heard claimed Depp beat her and “destroyed” his own penthouse apartment — which police found in perfect condition — she magically presented her battered face to trailing paparazzi and a judge who granted her an automatic temporary restraining order against Depp.

Depp seemingly has one bit of culpability in all this. At the time (continued in next 2 columns)

Michael Vallante During the State of the Union, President Trump highlighted the bold changes to trade policies and tax reform that he is making in order to fight for American workers and businesses that will expand prosperity. This reform is working.

Based out of Chino, Thin Metal Sales had been experiencing a decline in sales due to the high availability of imported low cost steel.

Jonathan Mulvihill knows his company inside and out since he began working summers at Thin Metal Sales at the age of 12. The company was founded by his uncle in 1976 and acquired by his father in 1983; in 2017 Jonathan became a majority owner.

After serving in Iraqi Freedom in the Marine Corps, Jonathan returned to the family business and took business classes. Jonathan became the General Manager in 2015, but the high availability of low-cost steel from China used by competitors caused sales to continue to shrink.

In 2018, President Trump’s Administration imposed tariffs on imported metals. Thin Metal Sales saw an increase of 40 percent of sales, since his competitors were running out of imported steel supplies.

Jonathan Mulvihill also took advantage of the tax savings from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and new favorable depreciation rules to reinvest nearly $134,000 in new equipment, upgrades and repairs to existing equipment, website updates and provide generous company bonuses to eleven employees which he trains and promotes from within for the highly skilled positions.

The tax and trade policy reforms are helping American small businesses like Thin Metal Sales succeed, and create new jobs. Entrepreneurs have created 5.3 million new jobs and added more than half a million new manufacturing jobs since November 2016.

African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American unemployment have all reached their lowest levels ever recorded.

Orange County’s unemployment rate of 2.8 percent demonstrates that our local community is prospering.

Jonathan’s belief in continuous improvement led him to join one of SBA’s funded Resource Partner programs, the SCORE Orange County CEO Forum where valuable information and experiences are shared with other entrepreneurs in a peer group setting in order to help businesses succeed.

As President Trump stated during his State of the Union address, “But the fact is, we are just getting started.”

As the Regional Administrator to U.S. Small Business Administration, Region IX, I invite you to contact your local SBA District Office to get access to resources to help start or scale up your business.

Visit Us Online: www.SB-American.com

Page 7

February 21, 2019

LIFESTYLE NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT/RELIGION

The Haves And The Have Nots’ Actress Angela Robinson Talks Becoming Veronica

By Nadine Matthews

Angela Robinson auditioned for her role of Veronica Harrington on OWN Network’s “The Haves and The Have Nots” under devastating circumstances. “My best friend was visiting and her father in-law passed away,” she recalls.

“So I had her and her husband and their children over and I got a call that they wanted me to send in a tape for Veronica. You know, to audition on tape and then send it in. I really didn’t think I could do it because there were so many people there and they were going through a rough time but my husband felt like I should do it.”

That advice from Robinson’s husband of over twenty years, Scott Whitehurst, was a word in due season. “I pretty much waited until everybody went to bed,” Robinson recalls. “And stayed up all night filming it and sent it in. I got the call that they wanted to fly me in and meet Tyler Perry and audition for him in person. I did that and the next day I got the offer.”

Because Robinson, who has an extensive career in theater, had already worked on The Color Purple on Broadway, she was already acquainted with Oprah Winfrey, owner of OWN Network on which The Haves and The Have Nots airs. “She is just like Tyler Perry,” Robinson explains. “Her persona in real life is just as she is in her public life.” Robinson

Actress Angela Robinson (Courtesy Photo) shares that Winfrey is not only as warm as she seems on screen but she also walks her talk in terms of supporting women. “She is extremely supportive. When I won the Gracie Award a few years ago, for my work on the show, she took the time to congratulate me and take some pictures with me.

It is just an honor always to be in the presence of people who are doing such great things.”

Although the Florida born and raised Robinson has been playing Veronica for a number of years now, the character’s out of this world shenanigans still regularly shock her. “Every time I get new script and read it, I think ‘Oh my goodness! Probably the one thing I was really disturbed by was when she had Wyatt raped.”

Still, Robinson can see some humanity in Veronica’s cold and cal-

Russell Hornsby: “Proven Innocent,” Actor is a Proven Talent

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., NNPA Newswire Culture and Entertainment Editor

No stranger to the small screen, Russell Hornsby has been delighting fans with powerful performances on top shows like “Gideon’s Crossing” (NBC), “In Treatment” (HBO), “The Affair “(Showtime), “Seven Seconds:” (Netflix) and now “Proven Innocent” (Fox).

Russell Hornsby should be a household name by now with his impressive body of work. His latest role as a crusading attorney and family man on FOX’s “Proven Innocent” may be the role to do it.

The Oakland born thespian has been bringing characters to life on stage and screen for over two decades. Hornsby believes in studying the craft of acting, which is proven by his training at Boston University followed by Oxford University’s British Academy of Drama.

He is probably best known to fans for his role as police officer Eddie Sutton in the critically acclaimed show “Lincoln Heights,” (ABC Family) and most recently as Maverick Carter in the hit film The Hate U Give and Buddy Marcelle in the knockout film Creed II. Hornsby has studied under theater royalty (Lloyd Richards and August Wilson) and worked opposite incredible talent including Regina Hall, Nikki Micheaux, Erica Hubbard, Amandla Stenberg, Regina King, Denzel Washington, Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan and the list goes on.

No stranger to the small screen, Hornsby has been delighting fans with powerful performances on top shows like “Gideon’s Crossing” (NBC), “In Treatment” (HBO), “The Affair “(Showtime), “Seven Seconds:” (Netflix) and now “Proven Innocent” (Fox).

Hornsby plays the character of Ezekiel “Easy” Boudreau, a lawyer who is best known for freeing Madeline Scott (Rachelle LaFevre), a wrongly-convicted woman, after she served 10 years in prison. Teaming up with Scott, Boudreau has dedicated his life to freeing the wrongly-convicted as part of the “Injustice Defense Group.”

While promoting “Proven Innocent” at the 2019 SCAD aTVFest in Atlanta, Hornsby discussed his keen ability to move between

the stage, film and television playing a range of characters that have been historically unavailable to black actors.

The Drama Desk award-winner says when choosing roles, quality is most important. “You’ve heard the saying you need to start where you finish? Well, I started at such a high-level in acting, that I have to keep it going,” he says.

Hornsby explains that his first job after graduation was working for $217 a week for the great Lloyd Richards, the first black director to direct “A Raisin in the Sun” on Broadway. Richards was also Dean of the Yale School of Drama, which is one of the reasons the show had acting greats like Courtney B. Vance, Charles S. Dutton and Angela Basset.

From there, Hornsby worked under August Wilson, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and 10-time Tony award-winner, on shows like “Jitney.”

“I started at the top with quality, so that’s my norm. Now when I assess material, I assess it from that standpoint. I’m constantly traversing between film, television and theater so I’m constantly staying at a high level and I can’t go back,” says the Obie awardwinner. “I’m not holier than thou or anything,” Hornsby expounds.

“I’m just saying I was blessed to be able to make money as an actor early on in my career. I was smart with my money, which enabled me to be able to say no and maintain my integrity when choosing roles,” he adds.

Hornsby’s work often delves into complex issues and “Proven Innocent” is no exception. In a social and civic climate where the topic of mass incarceration, the prison industrial complex, unjust sentences, wrongly convicted prisoners and a justice system run amok are at peak level, “Proven Innocent” is tackling these complicated issues head on.

Hornsby, who is known for play(continued in next 2 columns)

culating character. “Everything great about Veronica- her smarts, the fact that she is a Black women who is a self made millionaire–all of that came because she was a perfectionist, they came because she was controlling, it’s how she fought her way out of the ghetto and made something of herself.”

Robinson has relished the opportunity to play the powerful, though dastardly, diva. “I trained as an actress so I envisioned myself playing all sorts of characters.” Being so different from the type of person Robinson herself is, she admits it is a process to construct Veronica. “You sort of have to break the character down to what their temperament is,” she begins. “Then you play that temperament as opposed to thinking about the whole character.”

In real life, Robinson admits she personally feels most powerful when she is able to say no.

“When I choose me or my family or my values, whatever it is, when I choose those things over being seen or the job or the money, when I choose myself or my wellbeing or family I feel very much empowered when I do that.”

This clarity when it comes to priorities perhaps owes much to the lessons she learned from her father with whom she was very close, and who passed away a few years ago. She says wistfully, “I carry him with me every day.

There are so many stories he told me like fifty times,” she laughs “That I didn’t want to hear anymore but now I would give anything to hear.” One of the most poignant of those lessons took place on a drive through Florida when Robinson was an impatient ten year-old. “We were at a toll booth. Back then, you threw the quarter in and then you wait for the light to change and you keep going. There were no people manning the toll booth. I remember my dad was looking around for a quarter and I was like, ‘Dad, nobody’s looking. Let’s just go!’

My dad said to me and I never forgot it, “You wanna have integrity, no matter who’s looking. I’ve tried to always live by that.”

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

Russell Hornsby: “Proven Innocent,” Actor is a Proven Talent...continued ing strong family men, purposely chose this role because of its important representation of a black man.

“I want people to recognize and see that real men exist,” says Hornsby. “A dear friend of mine used to say there was a time when boats were made of wood and men were made of steel. That’s what I want our people [black people] to see on this show,” he says.

Hornsby, who was raised by a single mother and was surrounded by strong men, including his father, believes this is a much-needed image in media. “I’m not saying sisters don’t deserve the credit. They do. My mother did the damned thing and I’ve got a wife who is bad as she can be — smart, talented, everything — but men exist too. Let’s not exalt one at the detriment of the other.

Let’s say we can co-exist, partner in the struggle together,” he explains, which is another reason why this character spoke to him.

“Real men still exist. Men can

stand up straight, look you in the eye, conduct themselves justly and appropriately and not be afraid. That’s what I want,” says the 2018 AAFCA award winner.

“Men need to share and be open and more malleable. That’s what you’ll see with this character,” Hornsby reveals.

“Ezekiel is malleable. He and his wife are going to be going through trials and tribulations and issues but he’s still valuable and willing to learn. They are still partners.

Those are the men I saw. That’s what empowers me to portray the kind of characters I play.”

“Proven Innocent” airs on FOX, Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. Check local listings for channel information.

Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. is entertainment and culture editor for NNPA/BlackPressUSA. A film and media scholar, Dr. Burton is founder and editor-in-chief of the award-winning news blog The Burton Wire, which covers news of the African diaspora. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual or @TheBurton Wire.

Witness For Justice #932

Black History Month Reflection: Making Room in the Mess Rev. Dr. Velda R. Love Minister for Racial Justice “Racism is a philosophy based on contempt for life. It is the arrogant assertion that one race is the center of value and object of devotion, before which other races must kneel in submission. It is the absurd dogma that one race is responsible for all the progress of history and alone can assure the progress of the future. Racism is total estrangement. It separates not only bodies, but minds and spirits. Inevitably it descends to inflicting spiritual and physical homicide upon the out-group.”1 Martin Luther King, Jr. I must say that writing about African descent ancestry, culture, and identity, is one of my passions. I celebrate gender inclusive identity pronouns for myself— She-Her-Hers because my being is created in the divine image of God. God—She/He is intentional and careful with creating humanity—female and male. My identity created in love helps me have more meaningful sacred conversations about the mythical categorizing of humans into races during the month of February, Black History Month. Some people will go to great lengths to squeeze in centuries of Black history in twenty-eight days. But for people of African descent born in America we are Black 365 days a year.

I am a woman of African descent born in America. I cannot dialogue with integrity or authentic-

ity if I do not include the intersections that make this topic relevant. My analysis on the topic does not represent the perspectives of all African Americans born in America. However, my approach includes years of research, writing, preaching, and teaching. This passion is also based on my personal lived experiences as a product of the Black Christian church, a follower of a more radical and subversive Jesus Christ born in Northeast Africa with Black ancestral roots, and a theologian influenced by Black liberation and womanist ideologies. I use the West African Akan word to reclaim my history, Sankofa2.” Sankofa restores and preserves African descent history because one must go back to get our history, African history in order to understand who and whose we are culturally and ethnically, which establishes our identity in the image and likeness of God. Race is that social, political, and economically exploitative category that sets up demarcations of systemic hierarchical human relationships. I see color and I celebrate the complexity of God’s very good creation inclusive of diverse cultures, ethnicities, genders, and ways of being human.

My goal is to always move people toward eradicating racism therefore eliminating the need to use (continued in next 2 columns)

Black History Month Reflection: Making Room in the Mess...continued the term “race” as a marker of human existence.

Culture can best be understood by immersing oneself in another’s cultural context. Sankofa is about cultural immersion into African and African American historical and contemporary experiences.

Cultural immersion has evolved into one of the best practices and models for addressing the evolution of race and racism.3 The study of history and culture is not complete until the study of Africans and African Americans are thoroughly included as equally valuable alongside European historical and contemporary narratives. Also, African American narratives and lived experiences shape the history of Christianity in America. An African-centered pedagogy creates a human community perspective, encourages inclusive cultural leadership, and integrates Christian history that values an African American worldview. Sankofa educates and empowers people to dismantle and eradicate racism while advancing the ministry of restorative justice.

Identity for the African American is shaped by pre-colonial history inclusive of some of the great dynasties and empires ruled by Black women and men in antiquity. Black ruled empires like Kush, Mali, and Songhai in Africa. And rulers like Candace Empress of Ethiopia (332 B.C.), Queen of Kemet Hatshepsut (1503-1482 B.C), and Nzingha Queen of Matamba West Africa (1582-1663 A.D.). Prehistory study and research establishes the freedom of movement, enterprise, creativity, spirituality, presence, and contributions of Africans to world civilization before the European and American exploitation and trade of African bodies as chattel and their removal from their native land across the Atlantic Ocean for economic gain and the establishment of white male supremacy.4 Prehistory establishes the presence of Africans before, during, and after the birth of Jesus and the early Christian Church, which began in Africa. This is countercultural because it refutes the creation of race as an identifier of human beings. Race hierarchy goes against the God of creation and humanity itself, and against the teachings of Jesus Christ. God did not create a ‘race’ of humans, nor did God create categories of superior and inferior human beings. God did not designate descendants of Europeans and Anglo Saxons, i.e. white Americans as dominant.

The white American narrative is one among many narratives, and European descended peoples are but one of many ethnic cultures with a role in human history.

Therefore, the social, political, and economic construction of race and racism continues to mar the image of God. Therefore not only are we, who claim and follow Jesus to dismantle racism, we must also dismantle white Western Christian supremacy. Let’s start with some basic Black Reality History. I am not a Minority. My ancestral history is as old as human civilization. It did not start with the en-

slavement of African people in 1441. My ancestors continue to be misidentified as “slaves.” My ancestor’s history was interrupted. Our history did not begin with their enslavement by Europeans.

It is past time for the Christian Church to reimagine itself as serving God—She/He— the Creator, and destroy the beasts of racism.

The Protestant Christian Church should be on the front lines protesting, impacting policy changes, disrupting state, local, and the federal government from eroding and destroying human and civil rights. Predominately white Christian churches should be leading the call to end the myths and eradicate the idolizing of white skin as superior to other created humans. God did not create racism.

Imagine the Protestant Christian Church aligning itself with all cultures and ethnicities as equal, working toward dismantling and eradicating race categories, celebrating the equality of all cultures, and establishing our identity in the God of creation. This radical approach to life places God’s narrative at the center of life and faith, while humanity exists on the margins as co-equal partners.

1 http://www.thekingcenter.org/ king-philosophy.

2 Sankofa literally means, “Go back and get it: it’s not wrong to go back and get what you have forgotten.” The word comes from Akan, the language of 18th and 19th century Ashanti Empire in what is now Ghana and Ivory Coast. http://www.blackpast.org/ gah/ashanti-empire-asante-kingdom-18th-late-19th-century.

3 Race: a specious classification of human beings created by Europeans (whites) which assigns human worth and social status using "white" as the model of humanity and the height of human achievement for the purpose of establishing and maintaining privilege and power. Ronald Chisom and Michael Washington.

Undoing Racism: A Philosophy of International Social Change. http://www.euroamerican.org/ library/definitions_race.asp.

4 Africans were thought to be, in effect, without soul, spirit, emotions, desires, and rights. Chattel could have neither mind nor spirit.

Various forms of human bondage still exist in our world today. As horrendous as they seem to us in our modern sensibilities they are nothing compared to the massive holocaust that struck the African continent during the great disaster called the European slave trade. This search for wealth was equivalent to the madness of a gold rush; it was the iconic capitalist venture of its era, just as information technology might be today. If a European person was not in the game, he or she felt that they were missing out on an opportunity for great wealth. Given the strength of the idea that Africans were property, chattel, that could bring great wealth some Europeans dubbed Africans, 'Black Gold'.

“As We Continue to Celebrate Black History…!” By: Lou Yeboah

Lou Yeboah Let us remember that the Commission has been given. As [Joshua 1:1-18] reminds us, “that after the death of Moses [Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, W.E.B. DuBois, Wangari Muta Maathaia, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Deratu Tulu, and all of those whom we celebrate today] that the LORD spoke saying, “Moses, My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan… to the land which I am giving to you... Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses [and to all your ancestors]. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great

Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, and [your ancestors] I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

Now arise, cross this Jordan!

I tell you, what was true for Joshua is equally true for us. Regardless of the obstacles, we need to act on this fact by faith in the Lord’s person, promises, and provision, just as our ancestors did. [Joshua 1: 16-18]. This is significant. We must be careful to do according to all the law which Moses [Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and all of those whom we celebrate today] commanded us; do not turn from it to the right or to the left; for then we will make our way prosperous, and then we will have success.

I tell you, the Commission has been given…. Arise, Let’s cross this Jordan!

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February 21, 2019

NEWS/ AD VER TISING ADVER VERTISING

New Executive Takes Top Post as State Newspapers Tackle Minority Concerns on Statewide Issues Like the 2020 U.S. Census By Tanu Henry California Black Media

CNPA President Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Publisher of Black Voice News Riverside-based publisher of the Black Voice News, Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, was recently sworn in as the first AfricanAmerican president of the California News Publishers Association (CNPA). The 131-year-old organization, headquartered in Sacramento, represents more than 400 newspapers across the state.

The CNPA installed BrownHinds at its annual conference on February 6, 2019. Over a hundred California media professionals – from major big city dailies and small campus weeklies to historical Black, Latino and Asian outlets - attended the gathering. This year’s discussions touched on issues facing minorities in the upcoming 2020 Census. It also tackled sticky, longstanding media industry problems and pulled apart laws that could impact news operations across the state in the future.

“We have always valued the work CNPA has done on behalf of the industry,” Brown-Hinds told her colleagues in her inaugural speech as President. “The work that the Black Voice News has done over the years is impactful work in the community that changed lives, policy. I knew it was important for me to do this as well.”

Taking the helm of the CNPA is history-making not only because Brown-Hinds is the first African American and ethnic minority to

lead the influential statewide organization. Her personal and family history of advocacy and community service brings a certain grassroots heft that has the potential to benefit the organization as it takes on major legislative issues facing the media across the state in 2019. She is also a professor at the University of California Riverside, and board member of the James Irvine Foundation. “[Paulette] is a fearless leader.

She’s not afraid to confront complex issues. She never stops working and is a shining example of diplomacy,” said Ron Hasse, immediate predecessor.

“Part of our mission,” she said. “is giving voice to the voiceless.

That is why I appreciate the press, in particular the Black press, because it is rooted in advocacy.”

As Brown-Hinds takes the helm of the CNPA, she faces a number of important policy issues that California newspapers have the responsibility to unpack for their audiences across the state. One of them is the upcoming 2020 Census.

This years CNPA conference dedicated a panel discussion to exploring the details of the decennial census.

The Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 national population count was a hot topic. Panelists explored how that decision may or may not impact the participation of minori-

Ethnic media representatives from around the state at the State Capitol for CNPA annual conference ties, immigrants and undocumented people in California.

The panelists also talked about how Census enumerators in the past have undercounted ethnic minorities and other “hard-tocount” populations in California and other states by millions of people. Those inaccuracies could result in the loss of billions of dollars in federal funding and even cost California a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

During the,2010 Census, about 200,000 minority children in California alone were undercounted.

“Power comes from numbers.

Power comes from data. If your numbers are wrong and your data is wrong, it undermines your power,” said Arturo Vargas, the Chief Executive Officer of NALEO Educational Fund. His organization is a national non-profit that promotes the participation of Latinos in civic life.

The way the Census Bureau will categorize and sub-categorize people by race on next year’s questionnaires may also pose problems for some Asians, Blacks, Latinos and other minority groups. For example, People of Arab descent from places in North Africa and the Middle East like Egypt, Syria and Morocco will be counted as White. Afro-Latinos from places like the Dominican Republic will only also be able to only identify as Latino – with no option to choose Black.

The NAACP has filed a lawsuit in Maryland arguing that the 2020 Census is designed purposefully to undercount Blacks, Vargas told the media professionals in the room.

Ditas Katague, the Director of the California Complete Count Office, was a panelist as well. She has also served on the U.S. Census Bureau's National Advisory Committee on Race, Ethnicities and Other Populations Having worked on three censuses in the past, Katague sees the problems looming with next year’s count in California. She approaches them, though, with a surprising sense of confidence.

She is familiar with the process and has decades of experience working with minorities and the media across the state to successfully increase participation.

After the 2020 census, she told the journalists in the room, “What I want to see is that California achieves a complete and accurate count and we outpace the entire country.”

In an effort to reach that goal, Katague’s organization plans to spend tens of millions of dollars partnering with California media, including ethnic media who she says “hard-to-count” minority populations trust.

“Locally created messages resonate. Understand your audience. Educate your audience,” she told them.

Harris and Booker Presidential Races Stir Pride, Excitement and High Hopes By Barrington M. Salmon

Senator Cory Booker and Senator Kamala Harris Dr. Shiela Harmon Martin said she recently got two very pleasant surprises within days of each other when Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (DN.J.) announced that they are joining the race to become America’s next president.

Harris, a former San Francisco prosecutor and California attorney general, set off a serious buzz after her announcement and African Americans have been digging into her law enforcement record and perusing her policy platforms and prior statements in order to discover what type of president she might be.

Dr. Martin, division chair and professor of Political Science at the University of the District of Columbia, said she hopes and expects both Black senators to do well.

“I hope one of them emerges as the top contender and, at a minimum, in second place,” Martin said. “African Americans have been the most loyal constituency to the Democratic Party. I don’t feel that because we had one African American president we shouldn’t have another one for the next 20 years…Hopefully the Democratic pool will look like America.”

Because both candidates have been watched by political observers for years, their formal an-

nouncements may also impact the strength of the electorate, Martin says. She hopes their candidacies will lead to increased voter registrations and voter turnout in Black communities.

The announcements of Harris and Booker are already attracting the attention of people from diverse walks of life.

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, national director of Faith Outreach for the Democratic National Committee who served as a faith issue advisor to the Obama campaign, says both Harris and Booker will soar because of what will prove to be energetic campaigns and their donors and support will be competitive. But Harris’ first move may have given her an advantage. And the number and the excitement of the people who showed up for her Oakland announcement was reminiscent of the Obama enthusiasm.

“The energy and focus around her announcement was impressive. I haven’t seen that energy and momentum in other people,” Harkins said. “This was important to her and those waiting in the wings.”

However, political observers agree that no contender – at least not in the near future – will rise to the euphoria of the candidacy of America’s first Black president, Barack Obama.

“2008 was lightning in a bottle,” Rev. Harkins noted. “The energy, fervor and enthusiasm won’t probably be replicated in our lifetime…We’re in a different place. For them, it will probably be more ‘retail’, pushing people out there. They have to mobilize; organize to make sure people will come out.”

There is always the down side for both candidates. Because Harris has such a long record, even as a first-term senator, she is already being buffeted by scrutiny and criticism, said political analyst and media commentator, Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever.

“Her challenge is that she has a long and controversial record, I will admit. But she’s being held to an extremely high level of scrutiny,” Jones-DeWeever says.

Jones-DeWeever also points out that Harris has ties to the ‘system’ that raises a lot of people’s suspicions.

“I think she needs to lay out her own criminal justice agenda, have a specific speech on this, spell out the issues and detail what she’ll do going forward,” said JonesDeWeever, who is president and CEO of the consulting firm, Incite Unlimited, LLC. “We have to be careful not to be over-critical and not hold her to a different standard. A lot of people aren’t asking this of other candidates.”

But, for African Americans in many quarters, Harris has struck the right chord in the way she entered the race with the announcement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day; her first news conference held at her alma mater, Howard University; and her ability to draw a large crowd to her formal announcement at Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of City Hall in her hometown of Oakland, CA. She also got kudos for her remarks in front of her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorors in South Carolina.

But in walks the popular orator and politician Sen. Corey Booker.

Kansas City resident and political observer Emily Brown says Booker’s entrance into the presidential fray surprised her.

“I followed Sen. Booker as mayor. He’s an excellent senator, very strong,” she said. “I was shocked that he’s running but having multiple candidates of color is a very positive thing. I’ve never seen a more diverse group running. We saw that in the midterms. I am concerned but think he’s a strong candidate.”

Gloria Murry-Ford said she recently met Booker at a fundraiser for former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Adams and left impressed.

“I took a selfie with him. He’s a very nice, very personable, very smart man,” she said. “I know he’s a Rhodes Scholar but I don’t know a lot about him and I don’t know how he’s doing. They are two powerful Black people. I watched Sen. Harris. I saw the town hall and liked what I saw. I think she’s smart; she’s good, knows what questions to ask and has gotten her message together.

She had a great rollout.”

Murry-Ford, a former CNN reporter and now a communications expert specializing in crisis management and strategic communications in Washington, DC, said she was less than impressed with (continued in next 2 columns)

Harris and Booker Presidential Races Stir Pride, Excitement and High Hopes..continued the junior New Jersey senator’s announcement.

“Booker’s rollout was light,” she said. “Standing at a chain link fence? Optics is important and his optics weren’t as great. She had a great roll out. It was magnificent. She claimed her blackness.

It’s not bad to be Black anymore.

With him it was a different atmosphere. He’s got to nail down his message, tighten up stuff.”

Political Scientist Dr. Harmon Martin said she’s confident that Booker and Harris will campaign well, even as they deal with the rough and tumble nature of politics and the often coarse and abra-

sive criticism and attacks that come with it.

“Hey, cheers to Sen. Harris and Sen. Booker,” she said. “I’m a little biased because she’s my soror.

She’s an African American woman and attended an HBCU. I really like Booker too. He’s an outstanding choice, a good mayor, committed to Black people. I despise when people place a litmus test on who’s Black enough. Allow both candidates to do well, and may the best candidate win.”

This article originally appeared in the Houston Forward Times.

African Free Trade Agreement Nears Completion

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Four hundred years after the first Africans were kidnapped and brought to the United States and 135 years after the infamous Berlin Conference divided Africa into 55 separate countries, heads of state from the continent are on the verge of a historic free trade agreement.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is an agreement between African Union (AU) member states with a stated goal of creating a single market followed by free movement and a single currency. It was first presented and signed at the AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda in March 2018.

The accord seeks to progressively eliminate tariffs on intraAfrican trade, which prior to the agreement stood at an average of 6.1 percent across the continent, as well as removing other trade barriers.

While the agreement does not formally establish an African Continental Free Trade Area, it will still function as an umbrella under which protocols and annexes will be added, according to Ventures Africa.

Once all documents are concluded and ratified, the Free Trade Area will formally exist.

Following the establishment of the AfCFTA in March 2018, Zambia was one of the African countries that didn’t sign the agreement despite signing its declaration. However, this week Zambia became the latest country to sign the agreement when Zambia’s President Edgar Chagwa Lungu signed the agreement in the presence of His Excellency Albert M. Muchanga, the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Industry, who then counter-signed on behalf of the African Union.

According to Ventures Africa, Zambia is prepared to begin the necessary processes to uphold the agreement and AfCFTA will be sent to Zambia’s institutional mechanism for ratification.

Speaking during a news conference at the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, Muchanga, said he expected AfCFTA to formally launch operations in July of this year during another AU summit to be held in Niamey, capital of Niger.

“We have 12 African countries that have deposited the instrument of ratification at the AU.

The accord seeks to progressively eliminate tariffs on intra-African trade, which prior to the agreement stood at an average of 6.1 percent across the continent, as well as removing other trade barriers.

Before the end of the summit, we expect two more countries to ratify the agreement,” Muchanga said, according to The New Times of Rwanda.

“By March 21, 2019, the first anniversary of the launch of AfCFTA, we expect we will fill the [minimum] quota of 21-member states needed for the free trade agreement to come into force,” Muchanga continued. “With the expected start of operations of AfCFTA in July, the AU expects member states to start to liberalize trade relations with each other, reduce trade tariff among African countries and come up with mechanism to monitor the application of non-tariff barriers by some member states.”

Egypt’s President Abdelfattah Elsisi said the agreement should be expedited. “We need to strengthen our cooperation and scale up our efforts in order to expedite the AfCFTA agreement.

We also need to strive that this economic agreement reaches tangible results for our people,” Elsisi said.

The AfCFTA agreement previously received signatures from 44 out of the 55 members of the African Union at a summit in Rwanda.

Her Excellency, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the African Union Ambassador to the United States, appeared last month at the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Mid-Winter Training Conference in Florida where she said African leaders were on the verge of a free trade agreement.

She said Africa was poised to become the world’s largest free trade area with the 55 countries merging into a single market of 1.2 billion people with a combined Gross Domestic Product of $2.5 trillion.

“African leaders are saying with one voice, one mind, and one heart that we are one continent,” H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao said.

Colin Kaepernick Settles Collusion Case Against The NFL...continued from page 1 against the NFL in 2017, accusing team owners of violating the league’s collective bargaining agreement by colluding to keep him off a team.

Kaepernick sparked national debate in 2016 when he knelt at a football game during the national anthem. A San Francisco 49ers quarterback at the time, Kaepernick described his act as a form of silent protest against police brutality and racial injustices in the United States. Critics of the quarterback, including President Donald Trump, accused him of disrespecting the American flag and the military.

Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers at the end of that season and entered free agency, which would allow him to play with other teams. But he was unable to sign with a new

team.

Reid, who joined Kaepernick in the kneeling protest, fared much the same when he became an unsigned free agent in 2018. He filed his own grievance against the NFL in May 2018. (Reid ultimately signed a new contract with the Carolina Panthers in September.)

The NFL Players Association released a statement on Friday applauding the settlement.

“We are not privy to the details of the settlement, but support the decision by the players and their counsel,” the association said.

The NFL and Geragos did not specify the terms of the agreement. Charles Robinson, a senior NFL reporter for Yahoo, noted in a tweet on Friday: “Sources previously said Kaepernick would only withdraw if a lucrative settlement was secured.”