Vol. 50 No. 52
April 16, 2020 -April 22, 2020
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 Businesses Matter, But Will They Get Fair Share Of Olympian is target of racial slurs COVID-19 Aid Money? during USA Fencing Zoom chat Publisher’s Corner
Publisher of The San Bernardino AMERICAN News
Email: sbamericannews@gmail.com
Clifton Harris Editor in Chief
By Derrel Jazz Johnson
By Barrington M. Salmon, Contributing Writer, The Final Call @bsalmondc
Olympian Nzingha Prescod attends The Women's Sports Foundation's 39th Annual Salute To Women In Sports And The Girls They Inspire Awards Gala in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Women's Sports Foundation)
President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders announced the $2 trillion economic stimulus package—the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to great fanfare, touting the deliverables of different aspects of the provisions and their belief in its ability to slow the economic tsunami exacerbated by the novel coronavirus pandemic. One of the major selling points is a $1,200 one-time payment to adults. The pandemic has cut a wide and deadly swathe through communities across the country, overwhelmed the medical infrastructures of places like New York City, Detroit and New Orleans, and brought much of America’s economic activity to a standstill. At press time the grisly tally in the U.S. stood at 356,942 confirmed cases and more than 10,524 deaths. New York is still the epicenter with more than 122,031 confirmed cases and almost 4,159 deaths. In a desperate effort to blunt the spread of Covid-19, state governors have ordered as many as 230 million people to stay home, which has brought commerce to a virtual standstill. Along with the sudden and brutal decline of the much vaunted, record-setting stock market, the economy began a freefall dragging with it jobs, businesses—large and small— and the destinies and fortunes of tens of millions of American workers. Compared to other small business owners, African Americans have generally had to face more daunting challenges such as smaller cash reserves to draw from, difficulty in securing bank loans and other financing and being sole proprietors or “mom and pop” establishments that are ineligible for most small business loans. Businesses, big and small, have been savaged, with the hardest hit sectors being the travel and hospitality industries and the retail sector. Financial planner and wealth manager Ivory J. Johnson
acknowledged that Covid-19 has shaken up U.S. businesses and hit Black customers hard. “It’s having a tremendous effect,” he said. “Cash flow just stops. Ten percent retail, 10 percent of restaurants, 20 percent of the population just stopped. This is the end of the business cycle, we’re at peak employment where wages go up, corporate money gets squeezed and they fire Bob,” he explained. “People didn’t have time to pivot. For Black business, access to capital may not be there and Black customers are going to be hit very hard. It’s going to be a challenge for all businesses. You have to figure what you need to do now.” He characterized the relief package as, “keep the light on money,” likened the U.S. economy to a Ponzi scheme with the U.S. government printing money “out of thin air,” and said now that corporations—who are carrying between $4 trillion and $10 trillion worth of debt—face an economic reckoning, the realization is dawning that the way they’ve been doing business is untenable. “They are now seeing that this isn’t sustainable,” said Mr. Johnson, who for the past two decades has helped families and small businesses create and protect wealth, and who has guided them to see the benefits of developing a financial gameplan. “Nobody ever shoots Santa. People don’t care and weren’t complaining when they were making money.” Mr. Johnson said the Covid-19 pandemic merely accelerated what has been happening to the economy, just at a slower rate. “Here’s the reality: what happened is that they are creating money out of thin air, buying assets, feeding the Ponzi scheme,” he said. “They were rigging earnings, strip-mining stocks and buying back stocks, while the Federal Reserve pushed down interest rates and have been buying bonds and assets.” Mr. Johnson, who founded Delancey Wealth Management. LLC in 2012, said 35 percent of
small businesses couldn’t sustain a three-month shutdown, while 70 percent wouldn’t survive past six months. He said the country is staring at the abyss. The unemployment rate during the Great Depression was 25 percent and financial experts are predicting that unemployment figures could reach that figure before all this is done. In late March and early April, about 10 million Americans filed for unemployment. The next jobs figures are expected to be considerably higher. Veteran labor organizer Bill Fletcher, Jr. said there are a couple of layers to consider when contemplating the effect coronavirus will have on African Americans. “One is the question of the impact of the crisis on Black America and Black businesses. One of the things that we’re going to have to deal with in this country, irrespective of race, is going to be trauma,” he said. “I think that it will have a particular type of impact on Black America—looking at illnesses and a further elimination of wealth, along the lines of 2008 crash,” added Mr. Fletcher. “African Americans never really recovered from the housing crash and economic meltdown and that reality is going to be a very important factor for Black people, especially since the U.S. may be going into some form of depression,” said Mr. Fletcher, former president of TransAfrica Forum and a senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies. “I saw a report last week that shows the Washington metropolitan area could lose 35 percent of small businesses. Add a layer of race onto that—lower savings rates and profit margins and most small biz not able to sustain themselves for three months and the problem becomes clear.” What comes out of this crisis will be equivalent to the aftermath of a war, he said. “It’s not like coming out of a recession with the infrastructure intact. Even if the number of
people who die isn’t as high, we’re looking at high levels of devastation economically,” Mr. Fletcher explained. Marc Morial is one of a number of critics who don’t believe the package goes far enough and said he and others in the Civil Rights and business communities will have to push just as hard as they have to ensure that more is done for African American businesses. He said he doesn’t have to look too far to see the impact of the pandemic on small Black businesses owners in New York, where he lives. “My barber is closed down. That’s where three people work. It’s their livelihood,” he said soberly. “Every barber shop, every hair salon has been closed down.” Mr. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said he, other Civil Rights organizations and their allies fought fiercely to ensure that Congress wouldn’t pass a bill that completely ignored African American businesses at perhaps their time of greatest need. “The $2.2 trillion recovery relief plan is a down payment,” Mr. Morial told The Final Call. “In the best case scenario, it will offer two months relief for small business owners and four months relief for unemployed worker. There is a need for them to go back. We fought hard in discussions, along with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), to ensure, for example that lending platforms would be open to non-profits, sole proprietors and mom and pop stores.” “The language is broad and inclusive, and the execution may take a while. We have to lean in on this opportunity hard. African American business owners shouldn’t sit around and wonder if they should apply. Apply! We have to put pressure on the process for it to serve us.” Mr. Morial said, “There will definitely be a need for more money and we’re working with Rep. Karen Bass to see what the (continued on page 6)
Nzingha Prescod is a two-time Olympian, having competed for Team USA in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games as a fencer. In 2015, she became the first Black woman to win an individual medal at the world championships. She’s also a graduate of the prestigious Ivy League, Columbia University, which boasts President Barack Obama and Lauryn Hill as alums. But on Tuesday evening, during a Zoom session organized by USA Fencing with about 70 people, none of Prescod’s accolades seemed to matter. She was instead met with racism. The 27-year-old decorated athlete tells theGrio that she and USA Fencing Sports Performance Manager Brandon Dyett became victims of repeated racial slurs during the call that was sanctioned by the fencing organization.he Zoom session, she says, was created to encourage members of USA Fencing to interact with each other while quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I was really excited about the session because it was a celebration of our world championship win in 2018 and we were going to stream our gold medal finals, which is one of the highlights of my career,” Prescod tells theGrio. “I was really excited to watch it and celebrate it and talk to viewers about it and engage with them.” But the Zoom session, which featured about 60 fans in addition to USA Fencing athletes, staff and a coach, went sour almost immediately. “Two or three minutes after the session began, someone in the chat wrote ‘nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger!'” Prescod recalled. “I didn’t see it at first. I wasn’t monitoring the chat. But when I did click on the chat, someone wrote ‘nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger!’ “I wasn’t the first person to see it. Other people saw it and didn’t say anything, and I think they were trying to hush it up and act like it wasn’t happening and try to delete it as soon as possible.” But as the call continued, so did the racial slurs. “I couldn’t believe what I saw and I was appalled,” Prescod said. “I was literally speechless. My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe it because this is right in my face on Zoom. I’ve been fencing almost 20 years and I
consider this community my family. It was a really traumatizing and terrorizing experience. It’s literally a crime.” Prescod spoke up during the Zoom session, but said no action was taken. “What’s going on?” she asked. “This is crazy! I can’t believe this. For anyone who thinks racism is not real or that it doesn’t exist anymore, here you go!” Prescod felt a range of emotions as the racial slurs continued intermittently throughout the entire length of the session, which was an hour. “This is incredibly mean because I’ve literally sacrificed my whole body for this sport. I had a hip replacement last month,” she said. But again, nothing was done. “Are we going to end the call?” Prescod asked. The call, however, continued. “One of the US fencing officials said they were trying to remove the person from the Zoom session” she said. “I was visibly very disturbed. I was about to cry. It was very clear that this was negatively affecting me. But we proceeded with the call and the person wasn’t removed from the Zoom session.” Everyone in the session ignored the racial slurs, and, remarkably, questions about fencing continued. And so did the slurs. “Everyone turned a blind eye to it at my expense,” Prescod said. “I had thoughts to leave the session, but decided to stay because I know that’s what was expected of me,” she said. But later, she felt conflicted. “I felt like a punk for not getting up and leaving the session,” she said. On Thursday, two days after the incident, USA Fencing issued an official statement regarding the celebration gone wrong. The initial statement did not mention the Black team members on the call. “It wasn’t an authentic or substantial apology,” Prescod argued. USA Fencing later followed up with a second statement. “USA Fencing is deeply disturbed by a recent Zoom session with U.S. National Team members, where an attendee directly aggressively targeted one of our Olympic athletes, Nzingha Prescod, and a staff member, Brandon Dyett, with racist and (continued on page 2)
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PAGE 2
April 16, 2020
COMMUNITY/EDUCATION/NATIONWIDE
New algorithm aims to protect surgical team members against infection with COVID-19 virus so they can continue to deliver urgent and emergency surgical care Journal of American College of Surgeons releases new best practice guideline based on potential viral spread patterns, risks facing health care workers, and conservation of personal protective equipment Community/Nationwide News
(Black PR Wire) CHICAGO, IL - Researchers from Stanford University’s department of surgery (Stanford, Calif.) have created an algorithm that aims to protect operating room team members who perform urgent and emergency operations from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rationally conserve the personal protective equipment (PPE) they wear. This best practice guideline is published as an “article in press” on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website ahead of print. Stanford Health Care, verified as a Level 1 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), serves Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which saw their first cases of COVID-19 infection in early March. The Stanford algorithm is based on the urgency of the procedure, potential for aerosolization and release of virus droplets at the surgical site, and evidence that a patient has been infected. The algorithm aligns with the goals of the ACS Statement on PPE Shortages during the COVID-19 Pandemic, released April 1, 2020. “We developed institutional guidelines based on how soon the surgical cases needed to be performed, the patient’s condition, the risk that a surgeon would access an area of body where the amount of virus could be high, and the risk that a patient
could be infected with COVID19,” said Joseph Forrester, MD, MSc, an assistant professor in general surgery and lead author of the algorithm article. Dr. Forrester was a field agent in Liberia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak where he conducted several investigations of the Ebola burden and preparedness as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At Stanford, a PPE task force of hospital and medical school leaders from interventional suites, including the operating room, interventional radiology, and endoscopy, as well as quality improvement and infectious disease experts, convened on March 19 to create institutional guidelines that could be implemented within 72 hours. At that time, Stanford Health Care had approximately 10 patients infected with COVID-19. Guidelines incorporated current data about COVID-19 transmission in hospital and nonhospital settings and operating room risk during outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola. Patients were triaged by severity of illness into urgent and emergency procedures. Urgent cases were stratified into highand low-risk procedures depending on the expected viral burden at the surgical site.
Procedures categorized as aerosol-generating (AGP) were classified as high-risk. These procedures include those that involve the aerodigestive tract, endoscopy, and open or laparoscopic surgery on the bowel with gross contamination. The Stanford guideline assumes, above all, that any patient could be infected with COVID-19 unless proven otherwise by a negative RT-PCR test. When operating on COVID19-positive patients or performing an AGP, the guideline requires operating room team members to be fitted with an N-95 respirator mask and wear a gown, gloves, and eye protection. Only when an RT-PCR test is negative for COVID-19 may surgical team members wear standard surgical clothing. A surgeon may consider delaying an urgent or emergency procedure on a patient who exhibits viral symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat). If delay compromises the well-being of the patient, the surgeon orders inhouse RT-PCR COVID-19 testing with a 24-hour turnaround. If the patient’s status does not allow for a 24-hour wait, the case is considered to be an emergency and the patient is presumed to be COVID-19-positive. Special considerations are made for the use of PPE during and after bag mask ventilation and endotracheal intubation, which both pose a high risk for viral transmission. All health care providers who are not directly involved with intubation are asked to leave the operating room beforehand. Anesthesiologists should be fitted with N-95 face masks and droplet-protective PPE because they are positioned at the head of the bed throughout the procedure. Cleaning staff should take droplet precautions
when cleaning any operating room. At the time the guideline was created at Stanford Health there was a nationwide shortage of N95 face masks. To conserve the institution’s supply, the algorithm requires a face shield to be placed over the mask. However, the federal government recently announced that millions of face masks, face shields, surgical masks, gloves, and gowns were entering the medical supply chain, which was encouraging, noted Dr. Forrester Dr. Forrester nevertheless recommends that surgical centers where urgent and emergency procedures are performed follow strategies that protect providers and conserve equipment. “You never know what’s going to happen, and it’s better to be prepared and use the right PPE at the right time and be careful not to waste PPE. Guidelines like ours show that health care providers on the frontline are trying to take care of every person with a serious surgical condition and make sure they have enough equipment to carry that mission through safely.” Dr. Forrester’s coauthors are Aussama K. Nassar, MD, MSc, FACS; Paul M. Maggio, MD, MBA, FACS; and Mary T. Hawn, MD, FACS, all from Stanford University’s Department of Surgery. “FACS” designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The authors have no relevant financial disclosures. Citation: Precautions for Operating Room Team Members during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.03.030.
McDonald's Southern California Aguilar Announces Over $47 Million in Franchisees Offer Free Breakfast To First Coronavirus Relief Funds for Inland Empire Students and Colleges Educational News Responders Community/Education News Starting April 2, healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters with valid ID or uniform will receive free coffee and Egg McMuffin sandwich at participating McDonald’s restaurants in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial counties WHAT: To help support those who are working around the clock to keep us safe, McDonald’s Southern California franchisees will offer free breakfast to first responders beginning April 2 at the company’s 700+ locally owned and operated restaurants in Southern California. All healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters with a valid ID or uniform are eligible to receive a free small coffee and Egg McMuffin sandwich during breakfast hours at participating McDonald’s restaurants in Los
Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial counties. “We’ve been inspired by the commitment of our first responders working tirelessly to keep our communities safe,” said Paul Tulaphorn, McDonald's franchisee and association president of the local McDonald's owner operators group. “On behalf of our franchisees and employees, McDonald’s Southern California region stands ready and proud to serve our local heroes.” WHEN: Starting April 2, during breakfast hours (until 10:30 a.m.) WHERE: Valid at participating McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Imperial counties.
Olympian is target of racial slurs during USA Fencing Zoom chat...continued from page 1 offensive language,” the statement said. “We sincerely apologize to both of them for not being better prepared to protect them from these attacks.” When asked how she will respond if she was to experience such racism again, Prescod said she would leave the session, “but [USA Fencing] agree they should have ended the session and that it was a bad decision. “USA Fencing recognized the hurt I experienced and their lack of action. I’m glad there was a lot of necessary good that came out of this situation,” Prescod shared. “We all recognized that these situations happen more frequently than most think, and my organization needs to be better equipped to deal with it and protect their athletes. I know they
care about me but tolerating that abuse against me during the session was unacceptable. “They need to become more knowledgeable about the Black experience and be more aware of how to properly do their part to care. And this is a challenge for every governing body, not only in sports, but every field,” she added. “I’m glad they recognize that a different course of action should have been taken and they are committed to creating a Diversity and Inclusion structure that can represent black athletes and educate the fencing community on our experiences. I think they’ll be pioneers for the Team USA communities and set an example for other organizations to follow.”
San Bernardino, CA – Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar announced over $47 million in federal funding to support Inland Empire colleges and students during the coronavirus crisis. The funding, which was appropriated by the CARES Act, provides $26,243,781 for California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), $6,732,563 for San Bernardino Valley Community College, $3,388,020 for University of Redlands, and $11,446,484 for Chaffey College. The CARES Act requires that the at least 50 percent of all funds go toward direct relief for students in the form of tuition assistance, financial aid, meal programs and other student services. “The Inland Empire’s students, colleges and universities have always been points of pride in our community. This funding will help these institutions keep their doors open and continue serving students during this difficult time. It will also help students and their families navigate the financial hardships created by this crisis. I was proud to help pass the CARES Act to provide these resources to our community, and I’ll continue to advocate for the Inland Empire as Congress debates next steps,” said Rep. Aguilar. “This is wonderful news that will offer a welcome relief to our students and their families in the face of the threat of the coronavirus,” said CSUSB President Tomás Morales. “The funding will help our students live and pay for their essential needs, while keeping them attending CSUSB, as they deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for their support.” “Our students will be our future scientists, doctors, nurses, and first responders, and they’re at home right now, eager to learn and fulfill their potential,” says San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees Chair, Dr. Anne Viricel. “We applaud the
urgent action and bipartisan leadership of Congressman Aguilar, and our Inland Empire delegation, in passing the CARES Act to protect the well-being and future of our students, our families, and our communities,” said Dr. Anne Viricel, Chair of the SBCCD Board of Trustees “While the full extent of the financial disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown, passage of the CARES Act is an important step in sustaining the capacity of our nation’s colleges and universities to provide higher education,” stated University of Redlands President Ralph W. Kuncl. “This critical funding will allow us to respond to the unprecedented financial and operational challenges of the pandemic, as we work to continue meeting the needs of our students, who represent the country’s future workforce.” "Nearly 70 percent of our students receive financial assistance as they pursue their academic goals at Chaffey College. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our students greatly as many have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families. The college is still determining a methodology for funding allocation, however, we believe the funding should be distributed to our students most in need, particularly in the areas of technology and basic needs. The college's Panther Care Program, which is designed to help our students who are food and housing insecure, will have an integral role in helping us determine the best way to distribute this funding,” said Dr. Henry Shannon, Superintendent and President of Chaffey College. Rep. Aguilar serves as a Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic Caucus and as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funds.
State of California Department of Transportation COMMUTER ALERT April 13, 2020 District 8 Maintenance Repairs Potholes on State Route 18 Community/Education News
SAN BERNARDINO – The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Victorville Maintenance Crew continues to repair potholes on State Route 18 (SR-18) near United States Route 395 (US 395) which formed due to weathering from the recent precipitation. The typical hours for this maintenance work will range from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the next two weeks. Pothole repairs are expected to be complete by Saturday, April 25.
If you plan on traveling through the area during the work hours, please add time to your trip and reduce your speed through the work area. Check QuickMap prior to travel. For those with sensory disabilities requiring alternate formats (i.e. Braille, large print, sign language interpreter, etc.) and those needing information in a language other than English, please contact Public Affairs at (909) 383-4631 or TTY 711.
Gig Workers Still Not Clear on Whether They Will Get $600 or Up to $1050 in Unemployment Benefits Each Week 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 and gig workers are still unclear on whether they are eligible for the additional unemployment benefit or not. California’s standard weekly payment to unemployed workers falls between $40 and $450 a week. The CARES Act opened up unemployment insurance to selfemployed workers through its new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. The new program is meant for workers who are unemployed, have had their hours reduced, or are unable to work due to COVID-19, and who are not eligible for state unemployment benefits. However, California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) will have to build a new application system for the federal government program. According to the EDD website, the new program “will likely rival the size of the regular UI [unemployment insurance] program the EDD already administers.” According to the CARES Act, coverage for independent contractors under the PUA program starts retroactively on Jan. 27. Each individual freelancer will receive a maximum of 39 weeks of benefits. The EDD has also encouraged independent contractors to apply for state unemployment benefits. According to the COVID-19 FAQ
section of the website, independent contractors and gig workers can apply if they or their past employer has made contributions to state’s unemployment insurance program. The self-employed and independent contractors are told to list themselves as their last employer. There’s currently no information on whether or not any independent contractors have been approved for standard California unemployment benefits after following these instructions. However, some independent contractors are concerned that the EDD is encouraging them to apply as independent contractors, considering the fact that the state has already reclassified them as W-2 employees under the state’s new AB-5 law, which took effect January. The CA_EDD Twitter account received backlash from an April 1 post. “We hear you, [independent contractors]! We have a process to determine if you’ve been misclassified and eligible for UI benefits. It starts with you filing a claim to get the process going.” Independent contractors commenting under that post fired back, complaining that they didn’t think they were misclassified. They just want clear guidelines for how self-employed workers could receive benefits. Clarity from the state on selfemployed workers and their unemployment benefits may take some additional time, but with the extra $600 per week payment ending at the end of July, independent contractors and gig workers are wondering how long they’ll have to wait.
California Is Providing Hotel Rooms for Essential Workers Quinci LeGardye | California Black Media California has begun offering no-cost and low-cost hotel rooms to doctors, nurses and other critical frontline healthcare workers who test positive for, or have come into contact with COVID-19. Gov. Newsom announced the new program April 9, and the reservation portal opened through the CalTravelStore website April 10. The program is designed to help infected healthcare workers avoid spreading the virus by staying in hotel rooms in close proximity to medical facilities after leaving their shifts. “California is fighting to protect those who are protecting us,” said Governor Newsom during the announcement. “As we ramp up the workforce to meet the demand we are also stepping up to help keep our [health care] workers’ families safe by providing hotels as temporary housing options.”
150 hotels have already opted in to provide discounted rates. The Department of General Services is currently prioritizing hotels in counties with large populations or high amounts of positive test results. While taking precautions to protect California’s health care workers, the state is also continuing to widen the ranks. 86,516 health care professionals have signed up for the California Health Corps so far, which recruits public health professionals, medical retirees and students, and members of medical disaster response teams to help address the COVID-19 surge in hospitals. The governor’s office has also partnered with United Airlines to provide free flights for volunteer health care professionals to bring them to areas where they are most needed during the pandemic.
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PAGE 3
April 16, 2020
COMMUNITY/ GOVERNMENT/BUSINESS/ADVERTISING
Individual Stimulus Checks Statement on San Bernardino The Fate of the American Middle Class Begin to Arrive, What Should County’s COVID-19 Homeless is in the Hands of Regulators Response Plan to Help Flatten the By Donnell Williams and Antoine M. Thompson You Expect? By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
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 Payments from the $2.3 trillion federal coronavirus stimulus package have begun hitting individual bank accounts. In a memo, IRS Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the first round of payments were sent on Thursday, April 9, and should arrive in bank accounts beginning no later than Tuesday, April 14. Most Americans are eligible for and will receive stimulus payments, except for those who owe back child support payments. Single-filers who make less than $75,000 will receive $1,200, while married couples making less than $150,000 are scheduled to get $2,400. An additional $500 payment will be provided to households for each child under 17. The IRS will base the payments on the adjusted gross income of taxpayers’ 2019 return. If a 2019 return hasn’t been filed (the deadline has been extended for two months), the IRS will use information from the 2018 return. If the return doesn’t contain direct deposit information, or if the IRS doesn’t have returns from 2018 or 2019, a paper check will be issued later. Electronic payments also will go out to those receiving Social Security and disability, even if recipients don’t typically file a tax return. For those who haven’t provided the IRS with bank account information, paper checks are expected to begin reaching households in May, but, in some cases, recipients won’t receive payment until September. “If we have your bank information, you’ll get it within
two weeks,” Mnuchin said. “Social Security, you’ll get it very quickly after that. If we don’t have your information, you’ll have a simple web portal, we’ll upload it. If we don’t have that, we’ll send you checks in the mail.” Treasury officials said they expect 50 million to 70 million Americans to have received directly deposited payments by April 15, which is one day later than what the IRS said it expects the deposits to become available. 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. As for paper checks, the Washington Post reported that the IRS plan would distribute those to the lowest-income Americans first, prioritizing payments for individual taxpayers with incomes of $10,000 or less on April 24. Checks for earners of $20,000 or less would be in the mail May 1, followed by those with incomes of $30,000 on May 8, $40,000 on May 15, and continuing in income increments of $10,000 each week, according to the plan. The IRS plans to issue about 5 million checks each week. Stimulus checks would be issued on Sept. 4 to joint taxpayers earning $198,000, the maximum allowed under the stimulus. All others would be sent on Sept. 11, in most cases, because the IRS did not have prior tax information for them, and they need to apply for the checks.
State Sets Bail to Zero for Misdemeanors and Some Felonies Antonio Ray Harvey | California BlackMedia
California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye In an effort to protect the safety and health of the citizens of California, the state’s Judicial Council set bail to zero for nonviolent crimes. The new rule is one among 11 the council has adapted to avoid filling up jails during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. The action by the policy-making body of the courts was called to help control the spread of the virus among inmates and reduce the number of prisoners from lock-up. The city of Los Angeles first enacted a zero-bail initiative a couple of weeks ago. Now, the measure is statewide. California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the chairperson
of the Judicial Council, said the measure received a lot of input and considerations before approval to reduce the jail population. “We listened to suggestions from our justice system partners, the public, and the courts, and we greatly appreciate all of the input,” said Cantil-Sakauye in a written statement. “Working with our stakeholders, I’m confident we can preserve the rule of law and protect the right of the victims, the accused, litigants, families and children, and all who seek justice. It’s truly a team effort.” In mostly overcrowded conditions, African Americans are over-represented in California’s prison population. Nearly 29 percent of the state’s male inmates were Black in 2017, the Public Policy Institute of California reported. Social justice advocates up and down the state have been pressuring officials about the welfare of inmates in jails and prisons since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Across the state, many inmates as well as California prison officials have been diagnosed with the virus. Advocates believe releasing inmates will solve the solution to prevent the spreading (continued in next 2 columns)
Curve
State/Government News
The State of California has issued a directive for every county to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by creating interim housing solutions for California’s homeless population. The homeless remain extremely susceptible to COVID19 due to their inability to selfisolate or practice social distancing because of their current living conditions. There are more than 2,000 unsheltered homeless in San Bernardino County; approximately 300 are considered medically vulnerable because they are age 65, or older, and/or have serious underlying health conditions. We need to move swiftly to get these individuals off the streets and into housing so we can flatten the curve for all of San Bernardino County. San Bernardino County has developed a COVID-19 Homeless Response Plan (Plan) that will utilize guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify opportunities to place homeless individuals in temporary housing. The Plan will focus on housing those who are at-risk due to age and/or underlining health conditions. It is critical that we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19. This includes assisting the homeless who live in our communities and have no option but to seek help from others during this time of crisis. We must act quickly and decisively so we can lessen the impact of this pandemic and save lives. San Bernardino County COVID-19 Homeless Response Plan Overview The County of San Bernardino and the regional homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) are working together to identify sites to house unsheltered homeless persons meeting hig-hrisk priorities and quarantine unsheltered homeless persons who are at-risk and/or COVID-19 positive. Goal The goal is to identify hotels and motels throughout the region in multiple jurisdictions to
contain the spread of COVID-19 in the unsheltered community. The County will also utilize travel trailers acquired from the State, located at a county-owned facility. The use of these facilities for the unsheltered homeless and medically stable COVID-19 patients will be secured for three (3) months and will terminate upon the rescinding of the State order. Population The Homeless Coordinated Entry System (CES) and the Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) team will help identify high-risk unsheltered individuals. Persons meeting the requirements of the hotel/motel use, can contact CES through Inland Empire United Way at 21-1 or the Sheriff’s HOPE team number at 1-844-811-HOPE (4673). Each client entered into a hotel/motel room will be connected with a case manager through one of our current Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) or Homeless Partnership homeless service providers. Services Off-site homeless services providers and Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) staff will provide case management services. The County of San Bernardino, in conjunction with Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and Molina Healthcare, will organize meal services. Security will be provided 24/7 at each site where individuals are placed. Once the State order has been lifted, those homeless individuals that have not been connected to permanent housing will be diverted to the appropriate homeless services provider and returned to where they were originally staying as identified by the outreach team. Supervisor Josie Gonzales is the Vice Chair of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and Founder/Chair of the San Bernardino County Interagency Council on Homelessness
State Sets Bail to Zero for Misdemeanors and Some Felonies...continued of the virus and save lives. Jamilia Land is an AfricanAmerican community activist and member of California Families United 4 Justice, a Sacramentobased nonprofit organization that supports families impacted by police-involved shootings and violence. She said the cancellation of bail is a “wonderful idea,” but it is something that should have taken place long before the pandemic. “It's something that been needed to happen,” Land told California Black Media. “Unfortunately, when we look at the demographic of people who are incarcerated and overpopulating the jails in general, they look like us. They are Black and Brown people. Also, bail is feeding a lobster that is known as mass incarceration. We need to end it.” In 2018, when Gov. Gavin Newsom was lieutenant governor in Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, California passed
Senate Bill 10 (SB 10). It was landmark legislation that abolished the cash money bail system for defendants waiting for trial, and also gave judges more discretion to determine who will be sent to jail or not – based on risk. California was the first state in the nation to do so. But the bail industry and other opponents of SB 10 rallied against the bill and collected more than 400,000 signatures, preventing the legislation from becoming state law the following year. Now, it is up for a statewide referendum vote on the California ballot in November 2020. The Chief Justice is the leader of the state's third branch of government, the Judicial Branch. In addition to her role on the California Supreme Court, her constitutional duties include serving as chair of the Judicial Council and chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
Courtroom Video Appearances In San Bernardino County SB County News With the COVID-19 Coronavirus causing a slowdown in the criminal justice process, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson immediately began looking for a solution to ensure that criminal cases are heard. DA Anderson wanted to limit the vectoring of COVID-19 in the courtrooms, and provide a safe environment for not only district attorney personnel, victims, and witnesses, but for the defendants and their attorneys as well. Additionally, the safety of court personnel, law enforcement, and
the judges was paramount. The question, "How do we maintain social distancing, the transportation of defendants, appearances, and conversations while upholding the constitutional rights of all involved?" needed to be answered. The Judicial Council of California and the Chief Justice has called for counties to create solutions to this question. Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Fermin spearheaded the project here in San Bernardino County. A team (continued in last 2 columns)
Donnell Williams, President, NAREB Last week, Congress passed phase three of its COVID-19 response, the CARES ACT, a $2 trillion stimulus package that has become most well-known for its direct payments of up to $1,200 for many Americans. These payments are a much-appreciated addition to the already enacted policies like the delayed tax deadline, deferred interest on student loan payments, updated paid sick leave policies, and other actions taken to ease the impact the pandemic is causing. One of the policies that the media has largely neglected to cover is the impact of widespread forbearance - the term for when a mortgage servicer allows homeowners to temporarily pay at a lower rate or pause payments. During the current crisis, forbearance will serve as a significant relief for many middle and low-income families. The typical mortgage can add up to nearly 30 percent of the average American family's income, and with many individuals temporarily out of work and impacted by COVID-19, forbearance allows those funds to be reallocated to immediate life-sustaining expenses like meals and medications. Home ownership has long been a quintessential element of the American Dream. It is more than a place to live. It is a tangible path to the middle class - and arguably the greatest investment an individual can make. Furthermore, expanding access to home ownership is key to closing the gap between socioeconomic classes, providing new economic opportunities for families, and laying the foundation for success for aspiring homeowners. However, an often unknown part of forbearance is that although homeowners around the country are receiving much needed relief, lenders and servicers are still obligated to pay principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, on the homeowner's behalf. Given the nature of their business, this is potentially fatal for non-bank lenders. Non-depository mortgage servicers have limited liquidity access. And depending on the duration of the crisis at hand,
Antoine Thompson, National Executive Director, NAREB non-bank servicers will not have the liquidity to advance mortgage payments at the high rate that will be necessary. This presents a challenge, considering more than half of all mortgages in recent years came from non-depository lending institutions-including larger parts of loans made to lowincome families. If a solution for non-bank mortgage lenders is not found, we could backtrack on nearly a decade of housing gains and relief efforts, and require further government intervention to prevent a mortgage crisis that could mirror the events of 2008. Now that the CARES ACT has been signed into law, it is important that regulators take the opportunity to clarify forbearance policy to not only provide needed economic relief to impacted homeowners, but also lay out guidelines for mortgage lenders to navigate this unprecedented challenge. Unfortunately, policymakers failed to provide lenders and servicers with access to the necessary liquidity in the CARES ACT and puts the issue in the hands of regulators. Hours after Congress' omission of liquidity to non-depository servicers, Ginnie Mae announced plans to provide liquidity in the market for servicers within the next two weeks. While this is a step in the right direction, regulators must provide additional guidance to protect lower-income Americans and allow servicers to prepare for the coming months. Servicers open the door for homeownership for many American families. These institutions play a key role in market diversification and provide new opportunities for a diverse group of borrowers. It is essential that regulators and Congress work to ensure that non-bank lenders and servicers receive the necessary protections and have access to needed liquidity, allowing them to continue the important role they play in helping families realize the dream of homeownership. Donnell Williams is president and Antoine M. Thompson is national executive director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB).
Courtroom Video Appearances In San Bernardino County...continued consisting of county employees from the technology, law enforcement, and district attorney's office was assembled to begin working on a solution. That solution was the capability to hold pre-preliminary hearings via a video conferencing platform. Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Fermin uses an iPad in a courtroom to test video and audio with the IT staff. After extensive development and testing, the ability to hold court via video between the jails and courtrooms is now enabled. Rather than transporting defendants on a jail bus close to other inmates and sheriff's deputies, they are escorted to a room, where they attend their court hearings via video. All parties to the court hearing, such as the defense and prosecuting
attorneys, and the judge, are on video as well. Recognizing the critical importance and immediate necessity for this solution to be devised, developed, and deployed, District Attorney Anderson received overwhelming support, cooperation, and approval from the sheriff's department, the board of supervisors, public defender, and the Presiding Judge of San Bernardino County. "It is of the highest importance that the people of San Bernardino County have confidence knowing that their judicial system continues to safeguard the rights of all parties to a case. Due process and public safety are bedrock fundamentals that can never be sacrificed," said Anderson.
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.
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April 16, 2020
HEALTH/FITNESS/SENIOR NEWS
Unmasking Kaiser’s COVID-19 Protective Gear Failure Unclear policies and protective equipment shortages are stirring heated confrontations in the hallways of Kaiser Permanente hospitals. By Mark Kreidler
Photo by Banej As the meeting inside the hospital began to devolve into a full meltdown, nurses shouted above the din to be heard. “You’re withholding information from us!” some screamed at their managers, according to a person who was there. It was one of several scenes played out recently that sound like outtakes from a drama series: tension-filled huddles, staffers angrily confronting their bosses in hallways, threats of discipline or potential firing – all of it occurring amid emergency conditions and, sometimes, desperate attempts to save lives. “There is little communication – at best – coming down from the top to the nurses on the floor,” says a Kaiser RN in Santa Rosa. It is no scripted show, though. The action, as relayed by those involved in it, comes straight from inside some of the buildings of a dominant California health-care provider, Kaiser Permanente. And in almost every instance, Kaiser nurses say, the confrontations and heated conversations stem from the same issues: concern over a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) when dealing with coronavirus-related patients, and an inability to get straight answers on supply stock and policies. “There is little communication – at best – coming down from the top to the nurses on the floor,” said Cyndi Krahne, a registered nurse who works for Kaiser in Santa Rosa, in Northern California. “Communication has always been an issue between management and staff, but this situation has exacerbated it exponentially.” “We’re not afraid of the actual disease. We’re concerned about not being adequately protected
from the disease.” Nurses interviewed by Capital & Main said that despite Kaiser’s massive reach and ability to obtain supplies, in some instances they were being issued a single N95 respirator mask for a full work shift. Others described situations in which they could not obtain the masks without going to their shift supervisors, who would then retrieve them on a request-by-request basis. “We’re not afraid of the actual disease. We’re concerned about not being adequately protected from the disease,” said Krahne, the chief nurse representative among unionized workers at the Santa Rosa hospital. “It’s a scary place to be, but we want to take care of patients. That’s what we do.” (Disclosure: The union representing the nurses is a financial supporter of this website.) Asked a series of questions for this story via email, a representative for Kaiser referred a reporter to answers that were being provided to another Capital & Main journalist. The company previously issued a statement that read in part, “We are prudently managing our resources to ensure this equipment is available for our health care workforce for the duration of the pandemic.” * * * With more than 500 hospitals and medical offices serving 9 million plan members in California alone, Kaiser’s issues attract a volume of attention that other health systems may not. Nurses from coast to coast, in numerous health care systems and hospitals, have protested their work conditions as unsafe both for themselves and their patients. Although many of them asked not to be identified before sharing their comments for this story, Kaiser nurses have been active in protesting, too. They’ve staged rallies in front of Kaiser facilities in Oakland and Richmond in the Bay Area, Modesto in the Central Valley and Santa Rosa. “The tension is incredible,” says one Kaiser hospital nurse of
Like a Petri dish for the virus: Tens of thousands of California inmates are at risk By Nigel Duara, CalMatters
Jose Armendariz, 29, convicted of second-degree murder, poses at the Kern Valley State Prison in 2017. He has since been moved to the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange County, where he and other medically fragile inmates worry that the spread of the coronavirus could be deadly for them. Photo courtesy of Johanna Diaz Jose Amendarizwas on one of his frequent trips to the nurse’s station in Orange County’s largest jail when deputies hauled in a man in a mask.Of all the inmates inside the jail, the 29-year-old Armendariz needs the most care: insulin shots for Type I diabetes, pills for hypertension, asthma inhaler puffs for his ravaged respiratory system.The new arrival was of average height and moderate build, his head shaved, nothing particularly noteworthy about him as an inmate. Except for the surgical mask covering his face.There was no official announcement, but a nurse turned to tell Armendariz:The man in the mask had COVID-19. Armendariz felt the breath rush out of his lungs.The jail’s medical unit is a series of concentric circles, with a guard station in the center, anurse’s station encircling
it and jail cells the size of parking spaces in the outermost ring. Armendariz started his 20-foot walk back to his sector.The men in Armendariz’s medical ward were already worried that the coronavirus pandemic spreading outside their walls would eventually find its way inside. The usual loud chatter rang out from their cells. Amendariz stopped short, waiting for them to quiet down.“It’s officially here,” he said. The ward fell silent.A human Petri dishA jail doctor told Armendariz, who has been incarcerated for 13 years, that he is among the most medically vulnerable to the virus of all the inmates in California. But there are countless others who are at risk inside the state’s 99 adult county jails and state prisons, whichhouse about 150,000 inmates.So far, few infections have been reported among California’s inmates. Eight inmates in California prisonshave 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 the virus and 159 are in quarantine. Two deputies also have tested positive, including one who works at Armendariz’s jail, the Theo Lacy Facility.In Los Angeles County, seven inmates have tested positive and one jail nurse who died had the disease. Thirteen other inmates are in isolation with fevers exceeding 100 degrees, and another 308 inmateshave been quarantined, (continued in next 2 columns)
relations with management. More to the point, their concerns are being aired almost daily in the hallways and meeting areas of Kaiser facilities, where even standard “shift huddles” involving nurses and managers have resulted in loud accusations that the staff is not being properly apprised of changes to set-up, procedure and supply information. “The tension is incredible,” said one nurse, who described a confrontation in which a shift supervisor threatened to fire a nurse for bringing an N95 mask from home. The supervisor was shouted down by other nurses, the person said, and finally withdrew the threat. Krahne said nurses had to wait for managers to retrieve N95 masks even in emergency situations. “A manager is supposed to bring it to you,” she said. “But when a patient is distressed, when a patient is in need of help, we don’t want anyone to wait.” Employees sounded almost equally frustrated by the lack of clarity on policy. Kaiser hospitals, nurses said, have at times adhered to standards recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but not consistently so. “We know they have the equipment. What we keep getting told is that they’re hoarding it for the surge.” “Plans are constantly changing,” said Rob Jones, an RN who works in the emergency department at Kaiser San Diego Medical Center, interacting with COVID-19 patients. “We’ve had a lot of information come out, a lot of changes made to how we set up the ER.” Jones spoke as an employee who has had a different experience than the ones described by many of his peers. The San Diego facility has had plenty of PPE on hand – “We haven’t been hit as hard [by COVID-19 cases] as some other hospitals,” he said – and despite nurses’ worries that they might ultimately infect their own families, a sense of calm has mostly permeated their daily work.
That disconnect has drawn the ire of many within the Kaiser system: one hospital with more than enough supply, another facility begging for protective equipment and other safety materials. As a nurse stationed at Kaiser’s Oakland Medical Center put it, “We know they have the equipment. What we keep getting told is that they’re hoarding it for the surge.” The reference was to what hospital officials expect will be a significant increase in coronavirus-related patient admissions in California in the next two months. Gov. Gavin Newsom said more than 140,000 people in the state might need a hospital bed by the end of May. As of April 7, there were 17,620 positive cases and 450 deaths related to the disease in California. “But look, by the time any surge happens, more than enough masks will be available on the market – everybody is making masks,” the Oakland nurse said. “It’s right now that we’re short.” Nurses told Capital & Main that they’ve long complained about poor lines of communication. But the pandemic, which has prompted almost daily alterations in routines, has elevated the problem to emergency status, particularly where it concerns basic and long-accepted safety measures. “The ICU [intensive care unit] will follow one set of standards. Then you go out to the floors of the hospital and it’s not being done,” Krahne said. “And yes, it’s a fluid situation. But if you were working today, you might have gotten the message about a new guideline – but someone will come to work tomorrow who didn’t get that message.” Jones, an Air Force veteran, found a military analogy for the situation. “I equate it to war,” Jones said. “You make your plans, and maybe you have your battle plan, but once the first shot is fired that plan can go out the window pretty quick. This virus has caught a lot of people off guard. Until you get in there and start doing it, you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
Like a Petri dish for the virus: Tens of thousands of California inmates are at risk...continued The nurses often don’t wear masks, the deputies don’t wear masks. There’s a lot of cross contamination.“Yes, the nurse has gloves on, but how many times has she been in contact with someone else’s pill bag or inhaler? I might as well be shaking hands with all these people. There’s a lot of opportunity for this thing to spread.”The inmates are given one small bar of soap each week, Armendariz and Kocontes said, with which the inmates are expected to clean themselves and their cells.“A lot of guys don’t clean their cells themselves. It’s definitely not sanitary,” Armendariz said. Armendariz said the jail now mandates that inmates wear masks, made fromtorn-up bedsheets that inmates wrap around their faces. They also worry that certain jail programs, like a clothing exchange program for inmates, increase the risk for contamination.Their concerns may get a day in court. Last week, an Orange County civil rights attorney asked a federal court judge to release most of the jail system’s inmates because of “the threat of impending excruciating death.”The Orange County jails’ deputies have concerns of their own. In a March 25 letter to Sheriff Don Barnes, the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs requested better cleaning efforts from support staff and temperature checks on inmates. They also requested that Barnes shutter all dormitory or barracksstyle housing, leaving only the modules, like the one housing Armendariz.In response to what they perceive as lax cleaning and quarantine procedures , the inmates have created their own quarantine system. New arrivals are told not to touch anything — newspapers, communal surfaces, the phones attached to thewall — for 12 days after they arrive in the
outbreaks of mumps, lice and the flu in jails, and each carries a risk of transmission to the outside world. “You have employees coming in and picking something up,” Bernard said, “and potentially exposing their families.”Inmates say conditions are unsafeWhen the wheels of justice grind to a halt, the carceral system continues to pump in new inmates as police make new arrests. During the pandemic, with courts closed across the country, the place they all land —and the place most will stay —is the county jail.Inside, inmateslike Armendariz are now locked in a facility with a patient carrying a highly communicable disease that the men are convinced will lead to their own slow, agonizing deaths.Armendariz, who was convicted when a teenager of second-degree murder of a gang member, and fellow medicalsector inmate Lonnie Kocontes said they’ve watched guards, nurses and inmates in the Orange County jail fail to follow cleaning protocols. Among their biggest fears is contamination when nurses or inmate workers make the rounds with plastic pill bags, which are opened and poured into the hands of inmates.Worse, they say, is when a nurse hands over medication besides pills, such as nasal or asthma inhalers, which are then handed back to the nurses.“They say [the isolated inmate] is in isolation, but here’s the problem with that,” said Kocontes, an inmate and attorney charged with the murder of his wife who was in the midst of his own murder trial when the pandemic hit and courts closed. “Medical staff, deputies have to be breathing the same air as him. (continued in next 2 columns)
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Black PBS Newshour Reporter Questions Surgeon General’s “Big Mama” Remark Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
Like a Petri dish for the virus: Tens of thousands of California inmates are at risk...continued meaning they were in close contact with someone in isolation. In Riverside County, a sheriff’s deputy who died of complications from COVID-19 on March 30 likely contracted it from an inmate he escorted to a medical facility.“Everybody knows from TV shows, from movies, what the environment is like in prison,” said Heather Williams, Federal Defender for the Eastern District of California, which serves as public defenders for federal defendants in Bakersfield, Redding, Fresno and Sacramento. “Two, three, four to a cell, massive meal times. Even the yard gets crowded.“So you have this Petri dish. It’s inhumane, and it’s a recipe for absolute disaster.”An infectious disease is a matter of mathematics. Its transmissibility is defined as its reproduction rate, and this coronavirus is very good at reproducing, better than the flu, although not quite as good as the virus known as SARS. Social distancing, self-isolation, quarantining the sick –all can dampen its spread and forestall a crush of patients flooding hospitals all at once.But that’s on the outside. In jails, there is no real social distancing, and certainly no self-isolation.“How do you avoid mass congregation in a jail?” said Linda Bernard, a Pennsylvania legal nurse consultant who testifies on healthcare in jails. “You can do feeding in housing units or cells, but there will be people mixing.”Jails aren’t isolated from the larger community. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the Cook County Jail in Chicago is the nation’s largest known source of coronavirus infections, with a cluster of at least 350 inmates and guards infected.Bernard has seen
medical unit. There is one phone designated for new inmates.“We don’t touch that one even if it’s open. You just line up and wait for a different one,” Armendariz said.After meal times, Armendariz said he’s watched inmate workers use soiled rags to clean communal spaces. He said inmates have to buy their own rags to clean with from the jail’s commissary, and that cleaning supplies are so diluted that they are almost useless.In response to written questions from CalMatters about the protocols and conditions inside the Theo Lacy Facility, Orange County Commander Joe Balicki of Custody Operations Services said the plastic medicine bags are kept for records and don’t make contact with the inmates.“Inmates are given additional hygiene items without having to request them. They have been encouraged to practice good hygiene and are provided brochures on how to prevent the spread of C-19,” Balicki said.“Inmates have access to cleaning supplies 24/7. We have also placed disinfectant spray bottles in the housing areas,” he said. When asked whether cleaning solutions are diluted, Balicki said “that is not the case.” Daisy Ramirez, ACLU of Southern California’s Orange County Jails Conditions and Policy Coordinator, operates a hotline for inmates and their families. “People are terrified,” she said. “People on the inside also have no information.”ACLU says release them; some sheriffs resistCivil liberties advocates have demanded in meetings and letters that the Orange County jails immediately release medically fragile inmates, as well as those older than 65.Nationwide, the decision on how many inmates should be released falls to elected
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams “Don’t wash your dirty laundry in the street,” goes the centuriesold 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 first AfricanAmerican Surgeon General went there — touching on AfricanAmerican 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 against the coronavirus. “We need you to do this, if not for yourself, then do it for your Abuela. Do it for your Grandaddy. Do it for your Big Mama. Do it for your Pop Pop,” said America’s top doctor, who is tasked with advancing the health of Americans, to journalists gathered at the White House. Moments later, Yamiche Léone Alcindor, a Black White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, fired a pointed question at Adams. She asked him if his comment was an attack on
African Americans. “There are some people online who are already offended by that language and the idea that behaviors may be leading to these high death rates,” Alcindor told Adams. Adams apologized, but he said that he used language he uses around his family. But Alcindor continued pressing Adams, “Could you, I guess, have a response to those who might be offended by the language you used?” “Some will find this language offensive after Adams stressed that behavior was not the issue for why more black [people] are dying,” Alcindor tweeted from the press conference. “We need targeted outreach to the African-American community,” Adams responded to Alcindor. “I used the language that I used in my family. I have a Puerto Rican brother-in-law. I call my grandaddy, ‘granddaddy.’ I have relatives who call their grandparents Big Mama. So that was not to be offensive.” Adams is the 20th U.S. Surgeon General. He oversees 6,500 uniformed officers who serve almost 800 locations around the globe charged with promoting, protecting, and advancing the health and safety of the United States. Adams, 45, received his bachelor ’s degree in both biochemistry and psychology from the University of Maryland, master of public health degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. Adams grew up on a farm in Maryland, the Baltimore Sun reported in 2017. He assumed the office of Surgeon General of the United States on Sept. 5, 2017. Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the leading experts on infectious diseases and a member of the task force, defended Adams' remarks. “I know Jerome personally,” Fauci said. “I can testify that he made no — not a hint of being offensive at all with that comment.”
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April 16, 2020
LEGALS/CLASSIFIEDS/NEWS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20200003799 Date Filed: 04/03/2020 Filing Expires On: 04/03/2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): COUNT IT ALL JOI County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 1505 N. MIRAMONTE AVE. ONTARIO, CA 91764-1830 Mailing Address: 7643 WELLINGTON PLACE RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91730 Name of Individual Registrant: JOI NICHOLS 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: 1505 N. MIRAMONTE AVE. ONTARIO, CA 91764 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 01/01/2020 Joi Nichols, Owner, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. 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 FORT 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 April 16, 23, 30, May 7, 2020. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20200003671 Date Filed: 03/25/2020 Filing Expires On: 03/25/2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): JDJ KITCHEN & FLOORING REMODEL/SHANNON’S HOME REMODELING AND DESIGN County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 1673 LA PAZ AVE. ONTARIO, CA 91764 Name of Individual Registrant: SHANNON RIESTRA 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: 1673 LA PAZ AVE. ONTARIO, CA 91764 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 Shannon Riestra, Owner, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. 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 FORT 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 April 9,16, 23, 30, 2020. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 20200003536 Date Filed: 03/18/2020 Filing Expires On: 03/18/2025 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME (as shown in the Articles of Inc./Org./Reg.): FORGET ME NOT MICROBLADING County of Principal Place of Business: SAN BERNARDINO Street Address of Principal Place of Business: 771 W. FOOTHILL BLVD. UPLAND, CA 91786 Mailing Address: 7543 WELLINGTON PLACE RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91730 Name of Individual Registrant: MELISSA P. FLORES 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: 13115 2ND STREET CHINO, CA 91710 This business is/was conducted by: An Individual Registrant has commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: 03/01/2020 Melissa P. Flores, Owner, declares that all information in this statement is true and correct. 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 FORT 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 March 26, April 2, 9, 16, 2020.
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NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS
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NOTICE INVITING PROPOSALS 2020-12 1. Purpose of the Procurement and Period of Performance The Victor Valley Transit Authority (VVTA) is soliciting technical and price Proposals to provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complementary Paratransit Eligibility Certification Evaluation Services. The period of performance will be for three years with the option for two 1-year extensions. 2. Proposal Due Date and Submittal Requirements Proposals must be received by 3:00 PM Pacific Time (PDT) on Thursday, May 7, 2020. 3. Proposals – A copy of the proposal is available at vvta.org/procurement of via email at cplasting@vvta.org. Published in The San Bernardino April 16, 2020.
California Sea Grant is now soliciting applications for one-year research projects by early-career faculty. Proposals, up to $60,000, will support the research of a new faculty member employed at a California-based university to address topics aligned with California Sea Grant’s strategic plan and state priorities.
This year additional emphasis will be on proposals that respond and target objectives specific to our Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture focus areas. Please read the full Request for Proposals for details and application instructions. Read More at:https://caseagrant.ucsd.edu/grants-and-funding/new-faculty-call-for-proposals-2021 California Sea Grant will host informational office hours to answer any questions for interested applicants on April 28, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. PT. Please register for the Q&A session here.
DEADLINES Letters of intent: 5:00 p.m. PT on May 18, 2020. Full proposals: 5:00 p.m. PT on June 15, 2020 Only applicants who have submitted a letter of intent may submit a full proposal.
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PAGE 6
April 16, 2020
ENTERTAINMENT/LOCAL/NATIONAL NEWS
Gov. Abbott Unlawfully Exceeded Authority with Executive Order Limiting Jail Releases, Argues New Lawsuit National News
(Photo: Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the gubernatorial debate at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. / Jay Godwin / Wikimedia Commons)
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Lawsuit says governor’s order restricting releases exceeds his constitutional authority; public health experts agree reducing populations in prisons and jails necessary to prevent outbreaks AUSTIN, TX — Governor Abbott unlawfully exceeded his constitutional authority by issuing an executive order that suspends the rights that individuals, who are presumed innocent, have while facing criminal prosecution, according to a new lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Texas, Texas Fair Defense Project, the ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The lawsuit, filed today in the State District Court of Travis County, is on behalf of the misdemeanor magistrate judges of Harris County, three criminal defense non-profit organizations and the NAACP of Texas. It states that the Governor’s March 29 order, GA-13, unlawfully attempts to remove discretion from judges about who can receive personal bonds and suspend certain laws related to
decisions about who can be released on personal bond, while the Texas Constitution clearly states that those decisions lie with the Judiciary and the power to suspend laws lies only with the Legislature. The lawsuit argues that the Texas Disaster Act also does not grant the Governor with this authority. The lawsuit also states that GA-13 creates an unconstitutional wealth-based system by banning the use of personal bonds for certain people, putting pre-trial freedom out of the reach of those unable to pay cash bail. “Governor Abbott’s illegal executive order disproportionately keeps poor people, people of color, and in particular African Americans jailed and therefore at a heightened risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Arthur Ago, criminal justice project director for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “These individuals, many of whom are legally innocent, have the right to petition for their freedom—a right that the governor has unconstitutionally taken from them. The governor must be
Black Businesses Matter, But Will They Get Fair Share Of COVID-19 Aid Money?...continued from page 1 next package will look like.” President Trump signed the bill March 27. Ron Busby, President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), played a similar role as Mr. Morial pressing lawmakers to include provisions favorable to African American businesses. “I want readers to understand that in the 700-plus page bill, nowhere was the word, ‘Black,’” said Mr. Busby, who serves on the Pfizer Small Business Council, National Newspapers Publishers Association Foundation Board of Directors, and White House African American Leadership Council. “It is a race-neutral bill, has nothing to do with Black people. The U.S. Chamber advocated to keep it race neutral to ensure that the bill would get support. Congress felt it would be easier to get passed that way.” Mr. Busby said while $2 trillion seems like a great deal of money, $349 million will go towards the Small Business Administration’s Payment Protection Program (PPP). “That also seems like a great deal of money but it’s not enough funding,” he said. “It will be very difficult for Black and small businesses. We fought for small, Black-owned businesses, fought for a couple of things—to ensure that businesses wouldn’t be cancelled because of supply chain issues and problems with developing products and widgets because of the epidemic. We also fought to get a ‘front-pay’ program where businesses would get paid in the next 15 days.” “The federal government is notorious for slow payments of 60, 90, 120 days— and most Black-owned businesses are more interested in and dependent on cash-flow. They (negotiators) pulled it out at the last minute but they said they will continue to pay businesses through the disruption.” Mr. Busby and other observers say most Black businesses have small payrolls and use what is called 1099 workers and contract employees, but if business owners apply for the PPP, it will pay 100 percent of their payroll
for the next three months. Some aspects of the plan are still vague, saying he’s not sure how the wording will be received at banks, he added. Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty and Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania told The Final Call that the good news is that small businesses including those who work as 1099 employees, beauty and nail salons, painters and others who are self-employed will have an opportunity to participate. “April is when they can first apply,” she said. “The good news is that dollars are available. It’s first come, first serve. It was important for us to make sure that individuals who work as contractors weren’t left out. We can’t make a commitment that everyone will get in but people should prepare their packages, go to the Treasury website and download the application package.” Rep. Beatty, who is vice chairman of the Small Business Committee and serves on the Committee on Financial Services and the Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions subcommittee among others, said she has worked very closely with Chairman Nadya Velasquez and other committee members. “CBC members have stepped up. We’re teaming up and working together but there are a lot of devils in the details, especially those not in the traditional SBA,” said Rep. Beatty, who has served in Congress since 2013. She said she and some of her colleagues met with Civil Rights leaders and will continue to do so as all of them try to stay ahead of this crisis. Congressman Evans said providing economic distress loans, the PPP and $10 million for minority development agencies is very important and underscores the importance of small businesses. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and it’s very important in terms of what these programs will mean,” he (continued in next 2 columns)
prohibited from enforcing this executive order.” “The Texas Constitution makes it clear: The Governor does not have the authority to suspend state law, particularly those that govern our criminal justice system, even during an emergency,” said Andre Segura, legal director for the ACLU of Texas. “At a time when public health experts agree that limiting the population in jails is critical to prevent outbreaks of COVID19, this order ties local officials’ hands in trying to mitigate the impact of the pandemic for all Texans and prevent loss of life. Under this order, those unable to afford bail are required to ride out a pandemic in the dangerous setting of a jail, while wealthier people are able to buy their way out.” The plaintiffs include the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Austin Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, and Capital Area Private Defender Service, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units, and all Harris County misdemeanor judges. The executive order harms the plaintiffs in different ways: for the judges, it unilaterally abridges the discretion given to them by law and the constitution; for the criminal defense organizations, it renders advising clients difficult and responding to the unique challenges it creates has subsumed their work; and harms the diverse membership of the NAACP, which includes judges, defense lawyers, prosecutors, county commissioners and jail staff in a multitude of ways. “This order is creating uncertainty and havoc in the courts, and disrupting the potentially life-saving efforts of local officials to reduce their jail
populations in light of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Amanda Woog, executive director of the Texas Fair Defense Project. “The harms of this order are not abstract: poor people are being detained pretrial with no way to escape a possible jail outbreak. The governor has overstepped his legal authority, and this is causing significant harm on the ground.” “While we understand the Governor was trying to address this health emergency, it is abundantly clear to us that he is invading the province the Texas Constitution provides to our judges when exercising their responsibilities according to law,” said Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas Conference of the NAACP. “It’s also clear that the Executive Order no doubt will have dire consequences for inmates as well as correctional officers and staff. We know this from the numerous examples regarding how quickly the coronavirus can and does spread without regard to race, income, class or status. The virus isn’t stopped by jail cells or other such barriers. To the contrary, jails increase the rates of coronavirus infection. For all those reasons it’s best to leave the decisions of how to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the jails and prisons to judges. Under our laws, they are the ones who are best suited to make those decisions.” A copy of the complaint filed in court today is available here:https://www.aclutx.org/ sites/default/files/ eo_petition_2020.4.8._comms.pdf The previous letter sent to criminal legal stakeholders is available here:https:// www.aclutx.org/sites/default/ files/covid-19_response_to_loc al_cj_stakeholders.pdf
Black Businesses Matter, But Will They Get Fair Share Of COVID-19 Aid Money?...continued from page 1 said. “We will probably need more money and jobs as ways to build wealth. Closing the income and wage gap and stabilizing and building Black businesses is a priority for Rep. Karen Bass.” Rep. Beatty agreed with Mr. Morial and Mr. Busby that there’s much more that needs to be done to make sure that African Americans have a safety net during these calamitous times. “The old adage is that when America gets a cold, African Americans get pneumonia,” she said. “What’s happening with coronavirus has exposed so many disparities. Disparities are being shown by the media. In Detroit, for example, 14 percent of the population is African American but 40 percent of those dying are African American. The increasing numbers of people who are incarcerated, homeless. We need to look at the total picture of disparities.” Zeville Preston, a member of New York City’s Black Business Empowerment Committee (BBE) was scathing in her criticism of the relief package. “This bill is D.O.A. (dead on arrival). We need something of value. Black blood and bodies built this country and as usual, once again, we find ourselves at the back of the line,” she said. “We’re 22 percent of New York City’s population but we are less than two percent of business and get less than two percent of the contracts, numbers which have declined over a five-year period.
Black businesses dying on the vine and the governor cares not at all.” “This is to put CBC on notice. They want people to think they did something, and they did nothing.” A March 20, 2020 letter sent to the CBC points to 94 proposals to help African Americans that the body sent to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with only three speaking directly to Black people and only money allocated to Historically Black Universities and Minority Serving Institutions has a dollar amount attached to it: $450 billion. In their letter, the BBE expresses frustration and dismay: “The CBC’s 94 initiatives totaling $459 million basically leaves the Black business community with nothing, especially in New York state where all other ethnic groups and White-women’s participation far exceeds Black participation,” it states. “BBE is most disappointed that the CBC saw fit to argue the case for minorities, women and small businesses while neglecting to propose funding specifically for Black businesses. Harlem’s BBE finds this unacceptable!” Ms. Preston said BBE is reaching out across American cities to see if business owners and others in the Black community are having the same issues. “We’re figuring strategically to speak in one voice,” she said.
California Receives Preliminary Federal Approval to Free Up Funds for Crisis Response Local/National News SACRAMENTO —The U.S. Department of Education has granted preliminary approval to California’s request for flexibility in using federal funds to ease the immediate impacts of COVID-19 school closures. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond submitted the request for waivers, authorized
under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, on Friday, April 10, 2020. The waivers were approved today. The waivers loosen restrictions on how and when federal education funds can be spent. They remove a cap on technology purchases, ease limits on the amount of unspent federal funds (continued in next 2 columns)
California Receives Preliminary Federal Approval to Free Up Funds for Crisis Response...continued that can be carried over from one federal fiscal year to the next, and relax rules about the use of money for teacher professional development. “With this much needed flexibility, the state can shift resources to such pressing needs as training our workforce on distance learning and building up our technology infrastructure,” said Superintendent Tony Thurmond. “In this time of crisis, the ability to quickly direct resources to needs is critically important.” Board President DarlingHammond thanked the U.S. Department of Education for helping California’s efforts to improve online learning during this unprecedented time of crisis. “We are pleased that the federal government responded so quickly to our requests,” said Darling-Hammond. “In this time of great uncertainty, being assured that we can repurpose this money to address urgent concerns is a great relief.” Specifically, California received preliminary waivers from: Section 1127(b) of Title I, Part A of the ESEA so that your State educational agency (SEA) may waive, more than once every three years, if necessary, the 15 percent carryover limitation in ESEA section 1127(a) for fiscal
year (FY) 2019 Title I, Part A funds. Section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) to extend the period of availability of FY 2018 funds for programs in which your SEA participates under its approved consolidated State plan until September 30, 2021. Section 4106(d) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA related to local educational agency (LEA) needs assessments for the 2019-2020 school year. Section 4106(e)(2)(C), (D), and (E) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA with respect to content-area spending requirements for FYs 2018 and 2019 Title IV, Part A funds. Section 4109(b) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA with respect to the spending limitation for technology infrastructure for FYs 2018 and 2019 Title IV, Part A funds. Section 8101(42) of the ESEA, which defines “professional development,” for activities funded for the 2019-2020 school year. In compliance with federal regulations, the state is accepting public comment on the waiver application through May 1. Please send comments via email to ESSA@cde.ca.gov or by mail to the California Department of Education, Government Affairs Division, 1430 N Street, Suite 5602, Sacramento, CA 95814-5901.
Homeless sheltering effort to protect all county residents gets underway Local News
The County’s efforts to protect the community from the spread of novel coronavirus by temporarily sheltering the homeless population are underway with the arrival of 20 state-funded trailers at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore and the placement of 26 people in a hotel in San Bernardino. Agreements are in the works with lodging facilities in other cities within the county to house additional homeless individuals and families. The county is exploring other options as well to ensure homeless people who are elderly and who have underlying health conditions, as well as those who are or are suspected of being COVID-19-postive, are sheltered during the crisis. “This sheltering effort is critical for not only protecting the health of homeless individuals or families but also for protecting the entire community from the spread of the novel coronavirus,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “That is why we are working closely with city and community leaders throughout our county to get these sites up and running. The county is leading the fight against COVID19, but protecting our communities from this pandemic has to be a team effort involving all of our cities and residents.” There are more than 2,000 unsheltered homeless individuals living in San Bernardino County. There are approximately 300 homeless identified as extremely high risk by medical doctors due to their age and serious health conditions. The County’s goal is to secure at least 300 units throughout the county in multiple communities as quickly as possible to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the unsheltered community and the entire county population. Staff from the County Department of Behavioral Health and organizations that serve the homeless will make phone contact with each homeless individual daily. The county will provide security at each site 24 hours per day, seven days a week. The
County, Inland Empire Health Plan, and Molina Healthcare will provide meal packages to all persons in placement. “The County is maximizing our collective effort to fight this health crisis head-on, which demands the necessary and expedient action of sheltering the homeless in place to reduce the spread of the virus and protect everyone’s safety,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Josie Gonzales. “We must value the efforts and sacrifices of those who are sheltering at home, by using every means possible to ensure everyone is sheltered in place in order to abate the fast spread of COVID-19,” added Supervisor Gonzales, who is also founder and chair of the San Bernardino County Interagency Council on Homelessness. In response to Governor Newsom’s Executive Order to protect public safety and the spread of COVID-19 among the state’s most vulnerable populations, San Bernardino County will receive a portion of $800 million in emergency funding to quickly implement creative temporary housing solutions to address the complex public health challenge of protecting vulnerable homeless individuals and communities against exposure to COVID-19. The Executive Order requires counties to protect public safety and reduce the spread of COVID19 by providing vulnerable homeless people access to temporary housing, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). San Bernardino County partnered with federal, state, and local agencies to create a plan to provide extensive supportive services to homeless individuals during their 14-day stay. “Although COVID-19 has forced everyone in our community to make difficult decisions, it has also provided us with an unprecedented opportunity to support people (continued on page 8)
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April 16, 2020
LIFESTYLE NEWS/ADVERTISING/RELIGION
How COVID-19 is Disrupting Comcast Launches Xfinity My Wedding Planning Education Destination for K-12 By Brianna A. Smith, The New Tri-State Defender
Lifestyle News
Comcast has made nearly 2,000 hours of programming and thousands of free titles available to Xfinity video customers to give children and their parents quick and easy access to educational programming by grade level, as part of the company’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Brianna A. Smith and Lorenzo Herman (fall 2019) (Photo: Ariel Cobbert My advice for navigating wedding planning during this unprecedented COVID-19 situation is to take a pause, don’t make any hasty decisions, and really think about what you value most for your wedding. On March 20, exactly eight months until our destination wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, my fiancé, Lorenzo Herman and I received a notification on our phones that the United States restricted nonessential travel to Mexico. I was shaken, stunned, flabbergasted. COVID-19 is affecting our wedding a tad bit differently than the other couples I wrote about. Luckily, in January I said ‘yes to the dress’ and we had our site visit to Mexico in February. However, finding bridesmaids gowns and accessories have become a hassle because many retailers in the United States import dresses from China, where the outbreak is said to have started and where many factories have been forced to close. As a result, bridal stores have been struggling to source garments since the pandemic picked up and the safer-at-home order means that bridal stores, such as David’s Bridal have been ordered to close. For a bride, groom or wedding planner, the challenge is every day that passes is a day closer to the special day. So, for people to have to sit tight or even try to
plan for a pivot in the face of so much uncertainty is especially tricky. Our wedding venue has temporarily closed, causing communication to be delayed. “The shutdown of the venue is not ideal, but I understand the measure,” said Herman. “It puts me more at ease knowing that it has been shut down and it gives them time to clean, disinfect and change anything that needs to be changed prior to our wedding day.” As a result of the coronavirus some of ours friends have been laid off from their jobs and now lack the financial resources to afford to attend our wedding. Many have had to renege. Herman said, “Because some of our guests have been financially impacted it makes accounting for them difficult, the longer there is a safer-at-home order and things remain closed the longer our guests may not have the funds to afford to be in attendance by November.” The most important factor right now is taking care of ourselves, our well-being and not putting our loved ones at risk. We are staying calm and keeping faith that our big day will still happen as planned. There are too many uncertainties right now, and everyone is learning how to handle the situation to the best of their abilities. This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender
The collection is a joint effort with “Common Sense Media,” the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families whose trusted age-based ratings and reviews are integrated into Xfinity on Demand. “Xfinity is making thousands of hours of educational programming and resources available to our customers through Xfinity on Demand as we know how challenging it is for families right now who are suddenly homeschooling young children — many with both parents working, as well,” said Rebecca Heap, Comcast senior vice president of video and entertainment. “The programming selected in partnership with Common Sense Media is available in one comprehensive destination organized by grade level to make it as easy as possible for parents to find what is most relevant to their family.” Xfinity customers with X1 or Flex can say “Education” or, if their voice search language is set to Spanish, “Educación,” into the Xfinity Voice Remote to access content available to them by grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 and also for all ages currently including: Free programs from subscription video on demand services (SVODS) Bluprint, CuriosityStream, The Great Courses Signature Collection, Grokker Yoga Fitness, History
The collection is a joint effort with “Common Sense Media,” the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families whose trusted age-based ratings and reviews are integrated into Xfinity on Demand Vault, Kids Room and The Reading Corner. Additional free adult continuing education programming from these SVODS focused on the “Mind,” “Body,” and “Soul” spanning biographies; podcasts on a range of topics including technology and business; yoga; dance; food and cooking; fitness; wellness; ballets and operas; and gardening. Educational series from networks and streaming services including Animal Planet, History, Nick Jr., PBS Kids, Smithsonian Channel and more. Spanish language programming available from networks including CBeebies, Discovery Familia and Kids Central. Firsthand interviews and historical narratives from Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, Comcast’s signature commemorative programming initiative honoring the impact and legacy of the movement. Comcast has also enlisted the guidance of Natascha Crandall, a psychologist and educator, to program the content across English Language Arts, math, science, and social studies based on grade-appropriate guidelines aligned with the current U.S. school curriculum.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
looked after by a team doctor. The plan reportedly could include using an electronic device to call balls and strikes and, at least for the 2020 season, eliminate the home plate umpire. Major League Baseball would benefit from being the first sport to return to play since the pandemic swarmed the globe and claimed tens of thousands of lives. The league would also reap substantial dollars from network coverage and local television revenue. However, some teams’ TV deals are far more lucrative than others and, therefore, could be problematic when discussing revenue sharing. Besides receiving regular game checks, a benefit for the player’s union is that teams would likely be allowed to carry at least five extra players above the new 26man limit, allowing for as many as 150 minor leaguers to accrue valuable major league service time. However, if the plan is agreed
upon, all personnel involved must remain in the same location until the end of the regular season and quite possibly the playoffs and World Series even if the team they’re associated with doesn’t qualify for postseason play. That provision is what troubles some big leaguers. “People forget that we’re actually human beings,” Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman told the Associated Press. “I have my third child due in June. If this ‘bubble’ in Arizona was going to happen starting in May, you’re trying to tell me I’m not going to be able to be with my wife and see my kid until October? “I’m going to go four or five months without seeing my kid when it’s born? I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen. Not many people have to go through that, nor should they.” “I definitely think this is just a
Commentary: How do we Live in an Easter World When it Still Feels Like Lent? Written by Katie Adams
Players Scoff at Major League Baseball’s Plans to Return to Action
Major League Baseball is batting around plans to start its 2020 season next month despite the struggle by health officials to blunt the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The ambitious plan, which reportedly may have the support of the player’s union but hasn’t been finalized, would call for all 30 teams playing in an empty stadium in Arizona. Players, coaches, team doctors, umpires, and some necessary officials would be quarantined in hotels and would likely travel to the stadium in a manner that would maintain social distancing guidelines. Teams would go from hotels to buses to stadiums while undergoing regular testing in an attempt to prevent the disease from spreading, under the plan. If someone does test positive for the coronavirus, it’s believed the individual would remain quarantined in a hotel room and
Witness for Justice
first idea that’s being thrown around,” Diamondbacks catcher Stephen Vogt told USA Today. “Obviously, I’m not a fan of the idea of being away from my family for four months. If anything, what I took away from this initial proposal is that it shows MLB’s dedication to just, hey, we’re trying to do whatever we can to get the longest season possible for the fans, the players, and everyone who works in the industry of baseball.” Zack Wheeler, who signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this year, is also opposed to being away from his family. Wheeler and his wife, Dominique, are expected to welcome their first child in July. “I couldn’t even imagine missing the birth and just not being around and going, ‘Hey, I’ll see you in December’ or whenever it is,” Wheeler told The Athletic. “That’s not going to work.
I’m writing this at the start of Holy Week, but it will be published online on Maundy Thursday and then circulated next week after Easter Sunday. And what a different Easter it will be: our alleluias tempered by news of deaths and disaster, the liturgical calendar stubbornly refusing to mirror the Lent we still find ourselves in. I didn’t grow up with Lent. In my non-denominational church, we went right from Christmas to Easter, from a long celebration of the Christ Child to the celebration of the Risen Christ. I’m grateful now for the Lenten time in the desert and the idea of meditating on mortality. Never more so has hearing “You are dust and to dust you shall return” rung true than in the midst of a pandemic, but I am struggling now with the upcoming “Hallelujah he is risen!” of Easter. More now than ever, it feels, the cracks in our society are showing themselves to be gapping chasms, brought into sharp relief by a global tragedy. They remind us that for many in our world the deep struggle of daily existence has always been there. In the U.S., about sixteen million children face hunger every year –one in five kids. There is no paid sick leave for millions of American workers, forcing them to choose between recovery or job loss – and that’s their normal. Because healthcare is seen as
a commodity and not a right, there are many millions who’ve never had access to preventative care, pandemic or not, leading to the healthcare crisis we find ourselves in. Food insecurity, employment, and healthcare access are ingrained with the systemic racism that is so pervasive in the U.S., and the flames of white nationalism are further fanned by a white supremacist President. As Christians we’re called to speak into those struggles, to speak of a world where each person’s dignity and value is upheld, cherished, and treasured. We must grasp onto the prophetic promise of restoration – and that’s what Easter is. Risen he is. And risen is our faith. So I suppose the alleluias of Easter Sunday, even while we’re in the deep sadness and isolation, those alleluias speak to the promise of the Gospel. Not knowing what the future looks like, or even when you can venture into the world again, is a deeply unsettling unknown. But we can anchor ourselves in knowing what we are called to do, no matter what, as Micah 6:8 (NIV) tells us: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Katie Adams is Policy Advocate for Domestic Issues for the United Church of Christ.
“The World is in Trouble!” By: Lou Yeboah
Lou Yeboah
Hear me and hear me good. If you never listen to anything else I say, listen today. The judgment of God is looming right over the horizon. Don’t be caught off guard, going about your daily life, unable to understand what is going on around you. Put yourself in a position to hear the warning, to understand what it means, and to have the wisdom to act accordingly. Our world has just about reached the limit of God’s mercy and forbearance. Man’s pride and arrogance, his greed and selfishness, his violence and brutality have reached a level which is intolerable. Our nation and world is in turmoil and this is the time for God’s people to get right with God. To repent of our own sins and to pray that in the midst of His coming wrath, He would remember mercy. [Habakkuk 3:2]. This was the message God gave to the Assyrians in Nineveh in the 8th Century BC through the preaching of the prophet Jonah. [Jonah 1:2]; and it is the same message He is giving to us today through his Word; a message of a judgment that is coming. You know, Noah could have thought, “One hundred and twenty years is a long ways off,” and procrastinated on building the ark. But he didn’t do that. AS SOON AS HE HEARD God’s warning about the coming judgment, he went to work building the ark. It took him over a century to complete, but he kept at it. It seemed crazy to the world, but it all suddenly made sense when the sky began to pour rain and the fountains of the deep
opened up. But then it was too late! Then the destruction that DID come found the people unprepared. Heed the warning! The judgment of God is looming right over the horizon. God has issued a clear warning: A “Category 5” storm of judgment is heading toward everyone who dwells on earth! The door of His ark is still open. Flee to Christ and you will be saved. Scoff at the warning and you will be lost forever. As the three angels proclaimed in Revelation 14, 'with loud voices', very strong and dire warnings to the world, as well as the angel in Revelation 18, 'crying out mightily' to the inhabitants of the world, giving God's final warning and call of mercy, it is high time for us to heed these final warnings, because we are living in end times. Wake up! Be reminded and become aware of these things which will soon affect every single one of us. Time will not just “continue on” the way it has, so says the Word of God. And even as it begins to happen, God is faithful, and His Word says that someone will see [Ezekiel 33:3] the sword coming upon the land, and this someone is commanded to give warning or indeed lose his own life also!” Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among you. [Jeremiah 6: 18]. The trumpet is sounding. The time is at hand. It is near. The judgment of God is looming over the horizon. We must take heed to God’s warnings or suffer the consequences. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live…” [Deuteronomy 30:19].
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April 16, 2020
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BREAKING NEWS: 14 of 17 COVID-19 Deaths in St. Louis Are African American: BNC’s Kelly Wright Set to Air Exclusive Sobering Facts By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia
In a major and exclusive interview scheduled to air on Monday, April 13, Wright will discuss the grim breaking news with St. Louis Urban League President Michael McMillan. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) When National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. appeared on the Kelly Wright Show two weeks ago, Chavis told Wright that the novel coronavirus would hit African Americans the hardest. “Tragically, the warnings have all proven to be true,” Wright stated today. “The public health data reveals that COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on African Americans in Chicago, Milwaukee, New Orleans, and other major cities.” But nowhere else has the African American community felt the wrath of the coronavirus like St. Louis, where nearly every person that has died from the virus is Black. The first non-African American to die was a Latino woman in her 50s. She died on Friday, April 10. A white male in his 90s also died on Friday, April 10. But, in a city where just 24 percent of the population is Black, a whopping 55 percent of the confirmed cases are African American. White account for 68.2 percent of St. Louis’ population, and 36.6 percent of coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the death toll
continues to mount in the Black community. In a major and exclusive interview scheduled to air on Monday, April 13, Wright will discuss the grim breaking news with St. Louis Urban League President Michael McMillan. In a transcript of the interview obtained by NNPA Newswire, McMillan revealed the devastating facts. “In St. Louis, if you look at the number of zip codes that have the highest number of cases, they are in the African American community. So, this disease is impacting us and even in a more signi?cant way,” McMillan tells Wright during the riveting discussion. He stated that some of the Urban League’s partners and top African American commanders in the history of the Police Department have died. “Pastors we work with who is on the front lines in terms of mediating the disputes between gang members to keep them from killing each other have died. And the ?rst person to die in the region was a health care worker, an African American nurse,” McMillan says. The devastating losses su?ered
within St. Louis’African American community are compounded by the well-documented health disparities that already exist for many Black Americans nationwide, according to the Urban League. Public Health data in virtually every major urban area has documented the overwhelming cases of Blacks experiencing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more chronic illness that weaken their immune systems. All of which make them susceptible and vulnerable to the Coronavirus, McMillan noted. Beyond the health problems of the community, McMillan also acknowledged the economic and employment issues that plague the community. “So, as you look at this devastation, the other thing, of course, is that so many African Americans have jobs that they cannot work from home at,” he told Wright. “So, since we have positions that put us on the front lines so often, they are not executive positions that one can do from home. So, individuals are really out there and risking their lives in order to take care of themselves and their families are even more at risk, which contributes to an increase in numbers of African Americans here in St. Louis and across the country.” When asked what the Urban League is doing to mitigate the risk amid the virus already making a full assault on the African American community, McMillan responded: “When you look at the unemployment numbers, unfortunately, African American men ages 18-24 have been the highest percentage in general before the crisis. Now that 16 million-plus people have ?led for unemployment in the past three
weeks, our community has been devastated by that, so we have seen a huge need in terms of basic necessities for individuals just to survive. Food, housing, utility assistance, toiletries, diapers, formulas, things that people need to make it every single day.” He adds: “Then there’s the fear of infecting themselves and their families by being out for those that do still have jobs and do have to go and take care of other people. So, we’ve been able to provide over 2,500 sets of food, and we’ve been giving away these large distributions now.” The Urban League also just completed its second food and supplies distribution for those living in urban areas. The League served more 1,500 residents and has helped more than 1,000 receive food and other necessities like hand sanitizers. “We’re trying to do it on a multifaceted level. Obviously, we are doing it while focusing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines about the distancing, wearing the gloves and the masks when we’re out there,” McMillan stated. He says the Urban League chapter in St. Louis is the largest in the United States. “The Urban League was created to serve African Americans and those that are in need in major urban areas across this country,” McMillan told Wright. “We must provide resources for those that need it most. The need is overwhelming. When you look at this tragedy and all the illnesses it has created, it has been devastating. And it’s going to be that way for some time. But by coming together as Americans and showing the best side of ourselves. I believe we will be able to help provide all of the hope and opportunity to get through this together.”
Homeless sheltering effort to protect all county residents gets underway...continued from page 6 experiencing homelessness,” said San Bernardino County Chief Executive Officer Gary McBride. “Homeless individuals, who once declined the offer for immediate supportive housing, now, like the rest of us, desire protection against COVID-19 in the safety and comfort of a shelter’s four walls. Our hope is that through this crisis, some homeless individuals will recognize the county and the community’s commitment to end homelessness and seek extended services which lead to permanent housing, employment, wellness, and resiliency.” Homeless individuals over the age of 65 and persons of any age who have underlying health conditions or are immunocompromised, will receive priority housing, followed by pregnant homeless women, and homeless people meeting this criteria who are exposed to the virus and require isolation, but are non-symptomatic. Homeless people who meet the criteria are contacted by County staff including the Sheriff ’s Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement team and Behavioral Health’s Homeless Outreach Support team. Homeless people requiring extensive healthcare services or hospitalization are directed to medical facilities, while others are offered the temporary housing on a voluntary, but conditional basis. Individuals who decline are reminded of social distancing requirements and provided referrals to other resources and services. Homeless people who desire temporary housing sign an admission agreement, which
includes a pledge for no visitors, abstinence from alcohol and substance use, vacating upon the ending of the 14-day stay period or rescinding of the Governor’s Executive Order, and participating in regular meetings with a case manager to develop a plan for immediate and subsequent housing needs. In addition to shelter, food, physical and behavioral health care, laundry facilities, and other resources are provided. Temporary housing locations approved by the State of California include hotels, motels, trailers, shelters and other areas that allow the ability to practice social distancing and handwashing. Various San Bernardino County agencies, homeless service providers, business owners, cities, and communities are working in collaboration to determine which locations best allow for access to needed services while meeting strict CDC requirements for public safety. Part of this solution are the 20 trailers that arrived at Glen Helen Regional Park. Each trailer can house one person or a family of two. Occupants will sign agreements requiring them to remain on the park grounds for the duration of the emergency. For information about the coronavirus crisis, visit the County’s coronavirus website at sbcovid19.com. New information and resources are updated daily. The public can also contact the COVID-19 hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at (909) 387-3911, or email the County at coronavirus@dph.sbcounty.gov.
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COVID-19 crisis endures, but Like a Petri dish for the virus: Tens of thousands of California inmates are at risk...continued from page 4 County plans for recovery Local News
The peak of the COVID-19 crisis locally and nationally has not yet arrived, but County Government has begun planning for a multifaceted recovery by creating a San Bernardino County COVID19 Recovery Coalition led by Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman that will include several government, privatesector and community partners from throughout the county. “The impacts of this pandemic are already deep and far-reaching in terms of our local economy, government resources, and the basic structure of our society,” Hagman said. “The sooner we start talking about what recovery and our post-COVID-19 county looks like, even while coping with the crisis itself, the stronger and more enduring our recovery will be.” The coalition includes the leadership of the county’s Economic Development and Workforce Development departments and the Community Development and Housing Agency. It will eventually encompass public- and privatesector partners in the following areas:
• Transportation/Logistics • Healthcare • The Faith Community • Retail • Manufacturing • Government • Education • Hospitality
• Tourism A process for selecting members of the coalition will be announced at a future date. “The focus of the coalition will be to begin a dialogue about recovery efforts and best practices toward dealing with the current COVID-19 crisis and moving our county towards recovery,” Hagman said. Hagman cautioned that talking about recovery now is not a signal to ease off on efforts to control the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. “We have not yet seen the worst,” Hagman said. “We must still stay at home when we can and take serious precautions when we have to go out by covering our faces as needed, washing our hands often, and maintaining social distancing. Backing off now will cause more people to become infected, more people to get gravely ill, and strain our healthcare system beyond capacity.” “We will emerge from this crisis by working together,” Hagman said. “The San Bernardino County COVID-19 Recovery Coalition will help ensure that we emerge stronger, smarter, and ready to build our future.” A variety of designated County departments and agencies have been working together since Jan. 25 to protect the community from the COVID-19 pandemic. For information about the coronavirus crisis, visit the County’s coronavirus website at sbcovid19.com. New information and resources are updated daily. The public can also contact the COVID-19 hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at (909) 387-3911, or email the County at coronavirus@dph.sbcounty.gov.
officials who run county and municipal jails, and who have elections to win when the pandemic ends.“Some municipalities, some jurisdictions are taking it as seriously as possible,” said Tifanei ResslMoyer of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.“Others are just waiting and hoping it doesn’t happen tothem.”In late March, the state began to release a total of 3,500 prison inmates who were within 60 days of their release date.Los Angeles County has made broad public efforts to reduce arrests and release the low-risk offenders still inside. The Los Angeles County jail system has released at least 1,700 inmates, and Sheriff Alex Villanueva has ordered his deputies and municipal departments in the county to make fewer arrests and issue more citations.Before the pandemic, about 300 people per day were brought into the county’s jails. That number,Villanueva said earlier this month, was down to about 70 each day.Orange County’s jail population is down to 3,904 from its March 6 population of 5250. The jail has released 331 inmates,Barnes told the Orange County Board of Supervisorson Tuesday, all of them medically fragile or seniors.Barnes has resisted calls for broader action to release inmates.“My goal is never to release people early,” Barnes said at a press conference. However, he said he’s open to releasing medically fragile inmates and those charged with or convicted of nonviolent crimes. He did not respond to repeated interview requests from CalMatters.Among California’s most populous counties, Riverside, San Bernardino and Fresno counties have not changed their jail
policies or released inmates early.“Unlike other jurisdictions, I have no intention of preemptively releasing inmates out of fear something may or may not happen,”Riverside County Sheriff Chad Biancosaid last month. “I feel very strongly that the inmates we have remaining in custody pose a much greater risk to public safety than the risk this virus poses to them while they are in custody.”Alameda, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, among others, have each released a significant number of jail inmates while taking protective steps, such as feeding inmates in cells and cancelling scheduled visits.In Sacramento County, the sheriff has ordered the release of inmates with 30 days or fewer remaining in their sentences.The jail released 421 inmatesin late March of the total pre-pandemic population of about 3,700 inmates.The Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County on Wednesday housed about 2,000 inmates, half its usual capacity. The Alameda County Sheriff ’s Office has stopped conducting all arrests except for those involving violent crimes, or those deemed “serious” by the sheriff ’s office.“The political landscape in Orange County is very different,” said Ramirez of the ACLU. “It’s an extremely tough-on-crime attitude that has existed for decades. In Los Angeles jails they’re talking about care first. In Orange County, we’re not there yet.”California’s Judicial Council took measures to reduce jail populations this week by setting bail statewide at zero for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies to “safely reduce jail populations.”In the federal prison system, while celebrities like rapper Takashi69 have been
released from jail on compassionate grounds, federal prosecutors are still contesting the threat of the coronavirus. Premal Dharia, a former public defender and founder of the Defender Impact Initiative, said despite the pandemic, prosecutors continue to push for pretrial detention in nonviolent crimes.“These are the sort of actions that defy logic,given the urgency of the pandemic,” Dharia said.McGregor Scott, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, recently wrote that the pandemic doesn’t qualify accused inmates for immediate release.“The COVID-19 pandemic does not create a situation where there is a threat of serious physical or emotional injury to [the defendant] resulting from her incarceration pending sentencing,” Scott wrote when opposing bail review for a Northern California woman charged with drug distribution and conspiracy.He added that the pandemic may in fact make it easier for a released inmate to avoid recapture. “During a time when community resources are devoted to fighting COVID-19, it may be easier for a motivated defendant to hide.”Scott also has opposed the pretrial release of a 62-year-old man accused of selling 18 pounds of methamphetamine last November.‘He’s so close to walking out’The prioritization of medically-fragile inmates has the 14 other men in Armendariz’s sector wondering whether they’re next to be released. They’ve had multiple heart attacks, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis or asthma, conditions which exacerbate their risk for severe complications from COVID-19.All are being held in maximum security because they have been accused or convictedof serious
offenses.Kocontes, the lawyer held in the Theo Lacy Facility’s medical module with Armendariz, said he can envision a federal claim by inmates against the Orange County jail system, claiming that keeping medicallyfragile inmates inside a jailamounts to cruel and unusual punishment.“By the time that’s litigated, you’re gonna have a lot of dead people,” Kocontes said.Now, Armendariz waits for the sound he fears the most –a dry cough from someone in his module. Because he was charged at 16,his case has been sent to a judge to consider a transfer to juvenile court. After a positive probation report last year, he and his family believed he could be released as soon as May.Then the pandemic hit. Non-essential court cases were put on hold and Armendariz was left in the county lockup, waiting.“He’s so close to walking out,” said Armendariz’s sister, Johanna Diaz. “This COVID thing is so close to him, I don’t know, it’s a matter of time before it gets to him.“He was looking at walking out in May. God forbid he does get the coronavirus, he basically loses his chance at walking out and having a life.”In a letter, Armendariz wrote Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer that he feels helpless as the coronavirus heads their way.“I feel likeI’m on the Titanic as it’s sinking and you’re telling me there’s no room on the life rafts because of my past. Unlike the Titanic, there is plenty of room on the life rafts, but you’d rather watch us drown.”Nigel Duara is areporter with CalMatters. This article is part ofThe California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California