On it.
Ending racial injustice requires all of us to work together and take real action. What can you do to help?
Educate yourself about the history of American racism, privilege and what it means to be anti-racist.
Commit to actions that challenge injustice and make everyone feel like they belong, such as challenging biased or racist language when you hear it.
Vote in national and local elections to ensure your elected officials share your vision of public safety.
Donate to organizations, campaigns and initiatives who are committed to racial justice.
Page 2 Thursday, October 12, 2023 COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/FINANCIAL/ADVERTISING
Let’s come together to take action against racism and fight for racial justice for the Black community. Visit lovehasnolabels.com/fightforfreedom
Gov. Newsom Signs Sen. Steve Bradford’s Ebony Alert Bill Into Law
Antonio Ray Harvey| California Black Media
California Latino Legislative Caucus Celebrates 50th Anniversary...continued
efforts made by and for the Hispanic community. Poets Yesika Salgado and Yosimar Reyes performed a poem that encapsulated the experiences of young Latino immigrants.
The event also featured a segment dedicated to giving back. Sixty-one students from across the state took to the stage to express their gratitude to the caucus for their support of higher education. The California Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation gave $5,000 to each student who represented different regions across the state.
The evening concluded with the presentation of the Legacy Award to multiple organizations.
performances were spread throughout the show. The band Quitapenas, Jesse Garcia, and others celebrated and performed. The evening ended with a musical performance by music legend Andy Vargas and his band. Vargas is a beloved member of Santana and a giant in the Latin music scene. According to CLLC vice chair, Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), the future of the CLLC hinges on its capacity to advance legislation and advocate for an inclusive agenda.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the “Ebony Alert” bill to help locate missing Black youth and Black women in the state of California, according to an Oct. 8 written statement from his office.
Senate Bill (SB) 673, authored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), provides a notification system to address the often ignored or lack of attention given to Black children and young Black women that are missing in California.
“I am signing Senate Bill 673,” Newsom said in an Oct. 8 statement. “I thank the Legislature for highlighting this important issue, addressing welldocumented disproportionality in the number of children of color who go missing every year.”
SB 673 authorizes a law enforcement agency to request that an Ebony Alert be activated if that agency determines that it would be an effective tool in the investigation of a missing Black youth or young Black women between the ages of 12 and 25 years.
The U.S. population is 14% Black. Black children are disproportionately classified as “runaways” in comparison to their White counterparts who are classified as “missing” and, therefore, many Black children do not receive the Amber Alert.
“It's very important to have the Ebony Alert because far too often when Black Women and children go missing there is little
to no publicity which hinders the effort to find them,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, CA Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute.
“I applaud Senator Bradford for bringing this forward and the Governor for signing the Ebony Act into law. Now we have to be diligent to ensure it is implemented effectively into practice.”
According to the Black and Missing Foundation Inc. (BAMFI), 38% of children reported missing in the U.S. are Black. BAMFI is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color. It provides resources and tools to missing person’s families and friends and educates the minority community about personal safety.
AMBER – the moniker that stands for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response – was created as a legacy to nineyear-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas.
Similar to Amber Alert, California has an existing law that authorizes the issuance and coordination of a “Silver Alert” relating to a person who is 65 years of age or older, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired who is reported missing.
The “Feather Alert,” relating to an endangered indigenous person
California Latino Legislative Caucus Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media
who has been reported missing under unexplained or suspicious circumstances, is also on books.
Newsom did note “broader concerns” he had with SB 673 and expressed them to Bradford. His administration questioned standards in the bill and stated that they “do not align with the criteria in existing alerts,” specifically the Amber Alert, Endangered Missing Advisory, Feather Alert, and Silver Alert.
“Our emergency alert system is dependent on people not being fatigued by it and thus ignoring it,” the Governor wrote. “Our challenge is to achieve balance between the imperative to notify the public quickly in cases of missing persons or dangerous situations, but to not desensitize that same public outcry by sending too many notifications.”
Black women and girls are at increased risk of being harmed and sex trafficked. A recent report on human trafficking incidents across the country also found that 40% of sex trafficking victims were identified as Black women. The county of Los Angeles reported that 92% of girls in the juvenile justice system identified as victims of sex trafficking are Black, according to the Congressional Black Caucus.
‘“When someone who is missing is incorrectly listed as a runaway, they basically vanish a second time,” Bradford said in
a statement after he introduced the bill on the Senate floor in March. “They vanish from the police detectives’ workload. They vanish from the headlines. In many ways, no one even knows they are missing. How can we find someone and bring them home safely when no one is really looking for them,” Bradford stated.
Earlier this year, community advocates in Oakland’s announced a “state of emergency” in response to 10 attempted abductions and kidnappings of Black girls and women.
Oakland Councilmember Treva Reid of District 7, announced in May that of the 1,500 missing person cases reported in the city, 400 were Black women. In 2022 alone, 20% of missing cases went unsolved.
Reid supports SB 673. On May 30, the Oakland City Council unanimously voted in favor of her resolution endorsing the alert system statewide.
“A troubling number of our daughters, sisters, aunts, and mothers go missing throughout our community and they must be protected and safe in our city,” Reid stated. “It is critical that state and local jurisdictions have access to the best enforcement tools and resources to swiftly respond to the crisis of kidnappings and attempted abductions in Oakland and across California.”
California Latino Legislative Caucus Celebrates 50th Anniversary...continued
caucus over the past 50 years.
“The issues that are bringing us together as Latinos are California issues, whether it's housing insecurity and affordability, looking at just the economic disparities that exist,” said Cervantes. “These are all issues that have continued to be a priority for our caucus and issues that many of our members fight on.”
Martha Escutia, the first woman to chair the CLLC and a former member of the California senate and assembly with over 16 years in politics was featured in a short film played at the celebration. The film, narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer and star of Hamilton, traced the fifty-year history of the caucus. Escutia considered the 1980 reapportionment which allowed for greater representation of the Latino community, as a key turning point. While she takes pride in the caucus’ accomplishments, she believes there is still more to be achieved.
Los Angeles Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), Chair of California Latino Legislative Caucus (CLLC), vice chair of the CLLC Senator Lena Gonzalez (D- Long Beach), and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. The Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, CA Oct. 6.
The California Latino Legislative Caucus (CLLC) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a black-tie event at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles last Friday. The event was a retrospective awards ceremony, honoring the achievements of the caucus over the past five decades.
Initially known as the Chicano Legislative Caucus, the CLLC was made up of five male Latino
members: Alex Garcia, Peter Chacon, Joseph Montoya, Ray Gonzales and Richard Alatorre, according to their history page. Today, under the leadership of Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), the first LGBTQ+ leader and chair of the CLLC, the caucus boasts 38 members, with a majority of 21 Latinas. Cervantes recognized the significant expansion of the
“The problems are still the same: lack of housing, lack of economic sustainability for families, just even building a safety net for families,” said Escutia. “It's still an issue that bedevils, frankly, all caucuses because I think, the Black Caucus also has the same concerns, as well as even the Asian American Asian Pacific Islander caucus.”
Hilda Solis, who is supervisor for the 1st district, Los Angeles County, was one of the first to present an award. She presented a congratulatory document from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors at the red-carpet
The recipients included the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, accepted by Thomas Saenz, the United Farm Workers, received by Teresa Romero, and the California Rural Legal Assistance, accepted by Jessica Jewell.
Musical and special
“We'll continue to fight to make sure that our voices are heard along with our brothers and sisters in the Black Caucus. API caucus and LGBTQ caucus,” said Gonzalez. “It's a collective for all of us to be a part of, and when we push together, I think we're more unified. Looking at next year to think about how we can partner up with our other ethnic caucus’.”
event to Cervantes and the caucus’ vice chair, California State Senator Lena Gonzalez. Solis, a former member of the California Assembly and Senate, is the first Latina to serve in a presidential cabinet as United States Secretary of Labor.
The evening’s speakers were some of the most accomplished artists, actors, politicians and public servants in the Latino community.
The Masters of Ceremonies for the event were Tony Plana, an activist, director and actor known for his role in “Ugly Betty” and Justina Mochado, an actor and producer, known for her performance in the series, “The Horrors of Delores Roach,” and “One Day at a Time.”
Xavier Becerra, the 25th Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, was the keynote speaker. His rise through the ranks of the California legislative system has been a testament to overcoming obstacles. He began his political career in the California state assembly, progressed to the U.S. House of Representatives, and then served as the 33rd Attorney General of California, before assuming his current position as the Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. He talked about how far the state, and the caucus, have come saying “so goes the caucus, so goes the state of California.”
The evening's celebrations were not just about the caucus’s legislative achievements. The awards also acknowledged the
continued in next 2 columns
SACRAMENTO—
Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) and Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James today issued the following statement upon learning of the governor’s veto of AB 273 which would have established additional requirements for social workers, probation officers, and juvenile courts when a child or non-minor dependent (NMD) is missing from foster care, including immediate notification requirements, hearing timelines, and due diligence reporting deadlines.
I am disappointed and saddened by the governor’s veto of AB 273. When foster children go missing, county practices are routinely out of compliance with both federal and state law, and the minimum California Department of Social Services guidance standards. This carelessness can lead to grave, life changing, even lethal consequences for children. The potential risk is magnified for Native American children in the system. It is long past due for us to do better by our children. However, I am heartened by his direction to the California
Department of Social Services (CDSS) “to work with county partners to assess existing protocols and identify any needed improvements. With that information, CDSS will work with the author and stakeholders to inform additional guidance, training, or recommend statutory changes to protect all foster youth, especially tribal youth.” I will work with the administration, the bill’s sponsors, the Alliance for Children’s Rights, California Tribal Families Coalition and Yurok Tribe and the Department, to ensure that local counties are consistently employing the best practices and protocols to locate, place, and stabilize missing foster children.
In July 2022, NBC reported that a Health and Human Services regional inspector are not complying with screening or reporting requirements when foster children are missing. That same news report stated, “In 36 states, the average number of days foster children were missing varied from seven to
Page 3 Thursday, October 12, 2023 COUNTY/GOVERNMENT/BUSINESS/ADVERTISING continued on page 4 continued in next 2 columns Clifton Harris Editor in Chief Investigative Reporter sbamericannews@gmail.com Mary Martin-Harris Publisher mary@sb-american.com Clifton B. Harris / Audio Engineering Editor Legal /Display Advertising (909) 889-7677 The San Bernardino American News was established May 6, 1969. A legally adjudicated newspaper of general circulation on September 30, 1971, case number 15313 by the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News subscription rate is $65.00 per year. The San Bernardino AMERICAN News 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. County/Government News V.I.P. TRUST DEED COMPANY OVER 40 YEARS OF FAST FUNDING Principal (818) 248-0000 Broker WWW.VIPLOAN.COM *Sufficient equity required - no consumer loans Real Estate License #01041073 Private Party loans generally have higher interest rates, points & fees than conventional discount loans RETIRED COUPLE HAS $1MIL TO LEND ON CA. REAL ESTATE* CA Department of Real Estate, NMLS #339217 Buys T.D.s and Buys/Lends on Partial Interests
Senator Steven Bradford ( D- Inglewood)
Oakland City Councilmember Treva Reid supports SB 842. Her office has studied and collected data on missing Black women in Oakland. May 6, 2023. Oakland, California. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Ramos and Yurok tribal chairman disappointed and saddened by veto of bill requiring improved, updated county practices to find missing foster children
Study: Black patients more likely to be restrained in the emergency room
Though physical restraint is rare, Black adults are experiencing it more than others, putting them at risk for trauma or death.
By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black
Why Ageism Prevails and How to Stop It...continued
of Emergency Physicians says using restraints can be dangerous to patients and staff and may raise civil rights and liberty issues, “including the right to refuse care, freedom from imprisonment, and freedom of association.”
“However, there are circumstances when the use of restraints is in the best interest of the patient, staff, or the public,” the organization said in a policy statement.
Similarly, the American Medical Association says individuals have a fundamental right to be free from unreasonable bodily restraint, however, restraint may be justified if patients are at risk of harming themselves.
“Except in emergencies, patients should be restrained only on a physician’s explicit order. Patients should never be restrained punitively, for convenience, or as an alternate to reasonable staffing,” the association stated.
The researchers at Baylor note that their analysis had limitations, though, past studies reveal the same disparity among Black patients.
Research by Yale University found that Black children were more likely than White children to be physically restrained during ED visits. Further research by the university discovered that Black uninsured males bore the brunt of restraints among adults.
For example, “We give vaccines based on people’s biology and social behaviors, so there are 17 subcategories for children, three for adults between the ages of 19 and 64,” Aronson said. “But everybody aged 65 and up is lumped into a single category, even though a child would instantly see the physical and assume the differences between a 64 year old and 104 year old. This distinction is not based on scientific evidence about our lives.”
Nevertheless, “age isn’t everything,” Aronson said. Ethnic differences also compounded these risks, with Black Americans aged 75 to 84 having a nearly 900-fold difference, Latinos well over a 500-fold difference, Native Americans a 200-fold difference, and AAPI a 150-fold difference over non-Hispanic whites in the first six months of the pandemic.
This way of viewing age in terms of vulnerability to death has particular implications for ageism in the U.S., where life
expectancy has declined to 76.4 years — the shortest in two decades.
However, life expectancy, too, is disproportionately divided among racial and economic lines. Even before the pandemic, for example, 56 of the 500 largest U.S. cities had life expectancy gaps up to 30 years between neighborhoods a few miles apart.
“That isn’t about biology,” said Aronson. “That’s about social choices, and where we put our money, our values and our priorities … I would like to see a world in which you may be “over the hill,” but the entire range of the hill has value … ‘anti-aging’ terminology is not helpful. The only way not to age is to die.”
The need to address ageism
Cheryl Brown, Chair of the Executive Committee for the California Commission on Aging,
continued on page 7
7 Tips for Choosing Your Health Benefits in 2024
by Greg Wright, CEO, Medicare & Retirement, UnitedHealthcare of California
As inflation in the U.S. remains high, you may be looking to adjust your lifestyle and spending habits. But when it comes to health care, it’s important to keep your budget and well-being in mind.
Black patients are more likely than other racial groups to be restrained during emergency department (ED) visits, according to a new study by Baylor University College of Medicine. The findings — released in JAMA Internal Medicine on Sept. 25 — are based on a systematic review of 10 studies published through February 2022.
Physical restraint in EDs is used to protect patients and staff from harm, but may have negative consequences, such as aspiration, physical trauma and
psychological harm for those being treated.
The team of researchers found that physical restraint was a rare occurrence during ED visits. However, of the 24,030 events of physical restraint represented in the review, Black adults were disproportionately impacted.
“The absolute event rate for restraint use was relatively low, less than 1 percent, but our results suggest that Black patients have a higher risk of restraint than patients of other racial groups,” said Dr. Vidya Eswaran, corresponding
Ramos and Yurok tribal chairman disappointed and saddened by veto of bill requiring improved, updated county practices to find missing foster children...continued from page 3
46, and nine states reported that missing children disappeared for more than 50 days on average.”
NBC also cited a National Foster Youth Institute estimate that 60 percent of child sex-trafficking victims have been in foster care or another part of the child welfare system.
Indian foster youth are even more vulnerable. Native American children enter the child welfare system at a rate that is 2.7 times their representation in the population, the highest of any racial group (AFDC 2020). National data shows that 85% of all missing Indigenous children over a 10-year period were endangered runaways.
Nationally, American Indian or Alaska Native children had the highest rate of victimization at 14.8 per 1,000 children in the population of the same race or ethnicity.
It’s critical that we do all we can to support our missing foster youth, especially as we know that disproportionate numbers of these missing and vulnerable youth then become part of the grim statistics
around child trafficking or in tribal communities, victims of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases.
Yurok Tribal Chairman James stated:
We at the Yurok Tribe, in partnership with Tribal leaders, and communities of color who are also disproportionately impacted by the foster care system, know that our children are our most valuable resource and must be protected. While we are disappointed AB 273 was vetoed, we want to thank Assemblymember Ramos and the State legislature for their hard work and commitment to our children, and the children of many other under-represented poor people in California. In the spirit of addressing the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and ending the pipeline from the foster care system to MMIP, we will continue to fight for our children’s safety and protection, and for their futures.
author of the paper and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor.
Physical restraint includes belts, vests, jackets, mitts, and other devices that confine the body and prevent movement.
Abrasions and bruises are the most common complications. Asphyxia, in which a person loses consciousness due to lack of oxygen, can also occur. And physical restraints can lead to death if patients are not continually monitored by staff.
The American College
“The small number of studies included in this review are of mixed quality and reveal that the assessment of race-based disparities in physical restraint use in the ED is understudied,” Eswaran said.
Overall, she said more research needs to be conducted on this topic.
“Showing that differences in restraint use exist is not enough,” she said. “We must now further assess the mechanism for why these differences occur and what can be done to prevent them from persisting.”
This article was originally published by WordinBlack.
Why Ageism Prevails and How to Stop It
Age isn’t everything when it comes to human health and ability, yet it often dominates conversations about these to the detriment of older adults.
By Selen Ozturk
determines much of how we experience it, said Dr. Louise Aronson, a geriatrics professor at UC San Francisco. “We were about the same age as a species for a really long time, and though now we’re a whole lot older, some things haven’t changed. Old age still ends in death.”
This year’s open enrollment season is a good chance to review how you’re using health services and decide whether you’ll stick with the plan you’ve got or switch to another being offered. It’s also an opportunity to assess your overall care costs to help ensure you choose a plan that will work best for next year’s budget.
Enrollment timing: For people with coverage from their employer, open enrollment typically happens during a twoor three-week period between September and December. For those eligible for Medicare, the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs from Oct. 15- Dec. 7 each year. Coverage selections made during the fall will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Here are seven tips to consider when choosing a plan that may help lead you to better health and cost savings:
First, consider all your options. Take time to understand and compare the benefits, services and costs of each plan available to you, so you can figure out which will be the best fit. Pay attention to more than just the monthly premium – like what out-of-pocket costs, including the deductible, copays and coinsurance, you may be responsible for.
Medicare members and caregivers: As you weigh your options, ensure you’re familiar with the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. If you need a review, visit MedicareEducation.com — an online resource with answers to questions about eligibility, plan choices, cost basics, prescription coverage and more.
plan’s provider network. Also, make sure your medications will be covered by the plan you choose next year – even if you don’t expect to change plans. Look into filling your prescriptions at a participating network pharmacy or with home delivery by mail — two more potentially money-saving options.
Medicare members and caregivers: You may be surprised to learn Original Medicare doesn’t generally cover prescription drugs. Consider adding Part D or enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage to help keep your medication costs in check.
Check for mental health coverage. In addition to in-person mental health care, you may have access to a large virtual network of therapists and psychiatrists. Some health insurers also offer advocacy services to help you find the right type of behavioral health care.
Medicare members and caregivers: Look for plans that offer virtual mental health care with a $0 copay.
Don’t forget about specialty benefits. Additional benefits, such as dental, vision, hearing or critical illness insurance, are often available and may contribute to overall well-being.
Medicare members and caregivers: You may be surprised that Original Medicare doesn’t cover most dental, vision and hearing services, but many Medicare Advantage plans do.
Look into wellness programs. Many health plans offer incentives that reward you for taking healthier actions, such as completing a health survey, exercising or avoiding nicotine.
Age isn’t everything when it comes to human health and ability, yet it often dominates conversations about these to the detriment of older adults.
In a Friday, Oct. 6 EMS briefing, aging experts discussed why ageism — discrimination on the basis of older age — prevails in the way we view older adults, and how to overcome it.
Talking about age
Dr. Louise Aronson, University of California San Francisco Professor in the Division of Geriatrics, explains why we need to rethink our understanding of what “good” aging looks like. How we talk about aging
As far back as 10,000 B.C. until as recently as 1820 A.D., the global life expectancy was 20 to 30 years; in 2019, it was over 73.
The COVID-19 pandemic “showed us how age matters,” she added, as older adults had disproportionately greater risks and fatalities. U.S. adults 65 and over made up over 75% of COVID-related deaths as of September 2023, according to the CDC.
The health system’s very definition of older adults as anyone 65 or older, however, prevents practitioners from meeting these adults’ individual needs.
Learn the language. If you’re overwhelmed by or unsure about certain health care terms, there are resources to help. As a start, check out UnitedHealth Group’s Just Plain Clear Glossary (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) to help you make informed decisions.
Medicare members and caregivers: There’s a lot to learn about Medicare and Medicare Made Clear can help you understand the basics, the complexities and everything in between.
Help prevent financial surprises. Visiting doctors that are in-network is one way to help keep your costs lower. So before selecting a plan, check to see if your doctor is in your health
Medicare members and caregivers: Many Medicare Advantage plans also offer gym memberships and wellness programs for members at no additional cost.
Explore virtual care services.
If you’re busy or just prefer connecting with a doctor from the convenience of your home, consider choosing a plan that includes 24/7 virtual care. You may have access to virtual wellness visits, urgent care and chronic condition management.
Medicare members and caregivers: Most Medicare Advantage plans provide access to virtual care, which can be an easier, more affordable way to talk with doctors about common health issues on a smartphone, tablet or computer.
For more helpful articles and videos about open enrollment, visit UHCOpenEnrollment.com.
Page 4 Thursday, October 12, 2023 STATE/HEALTH//LIFESTYLE NEWS continued in next 2 columns
(Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash)
Thursday, October 12, 2023
New tools empower Black communities on the frontlines of climate change...continued from page 1
and high winds push water over the western bank and into the town.
nation’s population. Half of those communities are in Louisiana, with locales in Texas, South Carolina and Kentucky rounding out the list. It’s just the latest stark reminder that the history of racism in the United States has concentrated Black people in places that will be hit early and hard by the climate crisis.
The Index draws from 184 different data sets to determine the climate risk of 70,000 census tracts across the country. It considers environmental risks (like flooding), socioeconomic matters (such as income and car ownership) and the availability of public resources, all of which
affect how residents are able to respond to disasters. The Index also takes into account environmental pollution, a contributing factor in St. John the Baptist’s claim to the top spot: the parish is in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, where practically every community ranks in the top 5 percent of the whole country for cancer risk from such pollution.
Sitting on a wedge of low-lying land between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, LaPlace tends to be flooded from the lake side. During hurricanes and other severe weather patterns, storm-surge buildup on Lake Pontchartrain
LEGALS/CLASSIFIEDS
NOTICE INVITING BID
TO BID
INVITATION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Coachella Valley Unified School District, acting by and through its governing board (“District”), will receive sealed bids for the CNG Expansion Project - Transportation
Site Construction Project. Value of contract is estimated at $1M - $1.1M.
The project generally consists of adding two generators to the existing CNG bus fueling station. Work will include new fencing, light poles, power and data, and concrete flatwork.
To bid on this Project, the Bidder is required to possess the following State of California Contractor
License: B
Each bid must conform and be responsive to the contract documents which may be obtained at: https://colbisecurebids.com/o/cvusd/CNG167. Please SUBSCRIBE to the Opportunity to receive automated emails of any changes/addenda & results.
A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. Bidders may choose to attend in person at the CVUSD District Office Board Room, 87-225 Church St., Thermal, CA 92274 or online at https://colbi.zoom. us/j/84070099916?pwd=HOXtDjCECUBbna5wr5F kfV45qw6oAe.1 followed by a non-mandatory job walk on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at 87050 Avenue 57, Thermal, CA 92274.
All bids will be received by the District in the Office of the Superintendent, CVUSD at 87-225 Church St., Thermal, CA 92274. Bids are due on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, no later than 2:00 PM, after which time the bids will be opened and publicly read aloud.
The successful Bidder and its subcontractors shall pay all workers on the Project not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages and the general prevailing rate for holiday and overtime work as determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations, State of California, for the type of work performed and the locality in which the work is to be performed per sections 1770 et seq. of the CA Labor Code. Prevailing wage rates are on file with the District and are available to any interested party on request or at www.dir.ca.gov/ oprl/statistics_and_databases.html. Bidders and Bidders’ subcontractors shall comply with the DIR registration and qualification requirements per CA Labor Code sections 1725.5 & 1771.1.
Each bid must be submitted on the bid form provided in the bid documents and accompanied by a satisfactory Bid Bond executed by the bidder and surety company, or certified check, or cashier's check in favor of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, or cash, in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the bid. The successful Bidder shall be required to furnish a 100% Performance Bond and a 100% Payment Bond if it is awarded the contract.
The successful Bidder may substitute securities for any monies withheld by the District to ensure performance under the Contract, in accordance with the provisions of Public Contract Code section 22300.
The District reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any irregularities or informalities in any bids or in the bidding. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of 45 days after the date set for the opening of bids. For questions, please contact Jana Mills at jmills@colbitech.com.
Board of Education of the Coachella Valley Unified School District 10/5/2023, 10/12/2023
Publication: San Bernardino American News
After decades of delays, construction has begun on a levee that will protect the backside of the town, slated to be completed next year. But mitigating flood risk is only one piece of the overall puzzle in a community like St. John the Baptist Parish. That’s where the Climate Vulnerability Index may be able to help. The tool is designed not only to show where the risks lie, but to help steer new investment in solutions. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act has made available “a historic level of funding” to build toward climate justice and equity, Dr. Grace Tee Lewis, a senior health scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund said in a news release. But the “right investments need to flow to the right places for the biggest impact.” This article was originally published by Word in Black.
Why Ageism Prevails and How to Stop It...
continued from page 4 explains how inter-generational activities can help break ageist stereotypes and support young and old people alike.
Cheryl Brown, Chair of the Executive Committee for the California Commission on Aging (CCOA), said that behavioral health, caregiver training, and housing access are key to addressing ageism.
Such policies prioritizing equity for older adults are key given that by 2030, California will be home to 10.8 million older adults — comprising onequarter of the state’s population, and nearly twice as many as in 2010.
The trend is similar nationwide: by 2030, U.S. adults 65 and over are projected to increase by nearly 18 million from 2020, comprising one in every five Americans and outnumbering children for the first time.
Brown urged efforts in other states and nationwide similar to the California Master Plan for Aging, a 10-year blueprint developed by CCOA in 2021 and aimed at supporting older adults socially, economically, and healthwise.
Ageism and Alzheimer’s
Relating ageism to Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Barry Reisberg — psychiatry professor at NYU and adjunct aging professor at McGill University — said the point at which older adults can no longer participate socially and in the workforce is later than many may think.
This point is measured clinically by the Global Deterioration Scale, which identifies the 7 stages of Alzheimer’s.
Reisberg, who developed the scale, said stage one precedes any detectable impairment of memory. In stage two, the adult “would not remember things, like names or where they place things, as well as they could five or 10 years previously”; this lasts a mean of 15 years.
In stage three, this symptom advances to “a decrease in job functioning” — e.g. organizational or travel skills — which lasts about seven years in otherwise healthy adults. Many people can go on working into this third stage and the fourth — which entails more forgetfulness of recent events — depending upon the job at hand, he emphasized.
In the fifth and sixth stages — which entail the need for help with daily activities and a greater
the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date: 12/12/2023 Time: 9:00 a.m.
Dept: F1 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE
GUARD DOG STORAGE OF HESPERIA,17147 Lemon St, Hesperia, CA 92345, (760) 956-7500.
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Section 21700 of the Business & Professions Code, State of California, the undersigned will sell at Public Sale by Competitive
PETITION/PROBATE
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MARK ALAN CHASE DECEDENT CASE NO: PROVV 2300032
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of MARK
ALAN CHASE
A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by: LEANNA CHASE in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN BERNARDINO. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that: LEANNA CHASE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.
THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows:
Date: 10/26/2023 Time: 9:00 a.m.
Dept: V-12 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 14455 Civic Drive Victorville,
Bidding On October 31th, 2023 @10 AM at Guard Dog Storage of Hesperia, County of San Bernardino, State of California, the goods, chattels or personal goods and property of the tenants, household goods, tools, toys etc. Mark Fultz, Penny Carroll & Jeff Tongate, Richard & Stacy Gaskill, Jeremy Irvine x2, Breanna Osborne, Gary Thompson x2, Kristine Chilingryan, Valerie & Chazarey Davis, Amanda Chavez. Purchased goods are sold as is and must be removed within one day of purchase. Payment is to be with cash only and made at the time of purchase. The sale is subject to cancellation without notice in the event of settlement between owner and obligated party.
Auctioneer: John Cardoza, License# 5860870, (209)667-5797.
Published in The San Bernardino American Newspaper October 12, 19, 2023.
Page 6
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Sidney Connor IV, Esq. 1500 U.S. Highway 17 North Suite 209 Surfside Beach, SC 29575 https://www.timeoutco.com/ info@timeoutco.com Phone: 1-843-846-3688 Bar No.: 0001363 (Cal-SCAN) NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JORETTA CALVERT DECEDENT CASE NO: PROVA 2300019 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both of: JORETTA CALVERT A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by: STEPHEN A. CALVERT in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN BERNARDINO. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that: STEPHEN A. CALVERT be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on
WORLD/POLITICAL NEWS/LEGAL/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
CA 92392 Victorville District/Probate Division IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Antoniette Jauregui 1894 Commercenter W. Suite 108 San Bernardino, CA 92408 (909)890-2350 Published in The San Bernardino American Newspaper October 5, 12, 19, 2023.
17780 Arrow Boulevard Fontana, CA 92335 IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Don M. Ross II, Esq. 57382 29 Palms Hwy Yucca Valley, CA 92284 (760)999-2095 Published in The San Bernardino American Newspaper September 28, October 5, 12, 2023.
The 7 Deadliest Diseases in the Black Community... continued from page 1
Strokes kill 4 times more 35to 54-year-old Black Americans than white Americans. Blacks have nearly twice the first-time stroke risk of whites.
2. High Blood Pressure
Free Emotional Awareness Event
in Fontana
Inland Empire News
“We must recognize there are some arbitrary issues that are present in the way we practice medicine and dole out health care,” Yancy tells WebMD. “It forces us to think very carefully about the very volatile issue of race and what race means. At the end of the day, it is more likely an issue of socioeconomics and political issues of bias as well as physiologic and genetic issues.
Agreeing with Yancy is LeRoy M. Graham Jr., MD, a pediatric lung expert who serves on the American Lung Association’s board of directors, is associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, and serves as staff physician for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
“I just think we as physicians need to get more impassioned,” says Graham. “There are health disparities. But we as doctors need to spend more time recognizing these disparities and addressing them — together with our patients — on a very individual level.”
Next, here are seven of the diseases affecting African Americans the most:
7. Diabetes
60% more common in Blacks than in whites. Blacks are up to 2.5 times more likely to suffer a limb amputation and up to 5.6 times more likely to suffer kidney disease than other people with diabetes.
6. Asthma
The death reflected a harsh reality in the United States: Asthma hits African-Americans particularly hard, and the health care system often fails them. An estimated 15.3 percent of black children have the disease compared with 7.1 percent of white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, AfricanAmericans are nearly three times as likely to die from asthma as white people.
5. Sarcoidosis
You may not hear it much, but deaths from lung scarring — sarcoidosis — are 16 times more common among Blacks than among whites. The disease recently killed Bernie Mac, former NFL star Reggie White at age 43 and affects others like actress Tisha Campbell.
4. Lung Cancer
Despite lower tobacco exposure, Black men are 50% more likely than white men to get lung cancer.
3. Strokes
Blacks develop high blood pressure earlier in life — and with much higher blood pressure levels — than whites. Nearly 42% of Black men and more than 45% of Black women aged 20 and older have high blood pressure.
1. Cancer
Cancer treatment is equally successful for all races. Yet Black men have a 40% higher cancer death rate than white men. African American women have a 20% higher cancer death rate than white women.
Now, let’s take an in-depth look at each disease.
Black Americans & Lung Disease
A 2005 report from the American Lung Association shows that Black Americans suffer far more lung disease than whites do:
• Blacks have more asthma than any racial or ethnic group in America. And Blacks are 3 times more likely to die of asthma than whites.
• Blacks are 3 times more likely to suffer sarcoidosis than white Americans. The lungscarring disease is 16 times more deadly for Blacks than for whites.
• Blacks are 50% more likely to get lung cancer than white American men.
• Blacks are half as likely to get flu and pneumonia vaccinations as white Americans.
Why? “There are a couple of reasons for this,” Graham says. “One is that 71% of Blacks versus 58% of white Americans live in communities that violate federal air pollution standards. When we look at Blacks in terms of demographic distribution, they are more likely to be located near, if not next to, transportation corridors, and to places where the air is drawn.”
Another reason is that a higher percentage of Blacks than whites live close to toxic waste dumps — and to the factories that produce this waste.
“The environment is involved, and there is potential genetic susceptibility — but we also have to talk about the fact that Blacks’ social and economic status lags behind that of Caucasians,” Graham says. “And low socioeconomic status is linked to more disease.”
continued on page 8
Why Ageism Prevails and How to Stop It...
continued from page 6
inability to recall names — the key is to help older adults “be all that they can be as long as they can,” said Reisberg. In the seventh and final stage, which normally lasts one to two years, communication is impaired and help is needed with all daily activities, like bathing and dressing.
One way to both combat ageism and support older adults — especially in the case of health problems like Alzheimer’s — is optimizing aging through intergenerational activities” and communication, suggested Brown, wherein older adults could learn from innovations of youth and youth could learn from the experience of older adults.
Purple Roses International is pleased to announce its FREE inaugural Emotional Awareness Event
“It’s a Family Affair” to be held on October 21, 2023, at Loveland Church located at 17977 Merrill Ave in Fontana.
Continental breakfast will be served at 9 a.m., followed by Keynote Speaker Dr. Gloria Morrow.
Several organizations will also make presentations. Separate Breakout Sessions for Men, Women and Youth ages 13 years and up. Resource partners from the ICAN Foundation, Wholey
Living Inc. and the Downey Exchange Club Child Abuse Center.
Purple Roses Founder and CEO Valerie Singleton-Evans says… The goal is to bring help, hope, and healing to those of us who as adversely affected by our own emotions or those of others with whom we must interact. Join us to learn about resources available for counseling, and other resources not commonly known. Limited on-site counseling will also be made available. Register for this Free Event at purplerosesinc@gmail.com or call (323) 523-5030.
JOB OPENING:
CUSTODIAN POSITION:
NEW HOPE CHURCH is accepting applications for a part-time Custodian position at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, San Bernardino; CA. Applications are available at the New Hope Church Office. For additional information, resume is desired; please contact the Church Office at (909) 887-2526.
The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.
Ability to read, listen and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Must have strong janitorial knowledge and experience.
Ability to work independently and complete duties and projects with little direct supervision.
Ability to accurately work under pressure in meeting deadlines.
Basic Duties:
Clean sanctuary, classroom, offices, fellowship hall, conference room, kitchen, restrooms, and other assigned areas including facilities owned and operated by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church during an assigned shift or an assigned cleaning crew; perform minor repair and maintenance and assure cleanure of the during assigned hours.
Optimizing aging is not mutually exclusive but inclusive with recognizing aging, added Aronson. “Does old age come with an increased risk of illness and death? Absolutely it does,” but “age alone cannot predict which category the person is in … There are some teenagers with really good judgment, who could drive perfectly well at 14 and there are others who shouldn’t be driving at 25.”
“We need different sorts of measures than age,” she continued, “so everyone over a certain age doesn’t feel completely a part of this society … (and) won’t miss out when they could have added to it more fully.”
WITNESS FOR JUSTICE #1172
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Traci Blackmon
I recently read a social media meme that stated: Imagine a faith so empty that you think offering prayer in schools is following Jesus, but offering free lunch to children in need is not.
Mere hours ahead of a critical midnight deadline when funding for federal agencies was set to run out, President Joe Biden signed into law the stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown. The Senate passed the measure Saturday evening after the House abruptly reversed course earlier in the day and passed a bipartisan bill to temporarily extend government funding until mid-November after days of uncertainty over whether a shutdown could be averted.
Scripture records, in the sixth chapter of the Gospel Matthew, Jesus’ model for prayer shared with the early disciples. The first petition of that prayer reads: “give us this day our daily
bread.” The Greek word artos, translated as bread in this text, undoubtedly denotes not only food but everything necessary to sustain life. The communal nature of the prayer suggests these petitions are for the benefit of everyone and not a selective few.
With the threat of a government shutdown still looming, currently proposed budget cuts by House Republicans would translate to a 30% reduction in resources and services for the most vulnerable among us. If adopted, the cuts in the House appropriations bills would:
*cause 3.2 million women, infants, and children to lose vital nutrition assistance through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
*decrease Title I funding
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread...continued by 80%, impacting 26 million students in schools that teach low-income students by forcing a reduction of up to 226,000 teachers, aides or other key staff.
*eliminate tens of thousands of Head Start slots for preschoolers who would lose access to highquality preschool—undermining their education, leaving 290,000 children ill-prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn, and making it more difficult for parents to join the workforce.
*eliminate funding for Housing Choice Vouchers for 20,000 households, including approximately 6,000 households headed by seniors.
*cut the HOME Investment Partnerships Program by 70%, resulting in 20,000 fewer affordable homes being constructed, rehabbed, or purchased in communities across the country.
*slash critical job training and work development programs, resulting in half a million fewer people receiving job training and employments services.
*rescind more than $564 million in funding from programs that mitigate housing-related risks of lead poisoning and other illnesses and hazards to lower income families, especially children, resulting in 55,000 fewer homes safe of hazards and adversely impacting approximately 78,000 children.
The jockeying for power by political parties should not be the primary concern for people of Faith. Our ultimate concern is the provision of daily bread for everyone. Such draconian laws severely restrict our collective ability to care for others. They make it more difficult to treat people’s needs as holy as Dr. Obery Hendricks contends in
his book, The Politics of Jesus. For people of Faith, this is not a matter of politics but rather a matter of principles.
In her book, Always with Us: What Jesus Really Said about the Poor, public theologian, author, and activist Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis offers a strong critique of malformed theologies of the poor. She suggests Jesus’ declaration that “the poor will be with you always” is not a declaration of the inevitability of economic inequity, but rather an indictment of social greed and depravity.
The poor need not be with us always.
Poverty is a systemic sin resulting from unjust policies enacted at the expense of the most vulnerable among us. Poverty is not inevitable, because we hold the power to enact just laws. We can have policies that ensure daily bread is available to all if we treat all the people’s needs as holy, and the role of the church is to repent and move beyond the maintenance of safety nets necessary to buffer the effects of poverty toward the redemptive work of dismantling the systems and structures that make poverty possible.
It is Jesus who taught the early disciples to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” May we mean it as we pray.
©️Rev. Traci D. Blackmon
Traci Blackmon is Associate General Minister, Justice and Local Church Ministries for the United Church of Christ.
By Lou K. Coleman
allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
Lou K. Coleman
Woe, Woe, Woe! Refusing to hear the solemn warnings from Heaven, clinging to this earth as your home and your dwelling place, as if you would abide here forever. Woe, unto you! [Revelation 8:13]. Damnation and destruction will be your portion. For you have not humbled yourself. You have not honored the God in whose hand thy breath is - Under whose power, and at whose disposal, is thy life. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven and because of that, He has sent the hand that wrote the inscription. “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. [Daniel 5:27]. Woe, unto you!
Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.”
[Revelation 8:13].
Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not
[Revelation 9:1-6].
The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. [Revelation 9:13-21].
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
These judgments are meant to w arn people to repent and turn to God, but sadly, many will refuse to do so because of their evil and doubting heart. And because of that they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever, and they will have no rest, day, or night… [Revelation 14].
Her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her. [Revelations 18:8].
Woe to the Inhabitants of the Earth!
Page 7 Thursday, October 12, 2023 INLAND EMPIRE/ ENTERTAINMENT/RELIGION NEWS continued in next 2 columns
“Woe to the Inhabitants of the Earth!”
For more information, call or text for a free brochure: 507.217.1326 Tour includes deluxe motor coach transportation, all admission tickets, quality hotels, etc. Hall of Fame Tour Aug. 2-12 2024 Attend MLB games at Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Boston & New York Yankees. Visit football, baseball, basketball & hockey Halls of Fame BASEBALL Bob’s Tours Tour begins at host hotel near Cincinnati Airport and ends near Newark Liberty Int'l Airport We also offer an Arizona Spring Training Tour (March 3-9) and a New England Fall Foliage Tour (Sept. 27-Oct. 3) with games at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. u u $3,500/person based on double hotel occupancy u
Understanding the nation’s ticking fiscal time clock:
Federal funding to expire by mid-November
By Charlene Crowell
Reyes Announces Funding To Move Forward with the Revitalization of Downtown Fontana
$3 million is State funds have been secured in order to implement the Fontana Downtown Plan which promises to beautify and invest in the infrastructure of the city’s downtown.
For the second time this year, Congress’ inability to reach consensus on essential fiscal legislation has devolved into largely partisan bickering and literal, last-minute temporary financial band-aids. On September 30, the last day of the 2022-2023 federal fiscal year, a continuing resolution (CR) provided a 45-day reprieve, just in time to meet a midnight deadline that would have resulted in a federal government shutdown.
In signing the stop-gap appropriations measure, President Joe Biden acknowledged its benefit and also reminded the nation of how unnecessary it really was.
“This bill ensures that activeduty troops will continue to get paid, travelers will be spared airport delays, millions of women and children will continue to have access to vital nutrition assistance, and so much more,” said President Biden. “But I want to be clear: we should never have been in this position in the first place. Just a few months ago, Speaker McCarthy and I reached a budget agreement to avoid precisely this type of manufactured crisis.”
Readers may recall that in late spring and facing a first-ever
national debt default, another piece of compromise legislation led to the Fiscal Accountability Act.
That eleventh hour maneuver provided a two-year window for the Treasury Department to borrow – as needed – funds to pay the nation’s more than $31 trillion of debt. In return, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), cutbacks on discretionary spending would result in a drop in projected budget deficits of about $4.8 trillion over the next decade, and a savings of $0.5 trillion in interest. But this fiscal compromise requires Congress to return to that deferred problem in January 2025.
Neither of these developments have been well-received by the public. Only days before the September 30 fiscal rescue, a consumer poll taken September 19-24 by Monmouth University echoed President Biden’s concerns:
74 percent of respondents disapproved of the job Congress is doing;
68 percent believed the government is on the wrong track; and
64 percent supported compromise to enact a new
budget.
“The vast majority of Americans want to avoid a shutdown. The faction who does not want any compromise may represent a small proportion of the public, but they hold outsized influence in the U.S. Capitol,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
By mid-November, the nation will again face a shutdown at a time when families typically and excitedly finalize preparations for annual Thanksgiving gatherings. If a full federal spending plan for the new 2023-2024 fiscal year that began October 1 is not approved, many will also await learning whether the federal government will be able to function during a season dedicated to blessings.
As with most budget cut decisions, potentially-affected personnel are understandably anxious. Currently, there are 4.5 million people who are either military or civilian federal employees, according to the CBO.
Similarly, agencies that administer programs that respond to vital needs are in a similar dilemma.
For example, the stark rise in requests for disaster relief from flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires caused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to recently appeal to Congress for an additional $16 billion to serve communities in distress. On September 19, Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator testified before a House subcommittee, alerted lawmakers to the agency’s
shrinking ability to keep pace with surging requests.
“On average, we are seeing a disaster declaration every three days,” testified Criswell. “We strive to be vigilant stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we are careful in our projections of how much funding will be required for the Disaster Relief Fund. However, there are times when the number and intensity of disasters outpaces appropriated funds, and we find ourselves in such a moment today.”
Funding for these and other needs now have been added to the traditional conservative calls to cut entitlement programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) more commonly known as food stamps. As of this spring, 41.9 million people who comprise 22.2 million households were enrolled in SNAP, according to Pew Research.
According to the Department of Education, an estimated 26 million students would be affected by a proposed $4 billion cut in funding schools serving low-income children. In higher education, Pell Grants that provide a critical source of financial aid for low-to-moderate income college students would be cut by 22 percent, and the maximum award would be lowered to $1,000 – at a time when the cost to attend college continues to soar.
Time will tell whether this Congress will face and respond to America’s real needs. But tens of millions of Americans potentially could be impacted by a federal government closure while the nation is on a ticking fiscal time clock.
(Fontana, CA) — This week
Assembly Majority Leader Emeritus Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton) celebrated, along with city officials, successfully obtaining $3 million in funding for the city of Fontana’s Downtown Plan. The funds were secured as a part of the 2023-2024 State Budget in response to a request made by the city to help stimulate its local creative economy.
“The residents of the city of Fontana deserve a thriving downtown with beautification measures that will have positive impact on the quality of life of our residents,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “Investing in enhancements like signage, public facing art displays, a children’s museum, Veterans Wall, 9-11 memorial and plans to make our community more walkable and livable are exciting and I look forward to working with the city to ensure they come to fruition.”
Padilla Introduces Bill to Expand Access to Restaurant Meals Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S.
Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced the Meals for At-Risk Americans Act, which would streamline the application process and provide guidance to states for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Restaurant Meals Program.
“Everyone deserves access to freshly cooked, nutritious meals, but for many vulnerable Americans, preparing healthy food at home is not an option,” said Senator Padilla. “The Restaurant Meals Program is a vital source of quality, prepared meals for millions of Californians who are disabled, elderly, or experiencing homelessness. This legislation will make it easier for states to create their own Restaurant Meals Programs and for restaurants to apply for the program, helping feed our
communities and supporting mom-and-pop businesses.”
“We commend Senators Padilla (D-CA), Cornyn (RTX), and Murphy (D-CT) for introducing the Meals for At-Risk Americans Act of 2023, a critical step in expanding access to the Restaurant Meals Program,” said Luis Guardia, president of Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “Not only would this bill remove administrative barriers for states seeking to operate the program, but it also would bolster local economies. For every $1 in SNAP, $1.50–$1.80 is generated in economic activity. It's a win-win that our lawmakers can't afford to pass up. We call on them to prioritize this legislation so that more older adults, people experiencing homelessness, and people with disabilities can access the food they need.”
The Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) is a long-standing federally approved program for states that allows eligible people in vulnerable communities, such as seniors, those with disabilities, and individuals experiencing homelessness, to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase prepared meals at qualifying restaurants. California is currently one of only eight states operating an RMP. The program has been successful in improving food access for our most vulnerable populations, many of whom are unable to prepare meals for themselves, but the current application process is cumbersome, timeconsuming, and requires submission via postal mail with minimal assistance offered by USDA, making it harder for states and restaurants to apply
to this critical program.
Specifically, the Meals for At-Risk Americans Act would address flaws in the RMP application process by:
Requiring the USDA Secretary to create a rule no later than one year after the date of enactment that includes a digital application and guidance for states seeking to establish RMPs; Requiring USDA to provide status updates to states and restaurants with pending RMP applications; And requiring USDA to offer enhanced technical assistance to states and restaurants seeking to apply to the RMP. This legislation is endorsed by the National Restaurant Association, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), the California Association of Food Banks, and GRACE/End Child Poverty in California.
“It is with great pride and excitement that we embark on a transformative journey to revitalize downtown Fontana,” said Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “The City Council and I have embarked on a vision for a Downtown Arts and Historic District that will honor our past and pave the way for a vibrant future. At the heart of this vision are the values that define us: resilience, perseverance, and the community spirit of Fontana. With the generous support of Assembly Member Eloise Gomez Reyes and the infusion of $3 million, we are turning this vision into reality.” Draft plans for the use of the funding include art installations for a 9/11 memorial, the restoration of murals throughout the downtown area, improvements to signage, decorative benches and utility box art, as well as funding to help develop a local children’s museum. The Fontana City Council must first approve final plans.
The 7 Deadliest Diseases in the Black Community... continued from page 7
Blacks & Heart Disease
Heart disease and stroke also disproportionately affect Blacks. Why?
“What sets the stage for the more aggressive and higher incidence of heart disease in Blacks is a very high incidence of high blood pressure,” Yancy says. “This predisposes Blacks to more heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and heart failure.”
Clinical trials show Blacks and whites respond differently to treatments for high blood pressure. Indeed, treatment guidelines suggest that doctors should consider different drugs based on a patient’s race.
But Yancy says that a closer look at the data shows that race tends to be a marker for more complicated high blood pressure treatment.
“Data suggests that all therapies do equally well — but patients at higher risk need more intensive therapy,” he says.
A similar situation exists for heart failure. A promising treatment for heart failure didn’t seem to be working — until researchers noticed that it worked much better for Black patients than for white patients. A study of Black patients confirmed this finding — and provided tantalizing evidence that the drug will help patients of all races with certain disease characteristics.
Blacks & Diabetes
Blacks have twice the risk of diabetes as whites. In addition, Blacks with diabetes have more serious complications — such as loss of vision, loss of limbs, and kidney failure — than whites, notes Maudene Nelson, RD, certified diabetes educator at Naomi Barry Diabetes Center at Columbia University.
“The theory is that maybe it is access to health care, or maybe a cultural fatalism — thinking, ‘It is God’s will,’ or, ‘My family had it so I have it’ — not a sense of something I can have an impact on so it won’t hurt me,” says Nelson.
There is, indeed, evidence that Blacks may have a genetic susceptibility to diabetes. Even so, Nelson says, the real problem is empowering patients to keep their diabetes under control, since patients often have the sense that they are not as much in charge of managing their diabetes as their doctor.
It’s easy to say people with diabetes should learn how to control their disease. But the tools for this kind of self-empowerment often aren’t available in Black neighborhoods, says Elizabeth D. Carlson, DSN, RN, MPH.
Carlson, a postdoctoral fellow in the division of cancer prevention and education at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, studies the social determinants of health.
“I go to this Black neighborhood 20 minutes from my house in a white neighborhood, and the health education they get in school is much worse than the health education my kids get,” says Carlson. “It is not just formal education, but everyday things. It’s being afraid to go out and exercise because you live in a high-crime neighborhood. It’s not having transportation to your health care provider. It’s not having decent fresh fruits and vegetables in the local grocery.”
Blacks & Sickle Cell Anemia
By now, you probably know that sickle cell anemia affects Blacks far more than it does whites.
This, clearly, is a genetic disease that has little to do with the environment. Yet even here — with a killer disease — social and political issues come into play. Graham notes that the cause of sickle cell anemia has been known since the 1950s. But for many generations, he says, sickle cell anemia has not had the funding and research attention it deserves.
“If you look at the time and attention devoted to sickle cell anemia, it pales when compared to cystic fibrosis and other genetic diseases,” Graham says. “There are actually more Americans with sickle cell disease than with cystic fibrosis — 65,000 to 80,000 versus 35,000 to 40,000 — but the amount of money spent on cystic fibrosis research outstrips sickle cell anemia by manyfold. This is a shame on the medical research arm of our nation.”
How Are These Disparities Being Dealt With For The Future?
To its credit, Graham says, the National Institutes of Health is changing this situation. One reason for this change — as research into lung disease, heart disease, and diabetes shows — is the growing realization that the health of Black Americans isn’t a racial issue, but a human issue. What does overcoming these issues mean? It means overcoming disparities in health care. It means investments targeted to the health of Black Americans. And the evidence so far indicates that these investments will pay health dividends not just for racial minorities, but for everyone.
Page 8 Thursday, October 12, 2023 LOCAL/NATIONAL/NEWS/ADVERTISING Local News Local /National News
