Vol. 60 No. 16, Thursday, April 16, 2020

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PERMIT NO 585 SAN DIEGO, CA

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¢ 50 Plus Tax “People Without a Voice

ThursdayApril Vol. Vol. 57 60No. No.35 16    || Thursday, August 16,31, 2020 2017

LOCAL COVID-19 RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

- SEE PAGES 5, 6, 8 & 9

www.sdvoice.info

Cannot be Heard”

Serving Serving San Diego SanCounty’s Diego County’s African & African AfricanAmerican & African Communities American57Communities Years 60 Years

STATE SETS

HUNDREDS COME OUT FOR DRIVE THRU FOOD & MASK DISTRIBUTION:

BAIL TO ZERO FOR MISDEMEANORS AND SOME FELONIES

The rain was not a deterrent last Friday as over three families showed up in cars for a drive-thru food and mask distribution at the Black Contractors location at 61st and Imperial Avenue. The rain did not bother the volunteers who came hours ahead of time to stuff bags with canned goods and non-perishable food items. The event was the joint effort of the People’s Alliance and the Hip Hop Wellness projects, headed up by Rev. Shane Harris and Mr. Carlton Overstreet. The masks were the products of San Diego Monitor News Publisher Cheryl Morrow and a team of volunteers who made them. There were home deliveries for many of the seniors and some others who were not able to personally come out.

INDIVIDUAL STIMULUS CHECKS BEGIN TO ARRIVE,

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT? Photos: Brian Goodin

LIKE A PETRI DISH FOR VIRUS: The IRS does plan to set up a portal on its website where filers can enter direct deposit information if the agency doesn’t already have those details. Those who have provided bank information on their 2018 or 2019 returns don’t have to do anything unless their information has changed. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent

Tens of Thousands of

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

California Inmates Are At Risk

In an effort to protect the safety and health of the citizens of California, the state’s Judicial Council set bail to zero for non-violent crimes. The new rule is one among 11 the council has adapted to avoid filling up jails during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Payments from the $2.3 trillion federal coronavirus stimulus package have begun hitting individual bank accounts.

sent on Thursday, April 9, and should arrive in bank accounts beginning no later than Tuesday, April 14.

In a memo, IRS Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the first round of payments were

Most Americans are eligible for and will receive stimulus payments, except for those who

Certain lower-level felonies and misdemeanors will get temporary 90-day reprieves in order to shield attorneys, court staff, judges, law enforcement agents, employees and incarcerated inmates in jail facilities from the deadly effects of the coronavirus.

See STIMULUS page 2

See BAIL page 2

By Nigel Duara CalMatters

So far, few infections have been reported among California’s inmates. Eight inmates in California prisons have tested positive for the coronavirus, along with 62 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employees. In jails, there are no reliable statewide numbers for infections. But in Orange County, ten have been confirmed to have Photo: Reuters

COVID-19 FINANCIAL WARNING:

U.S. SURGEON GENERAL’S

“BIG MAMA”

Stay Away From Payday Loans

REMARK SPARKS CONTROVERSY

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

“Don’t wash your dirty laundry in the street,” goes the centuries-old African-American adage. The saying is a warning to Black people: Don’t get into spats with other Black people about racial differences while “in mixed company.” That’s code for White people.

But at a White House Coronavirus Task Force press conference last week things got a little heated. An exchange between a Black Journalist and the country’s top doctor went there — touching on African-American culture and racial stereotypes in a very public way. Big Mama may not have approved. At the briefing held to update Americans about the global Coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who is African American, probably didn’t think he would set off a controversy when he said people of color should avoid drugs, tobacco and alcohol as a safety precaution See CONTROVERSY page 9

See INMATES page 2

Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending. org. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Charlene Crowell NNPA Newswire Contributor

For the foreseeable future, ‘normal’ life will be indefinitely suspended due to the global pandemic known as the coronavirus. Record-breaking employment layoffs in the month of March resulted in the Department of Labor reporting that 10.4 million consumers lost their jobs and filed for unemployment compensation. As of press time, there were 16.6 million Americans who filed for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic shut down large portions of the U.S. economy.. As medical

Gig Workers Still Not Clear

on Unemployment Benefits Will They Get $600 or Up to $1050 Each Week?

experts continue to track the virus, the New York Times reported at least 600,000 known coronavirus infections and at least 25.00 related deaths in the United States. Beyond these statistics, untold numbers of additional school and retail closures, and an expanding army of people working from home have also been directly affected by the virus. Consumers both young and old have passed as the virus continues to spread across the country. Zeroing in on the economic impacts of the crisis, people everywhere are struggling with competing needs in their lives. When living costs exceed available financial resources, tough times lead to tough decisions about how to feed families, keep a home to live in, ways to keep utilities working and a myriad See LOANS page 2

By Quinci LeGardye California Black Media

Gov. Newsom announced April 9 that California will begin distributing an extra $600 per week of unemployment benefits provided by the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic, Security) Act, which started April 12. While the announcement may be welcome news to laid off W-2 workers, most independent contractors See UNEMPLOYMENT page 5


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