Vol. 66 No. 29 Thursday, July 16, 2026

CALIFORNIA’S UNHOUSED SENIORS

A Crisis Within the State’s Homelessness Crisis

By Edward Henderson CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA

California’s homelessness crisis is increasingly becoming an aging crisis, as a growing number of older adults experience housing instability at a stage of life when health challenges, fixed incomes and mobility limitations can make finding stability far more difficult.

Nearly half — about 48% —

By Solomon O. Smith

BLACK MEDIA

Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) says a deadly Fourth of July weekend shooting in Compton that claimed the life of one of his former staff members underscores the urgent need for stronger gun safety laws at both the state and federal levels.

The shooting was one of several acts of gun violence reported across California over the holiday weekend, renewing debate over firearm regulations and the limits states face in enacting gun control measures.

See GUN CONTROL page 2

REPORT BRANDS SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AS RADICAL ACTIVISTS

By Steve Peoples AP

A White House report brands the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, indicating that President Donald Trump may be preparing to install his own team.

The report released late on Independence Day by the White House Domestic Policy Council comes in the midst of Trump’s aggressive campaign to overhaul some of Washington’s most sacred cultural and historic institutions. Trump in March revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” as he continued a broadside against culture he deems too liberal.

and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic,” according to the report by the council, which is led by a former top Trump speechwriter.

“The Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership

See SMITHSONIAN page 2

By Bo Tefu CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA

California Controller Malia Cohen Releases Searchable Government Workforce Data, Showing $33.1B in Total Wages; Highest-Paid Employee Earned $1.2 Million

California State Controller Malia M. Cohen on July 9 released updated payroll datashowing local governments paid more than $33.1 billion in wages to approximately 751,117 public employees during calendar year 2025, while launching an updated

See PLAYBACK page 2

of single adults experiencing homelessness in California in 2023 were at least 50 years old, according to a University of California, San Francisco report. That figure represents a dramatic increase from 1990, when older adults accounted for just 11% of the state’s unhoused single adult population.

See UNHOUSED SENIORS page 2

On Tuesday, July 7, the San Diego City Council greenlit the housing development project at Radio Towers in Emerald Hills, despite controversy and community pushback.

According to a report by KPBS, the City Council, in an 8-1 vote, denied an appeal by the Chollas Valley Community Planning Group to stop the housing project from building over 100 homes atop Radio Towers Hill, which provides a unique 360-view of San Diego.

As previously reported by the Voice & Viewpoint, the development relies on Footnote 7 of the City’s Land Development Code, a controversial zoning provision that allows for higher-density housing in the Encanto and Southeast neighborhoods. After community pushback, the City Council voted to repeal the footnote in March 2025; however, the Emerald Hills Housing Project was already approved for construction.

See EMERALD HILLS page 2

ARTICLE CONTINUATION

unhoused seniors

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For many seniors, preventing homelessness requires more than an affordable apartment. It requires housing connected to healthcare, transportation, case management and other supportive services that allow older adults to remain independent while navigating the realities of aging.

“California’s population is rapidly aging, but our supportive housing systems have yet to catch up,” said David Lindeman, chair of the California Commission on Aging (CCoA), during the Commission’s annual information hearing titled “Nowhere to Go: Addressing the Crisis in Supportive Housing for Older Californians.

The hearing, held at the California Endowment in Sacramento, brought together housing advocates, government officials, service providers and individuals with lived experience to examine why so many older adults struggle to find housing designed to meet their needs.

One of those individuals was Sacramento resident Steve Gasco.

GUN CONTROL

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At a block party in Compton, a gunman opened fire on a crowd, killing Eric Washington, a former California Assembly aide, and Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, while injuring three others.

The deaths of Washington and BordenaveJenkins left deep wounds in the community.

Bordenave-Jenkins, 19, was a sophomore studying nursing at the University of Nevada. She was staying with her sister for the summer.

SMITHSONIAN

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The authors added: “As this report shows, confirmed in the words of Museum leadership, this ideological capture has moved the Museum’s mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”

The Smithsonian did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

Historian Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian’s current secretary, is the first African American to lead the institution. In an unrelated interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bunch said “the notion of being a more perfect union, not the perfect union, is really what motivates me.”

“I think what I want people to understand is that there is a responsibility to continue to make those aspirations available, accessible, meaning-

PLAYBACK

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The annual Government Compensation in California report provides one of the state’s most comprehensive public records of local government payroll and compensation. The data show local governments paid nearly $26 billion in regular pay, $3.6 billion in overtime pay, about $675.8 million in lumpsum pay and nearly $2.9 billion in other pay, for total wages exceeding $33.1 billion. Employers also contributed nearly $9 billion toward employee retirement and health benefits, bringing total compensation to nearly $94.4 billion.

“Public trust starts with public information,” said Cohen. “Every Californian deserves easy access to reliable information about how taxpayer dollars are spent at the city and county level.

Among California cities, Hayward reported the highest average employee wage, followed by Atherton and San Francisco. Santa Clara County, Alameda County and Los Angeles County reported the highest average employee wages among counties.

The report also identified the state’s highest-paid local government employee. A deputy police chief in Redlands reported $1,203,370 in total wages during 2025. Several Los Angeles positions also ranked among the highest paid, including a fire battalion chief who earned $921,050, multiple transmission and distribution district supervisors earning more than $760,000, a chief port pilot with $777,990, an electric distribution mechanic with $760,684 and a general manager and chief engineer with $748,766.

When Gasco, 61, moved back to California after living in Detroit, he found himself facing a challenge many older adults now experience: finding housing he could afford while preparing for retirement.

Gasco was paying about $1,300 per month for what he described as the most affordable apartment he could find in Midtown Sacramento. To make ends meet, he relied on gig work, including driving for Grubhub using an older vehicle. When his rent increased, he began searching for another option to avoid becoming unhoused.

That search eventually led him to the Wong Center, a 55-and-older affordable housing community in downtown Sacramento.

“Living at the Wong Center has been just such an amazing, fortunate experience,” Gasco told commissioners. “It doesn’t really have a lot of supportive services, but it’s a landing pad for a lot of older people.”

Gasco said the building has become more than a place to live for its approximately 150 older residents. It has become a community where neighbors support one another through the challenges of aging.

Her mother, Ebone Jenkins, said her daughter wanted to become a neonatal travel nurse and was active in church.

Washington served as a field deputy for Gipson before later working for HACLA, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. To honor his memory, HACLA established the Eric Washington Community Impact Awards.

For Gipson, Washington’s death was both personal and political.

Gipson and Washington worked together for years, united by a shared commitment to reducing gun violence in their communities.

ful to a whole range of people,” Bunch said. “And that, in essence, America’s greatest strength, it’s not running away from its history, but it’s understanding how that history shaped us and continues to shape us.”

Historian Anthea M. Hartig is the first woman to serve as director of National Museum of American History.

Trump’s escalating effort to force changes at the Smithsonian marks the Republican president’s latest move to transform cultural pillars of society, such as universities and art, that he considers out of step with conservative sensibilities. Trump had himself installed as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the aim of overhauling programming, and his handpicked board voted to add his name to the building, only to have a federal judge later order the signage to be removed.

The administration also forced Columbia University to make a series of policy changes by threatening the Ivy League school with the

State officials said 16 cities and one county either failed to submit required payroll information or submitted incomplete data, despite California law requiring local governments to report employee compensation annually to the Controller’s Office.

Since its launch in 2010, the Government Compensation in California database has expanded to include salary and benefit information for more than two million government positions reported each year. The searchable database allows users to compare compensation across agencies, search by job classification, explore interactive maps and download payroll data for independent analysis.

Sen. Padilla Condemns Trump Administration's Removal of Democratic Election Commissioners

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, is condemning the Trump administration’s dismissal of the Democratic members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), calling the move an attack on the nation's election system just months before the 2026 midterm elections.

The EAC was established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 to serve as an independent, bipartisan agency that provides guidance, resources and support to state and local election officials. By law, no more than two commissioners may belong to the same political party, and commissioners continue serving until their successors are confirmed and sworn into office.

“There’s an old song: ‘I got no place to go, alone in a big city. Will you be a friend and help me?’” Gasco said. “And that plays in my mind because now it’s about 150 older people. I’m one of the youngest at 61, and people are in wheelchairs. People have different mobility issues.”

He said many older adults experience isolation and disconnection that can be difficult to capture through traditional discussions about mental health.

Black Californians are disproportionately represented in California’s aging homelessness population, because of longstanding disparities in housing, income, health, and wealth, experts say. According to the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative’s California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness, Black Californians make up 31% of older adults experiencing homelessness, despite representing only about 6% of Californians age 50 and older.

Janelle Kazarus, CEO of El Hogar Community Services in Sacramento, told commissioners that many older adults fall into a gap between independent housing and institutional care.

The Compton tragedy also comes as California and other states continue to navigate legal challenges to their authority to regulate firearms.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Wolford v. Lopez invalidated portions of a Hawaii law prohibiting people with concealed-carry permits from bringing firearms onto private property that is open to the public without the owner's consent.

“Because of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down protections in Wolford v. Lopez a nd rule against Hawaii’s common-senselaws, a pattern continues where the U.S. federal government cannot guarantee us

loss of several hundred million dollars in federal funding.

Trump has also imposed changes on historical sites beyond Washington, including in Philadelphia, where the administration won a court ruling last week allowing it to reinstall interpretive panels that critics say whitewash the history of slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home. Advocates, academics and officials have been concerned for months that the version that complies with Trump’s order could give a history that plays down the pain in the nation’s past in favor of a more triumphant view.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., accused Trump and his allies of trying to “rewrite history.”

“There’s not one individual narrative that a president gets about our history,” Shapiro, a potential presidential prospect, said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And any president should want to make sure that that full history is shared, that the American people are able to draw their own conclusions.”

EMERALD HILLS

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The housing project includes 123 single-dwelling units, with the promise of 13 affordable dwelling units, 7 open space lots, and other improvements. The community has expressed health and safety concerns regarding these additions to an already heavily populated area with existing traffic and infrastructure issues.

Residents protested ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, and others took the floor to express their concerns and visions for the lot; however, the City Council still decided to move forward

“Here we go again. President Trump is trying to dismantle yet another independent guardrail of our democracy designed to keep elections fair and secure,” Padilla and Morelle said in a joint statement.

The EAC was created in response to widespread concerns about election administration following the 2000 presidential election. The agency distributes federal election funds, develops voluntary voting system guidelines, certifies voting equipment, and provides best practices and technical assistance to election officials nationwide.

Under federal law, commissioners are nomi nated by the president, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and may serve up to two four-year terms. The statute also specifies that commissioners remain in office after their terms expire until their successors have been appointed and have taken office.

“For older adults, behavioral health needs, housing is often the intervention that determines whether recovery is possible,” Kazarus said.

Older adults experiencing homelessness also face barriers that younger people may not encounter. According to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, housing discrimination, limited income and age-related health conditions can all make securing permanent housing more difficult.

Research has also found that homelessness can accelerate the aging process. Chronic stress, exposure to the elements, untreated medical conditions, poor nutrition and limited healthcare access can contribute to earlier cognitive decline, mobility limitations and frailty among older adults experiencing homelessness.

Although advocates have warned that adults 55 and older are the fastest-growing segment of California’s unhoused population, no major stand-alone legislation this year is dedicated specifically to preventing or ending homelessness among older adults.

the most basic protections,” Gipson told CBM. “Taken as a whole, these negligent Washington actions are already leading to more violence –in Watts and other neighborhoods – which directly affects the people Eric Washington worked with during his life,” he added.

Throughout his legislative career, Gipson has championed firearm regulations aimed at creating safer communities. Currently, Gipson is working to pass AB 2339, the Accuracy in Mental Health Reporting Act. Gipson is also advancing AB 1943, which is designed to educate families about the safe storage of firearms in the home.

Shapiro added, “If we understand where we came from, we’re going to have a better path forward."

Trump’s Domestic Policy Council does not necessarily agree.

The National Museum of American History “confronts visitors with materials intended to undermine faith in American institutions and the longstanding shared ideals of the American people,” the council's report said. “We must be committed to restoring truth and sanity in how American history is presented and taught.”

In seeking to fulfill Trump’s order, which he called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the review concluded by finding that the museum “by the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, has become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.”

with the project. The vote is devastating to the community members of Emerald Hills, who have long hoped for the green space to be turned into a park for all to enjoy.

District 4 Councilmember Henry L. Foster, who voted in support of the housing development, shared in a press release:

“Our residents deserve the same investment and opportunities as every other community in this city. This project expands opportunities for homeownership, delivers meaningful infrastructure improvements, and represents an invest-

NOW IS PLANNING TIME FOR POLITICS GOING FORWARD

By Dr. John E. Warren PUBLISHER, SAN DIEGO VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSPAPER CHAIRMAN, NNPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

With the Fourth of July and its 250-year celebrations behind us, along with most Political Primaries, including California and the Mid Term General Elections four months away, many political entities are engaged in planning and budget preparations, most of which do not include most of us.

While a number of groups are organizing to get out the vote and to encourage voter registration, our personal efforts must focus on where we are and who each of us can personally reach. We must renew discussion groups that help a whole new generation and some of us who came before them, understand the importance of each and every vote.

We must be reminded that many people who came before us gave their lives for our right to vote. Can we allow them to have died in vain? The answer is no. The personal decision is that “we will not”.

THE “DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST”

It’s The Message Not The Messenger

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III

“In 1956, I shall not go to the polls. I have not registered. I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no “two evils” exist. There is but one evil party with two names, and it will be elected despite all I can do or say. There is no third party. On the Presidential ballot in a few states (seventeen in 1952), a “Socialist” Party will appear. Few will hear its appeal because it will have almost no opportunity to take part in the campaign and explain its platform. If a voter organizes or advocates a real third-party movement, he may be accused of seeking to overthrow this government by “force and violence.” Anything he advocates by way of significant reform will be called “Communist” …” Dr. W.E.B. DuBois – 1956

How prophetic was the brilliant American sociologist, writer, historian, Pan-Africanist, and civil rights activist, Dr. DuBois? As we witness the backlash from the Democratic Party’s leadership, as well as President Trump’s response to the success of democratic socialist candidates in the New York City and Washington, DC primaries and anticipate backlash from the democratic socialist victory in Colorado, a couple of important questions come to the forefront. Are we witnessing the development of a new politics in America? If so, what should the response of the African American community and electorate be?

It is important to understand that changes in the political landscape take time. Events such as Democratic Socialists winning over Democratic Party-backed candidates do not happen in a vacuum. One must understand the history in order to understand “the now”.

In the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primary Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) decisively defeated Hilary Clinton in New Hampshire. During the 2016 campaign Senator Sanders “came out” as a “democratic socialist (DS)” during a speech at Georgetown University. He told the crowd that democratic socialism is not a Marxist ideology calling for the abolition of

capitalism. “I don’t believe government should own the means of production, but I do believe that the middle class and the working families who produce the wealth of America deserve a fair deal…”

In the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary Senator Sanders gained more traction as his message of free tuition at public universities, campaign finance reform and single-payer healthcare resonated with more voters across the electorate.

Building upon the momentum created by Senator Sanders we now have “The Squad” — four congresswomen of color, sworn-in in 2020. While some refer to themselves as democratic socialists, they all express support for DS policies. Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the first Somali-American member of Congress, Rashida Tlaib are the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan challenged the Democratic Party agenda when she publicly supported the pro-Palestine BDS movement. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is very clear in her support of immigrant rights and has said, “The people closest to the pain should be closest to the power.” They have motivated the “progressive” ranks within the Democratic Party to varying degrees. These women have articulated support for ideas such as Medicare for All, a $15-dollar minimum wage, debt-free college and have called for abolishing ICE.

Based upon this brief history of fits and starts we now come to the current day. Three congressional candidates in New York City won their primary races with the support of Mayor Mamdani and his allies. The Washington Post reported, “After three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their congressional primaries in New York last week, establishment Democrats felt angst. Democratic socialists looked to Colorado, and the money followed.”

Are the democratic socialist politics of Mayor

Now, in the month of July, while many are on vacation, we must be engaged in planning our workshops and town hall meetings. There are several groups and organizations in the community that have already scheduled such events for the month of September. This is important to know because Labor Day has become the official start of intense political activity going toward the November General Election. The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint will make its facility available to the extent possible for some community meetings, not all. We encourage other members of the Black Press to do the same in their cities where possible. We must not lose this election because of low voter turnout due to a lack of interest and dollars to get us involved. While dollars will help, we must not fail to act because we were waiting for someone else to fund us when we are still Buying What We Want And Not Supporting What We Need

Please share your thoughts and interest with us so that we can inspire others.

Mamdani and the candidates he supports proving to be the next iteration of a progressive movement within the American body politic? If so, why is the Democratic Party establishment, including many of its African American leaders, so afraid of this shift in politics?

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) says Mayor Mamdani is going to have to smooth things over with congressional Democrats. Why? The candidates he and his allies backed won the primaries fair and square. Unless as Dr. Dubois stated, “I believe that democracy has so far disappeared in the United States that no “two evils” exist. There is but one evil party with two names…”

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have received millions of dollars in campaign funding from AIPAC. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, AIPAC-backed members of the caucus have received at least $3.6 million—and an estimated total of nearly $9 million across several election cycles.

How prophetic was Dr. DuBois? “If a voter organizes or advocates a real third-party movement, he may be accused of seeking to overthrow this government by “force and violence.” Anything he advocates by way of significant reform will be called “Communist””. No matter what you call it, no matter what you call them, those who are championing civil rights, workers’ rights, equal pay for equal work, an end to these senseless, illegal and immoral wars of choice should be listened to.

There is a new politics developing and members of the African American electorate should be paying attention because the constituents are not being paid by AIPAC to vote against their own interests and the interests of their community. Too many so-called people in positions of leadership are. Remember, it’s not the messenger, it’s the message.

Read the full article on www.sdvoice.info

HBCUs ARE STILL THE VANGUARD

By Julianne Malveaux

This week I am thinking about what it means to go back to school in a country that still rations opportunity. The stores are selling backpacks and dorm décor, but the deeper question is who gets access to education, who must borrow for it, and which institutions continue to carry the burden of Black possibility.

The fireworks have dimmed, and the Fourthof-You-Lie sales are waning. In this country, we commemorate through commerce and celebrate through retail activity, so even though we are just a few days into July, back-to-school signs are already shouting from store windows and websites.

Who is going back to school, and under what circumstances?

As with every milestone in this country, inequality roars. Some students will return to school with new laptops, quiet rooms, familypaid tuition, and networks that cushion every stumble. Others will return carrying debt,

doubt, family obligations, food insecurity, transportation challenges, and the accumulated disadvantages of underfunded schools and under-resourced communities.

The back-to-school season is marketed as a fresh start. For too many students, it is also a reminder that opportunity in America has always been rationed.

That is why Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) still matter. Indeed, that is why HBCUs remain the vanguard.

The vanguard is not always the largest part of the army. It is the front edge. It moves first. It absorbs blows. It clears the path. By that definition, HBCUs have always been the vanguard. They were built because this country’s higher education system excluded Black people by law, custom, violence, and contempt. Their founding question was not, “How do we reproduce privilege?”

See HBCUs page 2

CHURCH DIRECTORY

Beat The Heat: Cool Zone Locations Near You

VOICE & VIEWPOINT NEWSWIRE

As the summer goes on, the temperature rises. San Diego County has designated Cool Zones: free, air-conditioned spaces

across the city for those looking to escape the heat.

San Diego County residents who may need help getting to a Cool Zone location — such as older adults, people with disabilities, or those who are home -

ORGANIZATION ADDRESS

bound — can call 211 to be connected to transportation or rideshare at no cost.

The complete list of Cool Zone locations can be found at CoolZones.org. To find the nearest location near you call 211 or visit CoolZones.org.

CONTACT HOURS OF OPERATION

Chula Vista Public Library: Civic Center Branch 365 F St. Chula Vista 91910 (619) 691-5069Mon 10:00am-8:00pm Tues 10:00am-8:00pm Wed 10:00am-8:00pm Thurs 10:00am-8:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun 1:00pm-5:00pm

City of La Mesa: Adult Enrichment Center

8450 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91942 (619) 667-1491Mon 8:00am-5:00pm Tues 8:00am-5:00pm Wed 8:00am-5:00pm Thurs 8:00am-5:00pm Fri 8:00am-1:00pm Sat Closed Sun Closed

County of San Diego: Spring Valley Community Center 8735 Jamacha Blvd Spring Valley 91977 (619) 479-1832Mon 12:00pm-8:00pm Tues 12:00pm-8:00pm Wed 12:00pm-8:00pm Thurs 12:00pm-8:00pm Fri 12:00pm-5:00pm Sat Closed Sun Closed

National City Public Library 1401 National City Blvd. National City 91950 (619) 470-5800Mon 10:00am-8:00pm Tues 10:00am-8:00pm Wed 10:00am-8:00pm Thurs 10:00am-8:00pm Fri 10:00am-6:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun Closed

San Diego County Library: Bonita-Sunnyside Branch 4375 Bonita Rd Bonita 91902 (619) 475-4642Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tue 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun Closed

San Diego County Library: Casa de Oro Branch 9805 Campo Rd. Spring Valley 91977 (619) 463-3236Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat Closed Sun Closed

San Diego County Library: Imperial Beach Branch

San Diego County Library: La Mesa Branch

San Diego County Library: Lemon Grove Branch

San Diego County Library: Lincoln Acres Branch

San Diego County Library: Spring Valley Branch

San Diego Public Library: Logan Heights Branch

San Diego Public Library: Paradise Hills Branch

810 Imperial Beach Blvd Imperial Beach 91932 (619) 424-6981Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun Closed

8074 Allison Ave La Mesa 91942 (619) 469-2151Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 12:00pm-7:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun 10:00am-5:00pm

3001 School Lane Lemon Grove 91945 (619) 337-1454Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun Closed

2725 Granger Ave National City 91950 (619) 475-9880Mon Closed Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat 10:00am-5:00pm Sun Closed

836 Kempton St. Spring Valley 91977 (619) 463-3006Mon 10:00am-6:00pm Tues 12:00pm-7:00pm Wed 10:00am-6:00pm Thurs 10:00am-6:00pm Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat Closed Sun Closed

567 S 28th St San Diego 92113 (619) 533-3968Mon 11:30am-8:00pm Tues 11:30-8:00pm Wed 9:30am-6:00pm Thurs 9:30am-6:00pm Fri 9:30pm-6:00pm Sat 9:30am-6:00pm Sun Closed

5922 Rancho Hills Dr San Diego 92139 (619) 527-3461Mon Closed Tues 11:30am-8:00pm Wed 9:30am-6:00pm Thurs 9:30am-6:00pm Fri 9:30am-6:00pm Sat 9:30am-6:00pm Sun Closed

July Dementia Activities Calendar

The Dementia & Brain Health Team has created a monthly calendar to catalog events, community meetings, and educational programs related to dementia and caregiving. All activities are FREE to attend; however, registration may be required . Visit LiveWellSD.org/ Dementia for the online version of the calendar. Community Meetings

JULY 30, 11AM-12:30PM

C aregiver Coalition General Meeting

Organizer: Aging & Independence Services

Location: Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library Address: 215 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103

JULY 16, 6:30AM

Launch of WHO’s Guidelines for Risk Reduction of Cognitive Decline and Dementia, Second Edition Organizer: World Health Organization Location: Online

JULY 21, 10-11AM

Exploring Care and Support Services

Organizer: Alzheimer’s Association San Diego/Imperial Chapter Location: Online

JULY 21, 10:30-11:30AM

E mpowered Caregiver: Communicating Effectively Organizer: Alzheimer’s Association San Diego/Imperial Chapter

L ocation: Sungarden Terrace Retirement Community Address: 2045 Skyline Dr, Lemon Grove, CA 91945

JULY 22, 10-11:15AM

L iving Meaningfully with Dementia: Creativity & Connection Through the Arts

Organizer: Lewy Body Dementia Association

L ocation: Online

JULY 23, 11AM-12:15PM

C ommunication Skills

Organizer: Alzheimer’s San Diego/ElderHelp

L ocation: Online

JULY 28 10:30AM-12PM

E mpowered Caregiver: Understanding Dementia Behaviors & Long-Term Care Planning

Organizer: Alzheimer’s Association San Diego/ Imperial Chapter

L ocation: Herrick Community Healthcare Library Address: 9001 Wakarusa St, La Mesa, CA 91942

JULY 30, 2-3PM

C ommunicating Effectively

Organizer: Alzheimer’s Association San Diego/Imperial Chapter

L ocation: Online

OTHER RECURRING ACTIVITIES

Memory Cafés are free, welcoming meet-ups that keep older adults mentally and socially active through engaging activities, occasional guest speakers, and community resources. All attendees, including family and caregivers, are welcome; however, no care is provided, so individuals needing assistance must bring their own caregiver.

• G eorge G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers, Inc.

Social Activities, Outings, & Quality of Life Programs for people living with dementia are designed to foster engagement, enjoyment, social connection, and overall well-being. These experiences can be tailored around themes such as music, movement, art, nature, and more to create meaningful opportunities for participation.

• A lzheimer’s San Diego

• Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

• San Diego College of Continuing Education Emeritus

Westfield Plaza Bonita

3030 Plaza Bonita Road National City 91950 (619) 267-2850Mon 10:00am-8:00pm Tues 10:00am-8:00pm Wed 10:00am-8:00pm Thurs 10:00am-8:00pm Fri 10:00am-9:00pm Sat 10:00am-9:00pm Sun 11:00am-7:00pm

Writer

Saturday, July 11th was an unforgettable celebration of faith, unity, and the powerful impact of women in ministry and the community at the 13th Annual Bayside Gospel Concert Aboard the Midway. With an incredible turnout, attendees from all over the city, state & out of state gathered for an evening filled with heartfelt worship, inspiration, and encouragement.

The event featured an outstanding all-women line up, including Alexis Spight, La’Kea Stokes, Carolyn Traylor, Sonya Griffin, Diamond Brandon, and Amari Michelle. Each woman brought a unique gift and anointed presence, creating an atmosphere that inspired worship and left the presence of The Holy Spirit on everyone in attendance.

A focal point of the evening was the recognition of our Women of Impact, honoring Diamond Brandon, Kea Hagan, Chida Warren, Rhonda Hunt Phillips, Sabrina Bishop, Shelia Burrell, Zykina Stewart, and Francine Maxwell. These remarkable women were celebrated for their leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of our com

munity.

brought to you supporting the inner city through their STEAM ogy for youth and young adults. Also sponsored Diego, Urban League San Diego County, Preferred Burnham Center for Community, USS Midway

By Darrel Wheeler Contributing Writer

n the second Sunday of July, Marie Widman Park and a block of Imperial Avenue were transformed into a day-long festival of Black culture, music, and fun.

Organized by the San Diego Black Arts + Culture District, the community event was filled with interesting vendors, singing, dancing, and a wide variety of good eats and cool drinks.

The family-friendly fun featured musical acts Kahlil Nash, Geminelle, Dub Testament and guitar master Leonard “Fuzzy'' Rankins, with host Dominic Malone handling the MC duties. The celebration also included speeches by local politicians and historians.

"The event was well supported by the community. I liked the performers, the atmosphere, and the people here," said block party attendee David Bosson.

The Encanto block party festival's huge success was a clear reflection of all the hard work and commitment by the organizers and the spirit of the event's attendees.

song, the atmosphere was filled with joy, gratitude, overwhelming support from the community made this event attended and participated helped make this Night of was truly a night to remember and a testament to the purpose.

IN MORE NEWS

NAACP Asks Athletes and Fans to Join the Fight for Voting Rights

By Voice & Viewpoint Staff

In the wake of the Louisiana vs. Callais decision to gut the Voting Rights Act, the NAACP calls upon athletes to withhold support from colleges in southern states affected by redistricting efforts.

In May, the NAACP launched the Out of Bounds Campaign, urging Black athletes, families, and fans to suspend financial support of flagship public universities that generate more than $100 million in annual revenue in eight Southern

states: Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia.

"The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice," Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement.

In the same statement, the NAACP declared the campaign “will remain in effect until targeted states adopt state-level voting rights protections,

repeal maps that dilute Black voting power, restore congressional and judicial districts that reflect the Black population's actual strength, and commit to transparent and community-centered redistricting processes”.

Ways You Can Participate in the Out of Bonds Campaign:

Athletes & Families:

• D elay commitments to targeted istitutions

• A sk coaches and athletic directors where they stand on voting rights and fair representation

• Consider HBCUs

• U se NIL platforms to bring awareness

• E ncourage peers not to let their athletic value be separated from their community’s political power

Fans & Alumni:

• D o not buy tickets to football or basketball games at targeted institutions

• D o not purchase merchandise, jerseys, or licensed apparel

• Do not donate to athletic departments, booster clubs, or NIL col -

lectives connected to targeted programs • Redirect that spending to HBCUs

Museum Display Asks California to See Black Women

In Los Angeles, visitors attending a Juneteenth weekend event at the A.C. Bilbrew Library were welcomed by a museum exhibit featuring a wall of faces — filmmakers and freedom fighters, Olympians and lawmakers — honoring Black women’s achievement and leadership.

“The Museum of California Black Women is an invitation to see Black women in full,” said Kellie Todd Griffin, president and CEO of the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute, who curated the exhibition.

Titled “A Field of Beauty and Brilliance,” the cultural exhibition opened to the public June 22 and runs through Sept. 30 at the library's Black Resource Center in Los Angeles. Admission is free. Presented in partnership with the Black Resource Center, it uses artifacts, immersive installations and interactive displays to trace the political, artistic, athletic and civic contributions of Black women across generations.

The featured names span California's cultural landscape: filmmaker Ava DuVernay, Los Angeles Mayor

Karen Bass, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (DCA-43), authors Maya Angelou and Octavia Butler, scholar Angela Davis, and athletes Allyson Felix (track and field), Venus and Serena Williams (tennis) and Cheryl Miller (basketball).

The exhibition also marks the launch of Black California Love

San Diego Voice & Viewpoint is looking for photojournalists, as independent contractors, for paid assignments.

Stories, an oral history project collecting the family histories, traditions and milestones of Black Californians for preservation on the library's website.

For the lawmakers who spoke, the wall was personal. State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) noted she is only the 21st Black woman elected to the Legislature in its 175-year history and the first to chair the Senate Labor Committee.

"Our ancestors didn't just survive history," she said. "They changed it."

fornia's first designated Black historic cultural district, an effort she said could protect some 4,000 Black cultural assets across South Central Los Angeles.

“If we don't tell our stories, no one will,” she said. “If we don't claim our space, others will come and claim it for themselves.”

That theme of erasure and the work of resisting it anchored remarks by Dr. Donna Nichol, the first Black dean of the College of Liberal Arts at California State University, Long Beach.

She opened with the story of her grandmother, Catherine Tarpley, a USC-trained historian who helped open the first cooperative food market in Watts in 1980. When the Los Angeles Times covered the effort, Nichol said, every man in the room was named in the article.

Her grandmother was not.

“My grandmother was not the exception,” Nichol said. “She was the rule.”

“in

assembled one of the most important archives of Black California history.

The lesson, Nichol argued, is that records are never neutral. Historians, she said, are trained to read “against the archive” to ask not only what is preserved but what is missing and why.

“The archive is the foundation on which all future work rests,” she said. “If we do not build it, no one else will build it for us.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the second Black woman to serve on the board after Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, said she took pride that the exhibition lives at a county facility in her district. She urged attendees to bring the next generation including young men reminding the crowd that honoring Black women is not work for women alone.

Black Resource Center librarian Cheryl Paul, a former history teacher, told visitors the collection belongs to them and pressed them not to keep it to themselves.

“We are the diaspora,” she said. “Every corner of it is represented in these four walls.”

If you’ve experienced recent job loss this might be the perfect assignment for you.

QUALIFICATIONS:

•Professional writing experience required.

Qualified, interested applicants email your resume and sample of current work to: latanya@sdvoice.info Do you have the eye to capture tomorrow’s headlines?

•Desire to work during big breaking news, special events, and cover local newsworthy stories.

•Newspaper experience is desired.

•Photo editing and processing preferred.

•Reliable transportation and valid driver’s license.

Smallwood-Cuevas tied the exhibition to her push to build Cali-

Nichol traced a lineage of California Black women who built institutions from nothing: Biddy Mason, who won her freedom in a Los Angeles courtroom and became one of the city's wealthiest landowners; Mary Ellen Pleasant, who funded John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and sued to desegregate San Francisco's streetcars; newspaper publisher Charlotta Bass, the first Black woman nominated for U.S. vice president; and librarian Miriam Matthews, who

The center, established in 1978, has long worked to preserve African American history and culture. County Librarian Dr. Skye Patrick said the museum and accompanying oral history project ensure those stories “remain accessible for future generations.”

ARTICLE CONTINUATION

Their founding question was, “How do we cultivate genius where America has refused to see it?”

That question remains urgent.

HBCUs enroll only a fraction of Black college students, but their impact is outsized. In 2022, HBCUs enrolled about 9 percent of Black college students, yet they produced 16 percent of the bachelor’s degrees earned by Black students in 2021–22. UNCF reports that HBCUs generate $16.5 billion in annual economic impact, support more than 136,000 jobs, and that the 2021 HBCU graduating class is projected to earn $146 billion over their lifetimes.

These are not sentimental institutions. They are economic engines, leadership factories, and community anchors.

Still, HBCUs are too often asked to do transformative work with transactional support.

That contradiction is especially sharp now, as federal student loan

policy shifts under the feet of students and families. The Biden-era SAVE plan — Saving on a Valuable Education — was designed to make repayment less punishing by tying payments to income and family size, reducing monthly payments for many borrowers, limiting runaway interest, and creating a shorter forgiveness path for some small-balance borrowers. Now SAVE has ended, and millions of borrowers have been told to move into other repayment plans.

The change lands first on borrowers already in repayment, but current students are not untouched. Undergraduates will face a narrower repayment landscape when they leave school. Families will confront new Parent PLUS limits. Graduate and professional students will face new borrowing caps just as advanced credentials remain expensive and often necessary. Graduate PLUS loans, which previously allowed many graduate students to borrow up to the cost of attendance, are being phased out for new borrowers. Grad

PLUS was the backstop many students used when tuition and living costs exceeded unsubsidized loan limits.

For Black students, the stakes are higher because the debt burden is heavier.

That is the context in which HBCUs do their work. Having led an HBCU, I know both the miracle, the math, and the myth. I also know this: HBCUs cannot be praised in February and underfunded in July.

The country loves the symbolism of back-to-school season. New backpacks. New notebooks. New slogans. But the real question is not what is on sale, it’s what is at stake.

If HBCUs are the vanguard, then the question is not whether they have earned our admiration. They have. The question is whether they will receive the investment, protection, and respect that their record demands.

CLASSIFIEDS / LEGAL NOTICES

Invitation for Bids (IFB) San Dieguito Lagoon Double Track Project Solicitation No.: SOL1630425 CIP 1239813, 1239822

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is seeking contractors to deliver the San Dieguito Lagoon Double Track project.

The San Dieguito River Bridge Replacement, Double Track and Special Events Platform Project is part of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) corridor improvements defined in the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) San Diego Forward, the Regional Plan (Regional Plan). The project area spans the segment of North County Transit District (NCTD)-owned rail corridor from MP 241.8, north of Control Point (CP) Valley, in the City of Solana Beach to MP 244.0, south of CP Del Mar, in the City of Del Mar. The project consists of three distinct components: new double track bridge structure (BR 243.0) over the San Dieguito River, 2.1 miles of track improvements including the addition of 1.7 miles of new double track, and a special events rail platform at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The project is within the limits of both the City of Del Mar and the City of Solana Beach.

The Del Mar Fairgrounds property is located near the middle of the project along the eastern edge of the railroad right-of-way.

Work includes track construction; new No 20 universal crossover, No 24 turnout; signal systems and communications; construction of a new double-track bridge and special events platform, double box culvert at Stevens Creek; excavation and embankment; ground improvements, retaining wall construction; construction of drainage ditches, culverts, associated structures; site work and track bed preparation (including site clearing, grading, ballast, and sub-ballast, maintenance access roads, site demolition; removal of wood trestle rail bridge; removal of existing revetment and installation of revetment and rock slope protection, construction of new utilities including SDG&E electrical service line, fiber optic communications facilities (Verizon, NCTD); telecommunications relocation, sewer and water line relocations (City of Del Mar), fire and domestic water installation; and hydroseeding); erosion control; temporary irrigation and coastal salt marsh restoration, in addition to procuring all materials and performing all other work necessary to complete the work in accordance with the Contract Plans and Special Provisions. For the SWPPP, this project is a Risk Level 2.

There is no DBE goal for this project. The Engineer’s Estimate is $276,588,718.78. This project is subject to the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).

The optional Pre-Bid Meeting will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams on July 22, 2026, from 9:30 to 11:00 AM PST/PDT. The deadline for electronic Bid submittal is August 24,2026 by 2:00 PM PST/PDT unless otherwise stated in an addendum.

A copy of the solicitation documents and any communications or addenda can be accessed via www.bidnetdirect.com/sandag.

This business is hereby registered by the following: Rochelle Otis PO Box 153724 San Diego, CA 92195

Lillie Cammon Royster PO Box 153724 San Diego, CA 92195

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 01, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 01, 2031

07/16, 07/23, 07/30, 08/06

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014080

Fictitious business name(s): Cool Couriers Elite Couriers

1111 6th Ave. Ste. 550 #434614 San Diego, CA 92101 County of San Diego

8529 Paradise Valley Road, 263 Spring Valley, CA 91977

This business is conducted by: A Corporation Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: CJSRM Corporation

1111 6th Ave. Ste. 550 #434614 San Diego, CA 92101 State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 25, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 25, 2031

07/16, 07/23, 07/30, 08/06

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9013263

Fictitious business name(s): Dalat Cafe & Restaurant

4738 University Ave. Ste H San Diego, CA 92105 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

A Limited Liability Company

The first day of business was: 06/01/2026

This business is hereby registered by the following: DL168 LLC

4738 University Ave. Ste H San Diego, CA 92105 State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 12, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 12, 2031

State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 27, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on May 27, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014757

Fictitious business name(s): TopChoice Market

SoapyCar Go 6161 El Cajon Blvd Ste B184 San Diego, CA 92115 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Cheerful Enterprises LLC 6161 El Cajon Blvd Ste B184 San Diego, CA 92115 State of Incorporation/ Organization

California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on July 06, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on July 06, 2031

07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

2026-9014216

07/16, 07/23, 07/30, 08/06

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014277

Fictitious business name(s): Y&L Treats 5115 Castana St. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: Yolanda Ramos Cruz 5115 Castana St. San Diego, CA 92114

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 26, 2026 This fictitious business name will expire on June 26, 2031 07/16, 07/23, 07/30, 08/06

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014845

Fictitious business name(s): Maiza Cab 4340 44th Street #130 San Diego, CA 92115 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: Abdisalan Abdirahman Said 4340 44th Street #130 San Diego, CA 92115

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on July 07, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on July 07, 2031 07/16, 07/23, 07/30, 08/06

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9011930

Fictitious business name(s): Green Life Care

Maestro Building Supply

Styled Pavers 9925 Prospect Ave Ste D Santee, CA 92071

County of San Diego

1111 6th Ave Ste 550 PMB 468128 San Diego, CA 92101

This business is conducted by:

A Limited Liability Company

The first day of business was: 05/27/2026

This business is hereby registered by the following: Deco Solutions LLC 1111 6th Ave Ste 550 PMB 468128 San Diego, CA 92101

will expire on June 23, 2031

07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014338

Fictitious business name(s): Dendra Wood 668 Del Mar Ave Chula Vista, CA 91910 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 06/29/2026

This business is hereby registered by the following: Marco Mendizabal Arauz 668 Del Mar Ave Chula Vista, CA 91910

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 29, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 29, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014627

Fictitious business name(s): Comfort Taxi 14031 Brighton Ave #21 Poway, CA 92064 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

Fictitious business name(s): KM Phone Repair 542 Broadway El Cajon, CA 92021

County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: Shehzad Mohammad Nader 542 Broadway El Cajon, CA 92021

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 26, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 26, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9011987

Fictitious business name(s): H&P Painting & Pre Construction Services 103 West 28 Street Suite N National City, CA 91950 County of San Diego

4492 Camino De La Plaza PMB 1924 San Ysidro, CA 92173

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Hector Manuel Barajas Jr. 4492 Camino De La Plaza PMB 1924 San Ysidro, CA 92173

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on May 28, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on May 28, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9013928

Fictitious business name(s): Little Angel's Family Childcare 6121 Fairmount Ave #311 San Diego, CA 92120 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Irma Guadalupe Juarez Crespo 6121 Fairmount Ave #311 San Diego, CA 92120 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 23, 2026 This fictitious business name

registered by the following: Target Electric Enterprises Incorporated 32994 Camino Moro Warner Springs, CA 92086 State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on July 01, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on July 01, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014524

Fictitious business name(s): Target Electric and Solar 32994 Camino Moro Warner Springs, CA 92086 County of San Diego PO Box 463

Warner Springs, CA 92086

This business is conducted by: A Corporation

The first day of business was: 01/03/2026

This business is hereby registered by the following: Target Electric Enterprises Incorporated PO Box 463 Warner Springs, CA 92086

State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This business is hereby registered by the following: Nabil Abdulrazaq 14031 Brighton Ave #21 Poway, CA 92064

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on July 02, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on July 02, 2031

07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014015

Fictitious business name(s): A Frame Inspections 4816 Hidalgo Ave. San Diego, CA 92117 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company

Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: A Frame Investments 2430 Frankfort St. San Diego CA 92110 State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 24, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 24, 2031

07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9013933

Fictitious business name(s): RCA Ventures 9787 Avenida Colino Spring Valley, CA 91977 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual

The first day of business was: 06/01/2026

This business is hereby registered by the following: Robert Charles Anderson 9787 Avenida Colino Spring Valley, CA 91977

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 23, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 23, 2031

07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014541

Fictitious business name(s): Greenline Technologies 32994 Camino Moro

Warner Springs, CA 92086 County of San Diego PO Box 463

Warner Springs, CA 92086

This business is conducted by: A Corporation

The first day of business was: 01/01/2026

This business is hereby

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on July 01, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on July 01, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014268

Fictitious business name(s): Onward Tranquility Recovery Center 8080 Canton Dr Lemon Grove, CA 91945 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above

This business is hereby registered by the following: Betty Trevon Moss 8080 Canton Dr Lemon Grove, CA 91945

State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 26, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 26, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9014241

Fictitious business name(s): Harborview Consulting

J&L Collective Coronado Business Solutions

Commercial Mobility Group

Adapt Communications 404 Camino Del Rio S, Suite 210 San Diego, CA 92108 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Corporation The first day of business was: 06/01/2026 This business is hereby registered by the following: Elevate Marketing Team Inc 404 Camino Del Rio S, Suite 210 San Diego, CA 92108

business is conducted by: An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s) above This business is hereby registered by the following: Luis Miguel Villa 2493 Roll Drive Suite 209-661 San Diego, CA 92154 This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 24, 2026 This fictitious business name will expire on June 24, 2031 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9013361

Fictitious business name(s): Scoop De Doo Water Ice 2835 University Ave San Diego, CA 92104 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company The first day of business was: 03/09/2026 This business is hereby registered by the following: Seven Over Two Holdings 2835 University Ave San Diego,

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2026-9011432

Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on June 12, 2026

This fictitious business name will expire on June 12, 2031 06/25, 07/02, 07/09, 07/16

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME 2026-9013378

Fictitious business name(s) to be abandoned: Invictus Advisors

Startup On Steroids Located at: 1041 Market St. Ste. 165 San Diego, CA 92101 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

A Limited Liability Company

The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed in San Diego County on: 04/02/2025 and assigned File no. 2025-9006545

The fictitious business name is being abandoned by: Stark Enterprises LLC 1041 Market St. Ste. 165 San Diego, CA 92101

State of Incorporation/ Organization California

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County June 15, 2026 06/25, 07/02, 07/09, 07/16

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME 2026-9013446

Fictitious business name(s) to be abandoned:

JRC Carwash And Detailing Services Located at: 4055 58th St. Apt. 3 San Diego, CA 92115

County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

A General Partnership

The Fictitious business name referred to above was filed in San Diego County on: 10/14/2025 and assigned File no. 2025-9019582

The fictitious business name is being abandoned by:

Jeuno Christopher Maitre 4055 58th St. Apt. 3 San Diego, CA 92115

Rodeline Denis 4055 58th St. Apt. 3 San Diego, CA 92115

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County June 16, 2026 06/25, 07/02, 07/09, 07/16

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse Case Number 26CU035789C

Petitioner or Attorney:

Thanh Hung Pham; Thi My Ngo on behalf of minor

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Thanh Hung Pham; Thi My Ngo on behalf of minor

filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: Ngo Thanh Tuan Pham

PROPOSED NAME: Tuan Pham

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not

be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: August 20, 2026 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT

OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN

OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is:

330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Central Division, Hall of Justice

Case Number 26CU035006C

Petitioner or Attorney: XiaoTong Liang and WenChao Chen on behalf of minor

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner XiaoTong Liang and WhenChao Chen on behalf of minor filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: JunXuan Chen

PROPOSED NAME: Jason Chen

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

NOTICE OF HEARING

a. Date: August 11, 2026 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT

OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN

OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 07/09, 07/16, 07/23, 07/30

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA 330 W Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice

Case Number

26CU021595C

Petitioner or Attorney:

Uyen Ha Tu Nguyen

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner

Uyen Ha Tu Nguyen filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: Uyen Ha Tu Nguyen

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

NOTICE OF HEARING

a. Date: July 23, 2026

Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT

OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof

of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is:

330 W Broadway San Diego, CA 92101

07/02, 07/09, 07/16, 07/23

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Central Division

Case Number 26CU033910C

Petitioner or Attorney: Eugenia Rita Duenas

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Eugenia Rita Duenas filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: Eugenia Rita Duenas

PROPOSED NAME: Eugenia Rita Duenas Gogue

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

NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: August 5, 2026 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT

holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 07/02, 07/09, 07/16, 07/23

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 North County Division Case Number 26CU027005N

Petitioner or Attorney: Elizabeth Hernandez Moedano

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner

Elizabeth Hernandez Moedano filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: Elizabeth Hernandez Moedano

PROPOSED NAME: Elizabeth Hernandez

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

NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: July 24, 2026 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. N-25

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the

If

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding

OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN

OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and

Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have

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

NOTICE OF HEARING a. Date: July 30, 2026 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. C-61 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE. The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120). If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner. To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required. A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form

specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is:

California Senate Votes to Advance AI Copyright Bill

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

Matthew Parham, a professional voice actor, was among dozens of artists and creators from across California who traveled to Sacramento to witness the Senate Privacy, Technology and Consumer Protection Committee vote in favor of legislation that would require developers of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) models to disclose the copyrighted materials used to train their systems.

Parham told California Black Media (CBM) that he serves as director of operations for the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), a coalition of performers who use their voices to portray characters, provide narration or create sound effects.

“Voice actors are in a unique situation. No one in America owns their right to their voice. You can legally steal someone’s voice,” Parham told CBM. “This bill is essential. There is no legal protection for your voice right now.”

According to Parham, AB 412 would allow voice actors and other creators to request comprehensive lists of their registered works used in AI training datasets. The bill would also authorize

Bauer-Kahan emphasized that the AI Copyright Transparency Act does not interfere with federal copyright law.

“Most copyright laws are in the federal purview. So, whether the rights holder has a right to be protected from models being trained under federal copyright laws is not for us to determine here in California,” Bauer-Kahan said. “However, transparency is not in the federal purview. That, we can actually do.”

Not everyone supports the measure.

not copy songs or use them to generate music for the platform.

“We’re a team of three. We have over 10,000 users and startups like mine don't have the funds or the bandwidth to meet compliance requirements,” Iregbulem said. “Even the cost of hiring lawyers to simply determine which AI outputs may no longer trigger compliance with the law would be substantial.”

creators to sue developers who refuse to provide that information.

“AI scrapes from everyone's face, voice, paintings, photographs, and everyone’s music,” Parham said. “And now they are trying to sell it back to us without any ownership at all, claiming eminent domain over things they didn’t create.”

AB 412 was retained as a two-year bill after stalling in the Senate last year.

Bauer-Kahan told CBM on June 11 that she accepted committee amendments that narrowed the measure by “removing prescriptive technical language” to make compliance more feasible.

Ownership Over Access

Several Key Takeaways from the Greensboro Business League Executive Round Table

By Jheri Hardaway

“The civil rights movement won the right to sit at this lunch counter, but the challenge of the 21st century is ownership of the lunch counter.”

This striking sentiment captured the foundational theme of the Greensboro Business League’s (GBL) Executive Round Table, hosted on Tuesday, June 23, at the stunning Center for Creative Leadership. Co-hosted by Gerry McCants, Co-Founder, and Earl Jones, CoFounder of the GBL, and Wilson Lester, Managing General Partner of Partners In Equity, the interactive summit gathered entrepreneurs from near and far, public officials, and banking executives to confront a persistent paradox: despite political representation and massive collective spending power, proportional economic equity remains an unreached milestone for many Black communities. The conversation moved rapidly past systemic grievances, pivoting toward raw data, structural banking mechanics, and a blueprint for localized wealth retention.

Capital Rights versus Civil Rights were a theme of the opening conversation. Wilson Lester set a sobering tone for the morning, urging the audience to recognize the regulatory leverage already at their disposal. He highlighted the critical importance of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977, noting that federally insured banks have an absolute legal obligation to reinvest a percentage of their deposits back into low-to-moderate-income (LMI) communities. Lester reminded attendees that structural advocacy re-

1862

quires baseline market participation, “Knowledge is power because they have an obligation... But you have to be the ones to be the advocate and actually apply, actually go to these banks and financial institutions.”

The keynote speaker, B. Libre Kafele (known simply as Libre), an urban development advisor and author of Capital in the City and Who Pays for Development, expanded the macroeconomic view. Kafele highlighted a sobering national reality: while Black consumer spending power has reached $1.7 trillion nationally, with North Carolina capturing an estimated $70 billion of that market share, the wealth frequently fails to circulate within the neighborhoods that generate it.

According to Kafele’s research across legacy cities like Detroit, Baltimore, Denver, and St. Louis, municipalities do not fail strictly due to crime or systemic incompetence, but rather due to metropolitan extraction, a process where infrastructure layout and historical policy choices draw wealth away from urban cores to benefit outer suburban communities. Libre tied these historical patterns directly to modern-day Greensboro. Without deliberate local intervention, this deficit accelerates displacement and gentrification, particularly in historically Black sectors like East Greensboro. Kafele passionately advocated for underutilized structural tools such as Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to preserve land ownership and stabilize long-term affordability.

A central focus of the roundtable panel, which featured Jonathan Rosato,

IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT IS BORN

Pioneer journalist and civil rights leader Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born on this day in 1862. Born into slavery in Mississippi, she became a teacher and newspaper editor, writing on the horrors of the Jim Crow South. After the death of three friends, Wells became the leading voice of anti-lynching activism and shared her investigative findings through lectures, pamphlets, and books. Wells was a founding member of the NAACP and also launched the National Association of Colored Women. She dedicated her life to fighting injustice and continued her activism until she died in 1931.

Chudi Iregbulem, a former Amazon engineer and disc jockey, founded Beatmatch, a Los Angeles-based mobile dating and social networking app that connects users through shared musical interests and alerts them to concerts and events in their area.

Iregbulem told the Senate committee he opposes AB 412 because “it imposes costly and complex requirements that could significantly harm startups” like Beatmatch.

He added that he respects copyright protections and that Beatmatch does

Parham said he is deeply committed to protecting and advancing the entertainment industry. During his career, he has performed voice-over work for brands and organizations including Nike, Marvel, ESPN, Amazon and Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, helping promote products and services through persuasive communication, tone and pacing. If AB 412 becomes law, Parham said, voice actors and other creators would finally have a way to determine whether AI companies used their protected performances to train artificial intelligence models.

“I’m essentially a blue-collar worker. I put in my 40 to 50 hours every week to make enough to pay my rent,” Parham told CBM. “It’s not about being rich and famous. It’s about loving the art and having the right to protect that art.”

founder of Trace Impact Solutions, and retired military consultant Dr. Anthony Wade, was the severe capital gridlock facing small Black-owned businesses. Rosato illuminated a major systemic mismatch in commercial real estate lending: Major traditional banks often look for a minimum commercial loan threshold of $5 million. The typical Mom-and-Pop expansion, salon, or neighborhood asset acquisition usually requires between $200,000 and $2 million. This middle tier is frequently deemed too small for commercial banking giants, yet too large for a singular Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) to absorb without over-leveraging its balance sheet. Rosato challenged the financial ecosystem to embrace intentional risktolerance and expand CDFI capacity to support cash-based or unconventional business models.

The banking sector met the challenge with transparency. Kasey Hayes, Vice President of Business Banking at Bank of America, called for aggressive financial literacy and infrastructure building among local business owners, urging entrepreneurs to leverage certified public accountants (CPAs) to establish pristine financial records. Similarly, Kelvis Johnson, Sr. Vice President and Sr. Commercial lender of M&F Bank highlighted their unique position as both a historic Minority Depository Institution (MDI) and a CDFI, reminding attend-

ees to actively hold local institutions accountable for local reinvestment.

The City of Greensboro Economic Development Office has introduced the RISE (Revitalize, Invest, Strengthen, and Expand) program, a $4 million commercial loan participation initiative designed to spark property redevelopment along designated corridors like East Market Street, Gorrell Street, and Gate City Boulevard. By acting as a secondary gap funder alongside financial institutions such as M&F Bank, United Community, First Bank, and TowneBank, the city helps entrepreneurs bridge financing shortfalls—for example, covering a $300,000 gap on a $2 million project where a bank underwrites only $1.7 million. Eligible for property acquisition and improvements, including HVAC updates, facade overhauls, and structural site cleanups, business owners can find further application details and geographical maps on the municipal portal at www.greensboro-nc. gov/riseinfill.

The overarching takeaway from the GBL Executive Round Table was clear, uncompromising, and highly motivating: the economic rescue of local communities will not be engineered by external saviors. The summit successfully bridged the gap between macro policy and localized street-level execution. By forcing municipal leaders, financial underwriters, and grassroots creators into a single room, the Greensboro Business League proved that the tools for sustainable equity, whether via the CRA, expanded CDFIs, or the city's new RISE initiative, already exist. The remaining mandate is for local entrepreneurs to aggressively organize their financials, claim these resources, and build an economic ecosystem designed to last.

Based on reporting by The Carolinian.

ELIZABETH JENNINGS GRAHAM STANDS HER GROUND

On July 16, 1854, schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings Graham was forcibly removed from a segregated streetcar in New York City. Graham, a prominent member of the Black New York community, wrote of her experience, and it soon gained national attention. She successfully sued the Third Avenue Railroad Company, and the company was ordered to desegregate its streetcars.

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