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Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace Allen IV

I think that the ‘slap heard round the world’ was a skit. The sports’ world use of instant replay has demonstrated the importance of the angle that you see from. We had a bad angle! Actors throw fake punches for a living! It looked real, except for Chris’ reaction. He said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s#@% out of me!”, and was moving on until Will yelled out from his seat that he had quickly returned to. Chris gave him a few more seconds to get his clown on, as Will screamed out several times about ‘My wife’!  Then, on with the show!

Will had delivered what appeared to be a wind-up slap that should have at least knocked Chris down! Chris didn’t fall, though he did stumble backward, as his script would call for to make the slap look real. I think that Will did not slap the s— out of Chris! I think the joke was missed by an audience that was ready to accept some Negro shenanigans as part of the ‘coloring of the Oscars’…causing the joke to be taken seriously, giving the Smiths’ a ton of chaos-based publicity that they feed on, so well!

The above opinions are not fact based and neither are any of my interesting observations below.

• Will Smith would not have slapped Wesley Snipes! (Or anybody else that wasn’t in on the joke!)
• Which is true?  Will’s slap is weak, or Chris’ jaw is a rock, or the slap wasn’t real!
• No joke steals Jada’s Beauty!
• Shaved headed men are constant joke butts
• Chris did not make fun of alopecia, he made fun of a beautiful woman who has a shaved head.
• Will knows how to throw a straight powerful punch, he learned that in preparing for the Muhammed Ali role. Will did not throw a true angry punch! Therefore, I think his defending-my-family speech is whack!
• Chris Rock could be considered the good guy because he did not press charges… or he may simply remember what happened to the guy who made a false police report in Chicago.
• The real untold Oscars story is about the Regina Hall skit… she spoke of swabbing the back of a group of men’s throats with her tongue as her method of COVID’19 testing… and then she groped two men on her way off the stage. Rampant sexism ignored!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The Westside Story Newspaper extends a congratulations to Lucretia Dowdy for being pinned as the President for the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce. The ceremony took place on Monday, March 28 at 555 N. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino. This was a great way to end Women’s History Month.

Other women that were honored at the event included: Keyona Dawson, Assemblywoman Elose Reyes Gomez, Krissy Harper, Manal Iskander, Rev. Bronica Martindale, and Robin Mckinnon.

“I know my Creator is ordering my steps!” Dowdy states. “Our chapter is doing a new and different thing. Thank you to my children for attending, my king, family, and friends.”

REDLANDS, CA—- On Sunday, March 27, 2022, Empire Talks Back (ETB) included an interview with the NAACP San Bernardino Chapter President, Cha Che Wright. Westside Story Newspaper Entertainment Writer, Lou Dowdy, brought poetess Moena (see profile below) and singer Ke LaRae to the ETB audience. Both young ladies shared their talent and passion. If you would like to be an ETB guest or to suggest one, send an email to walleniv@yahoo.com.

Moena is a 20-year-old poetess and musician who currently attends California Baptist University in pursuit of her Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition. She has been writing poetry and playing music since the age of 7. From starting to write poetry and her first song in elementary school, the seed of artistic inspiration was already sown in her heart. It was later afternoons spent exploring artistic ideas in her dad’s barbershop that really allowed her to become the artist that she is today.

One of Moena’s first notable poems was about being bored; however, her journey has been anything but boring. Pursuing music has been such an exciting journey for her. It has been her deepest passion since her first piano lesson to now, composing full orchestrated works of music for various musicians to play in many genres.

It was in her middle school band program that Moena found a passion for playing woodwind instruments, and later in high school, when writing melodies became a passion for her. The clarinet, saxophone, and flute are the three woodwind instruments that Moena has focused on in the past nine years of her life and is planning on incorporating them heavily in her music for her debut album.

Moena believes that poetry and music are deeply intertwined, and both complement each other in characterizing her unique artistry. Ultimately, they are the tools that God has given her, to express her destined purpose through. Since Moena is only at the start of her career, she knows that her future is only but a blank canvas of opportunity.

Follow her on Instagram @artxmoena.

Come and Take Part in Makerspace Event at Feldheym Central Library

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Young adults ages 12 – 18 are welcome to learn Cricut basics and make a cute sticker or die cut on Saturday, March 26 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Feldheym Central Library at 555 W. Sixth St., which is part of the City of San Bernardino Public Library system.

Young adults are encourage to bring their creativity. Supplies will be provided.

A Cricut machine is a digital die-cutting machine that is able to make precision cuts on many different types of materials, which you can use in a variety of craft projects.

The Cricut machine is part of our Makerspace area where people can build, design, and create projects.

The maker machines also have the capability to draw simple designs and lettering. With some computer skill, people can design from scratch or use pre-existing designs.  Information is available at www.sbpl.org or 909-381-8235.

By McKenzie Jackson ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

Blondy B. is an Uber driver and budding social media content creator in West Los Angeles. When he first started seeing the high cost of gas posted on service station pylon signs in his neighborhood, he says his frustration was met with a sense of disbelief at how fast prices were shooting up.

“I was like, ‘Yo, what the …,” said the 31-year-old, adding an expletive for emphasis. “It has been mind-blowing,” he said.

Blondy B. says it used to take $75 to fill his SUV’s tank. Now, it costs nearly $110.

He says dollars he was stacking to pursue his California Dream are now being poured into his gas tank.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in the Golden State has increased over $1 during the last month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

“Sometimes with Uber, you wait five, 15, or even 30 minutes to get a ride,” he said. “Now, whenever I’m done with a ride, I park right there, shutdown the car, and wait for the next call.”

Uber and Lyft are both tacking on a surcharge of 55-cents per ride paid to drivers to offset the high costs of gas.

Santa Monica resident Clint Thompson, an avid cyclist, has spent more time walking and riding his bicycle than driving this month. He says the cost to fill his car’s tank is $120.

“It’s horrible,” he told California Black Media.

Like Blondy B. and Thompson, millions of drivers across the Golden State and around the U.S. are feeling the pain of record high prices at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average cost of regular gas per gallon in California was 5.847 on Sunday. The national average for regular gas was $4.30 per gallon.

On March 18, Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly presented a plan to provide $200 payments to each taxpayer in the state and their dependents. Under the plan, the state will send out the rebates to households with incomes of up to $250,000 to offset the costs of food, gas and other services family need.

Based on initial estimates, the plan could cost the state $6.8 billion.

“Speaker Rendon and I made a commitment to the people of California that we would find a solution to help people get through the financial hardships imposed by the rising cost of fuel and consumer goods,” said California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego).

“We’re holding true to that promise and have developed a proposal that would help a vast majority of Californians,” she added.

Before that, on March 14, California Assembly Democrats unanimously voted 40-18 against a proposal their Republican colleagues pushed to suspend California’s 51-cent per gallon gas tax.

“Wow. Every @AsmRepublicans lawmaker voted to take 50 cents off the gallon of gas. Not a single Democrat Assemblymember supported this effort to lower gas prices,” Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) tweeted.

Then, on March 16, Assembly Democrats announced a proposal for a $400 tax rebate that would be sent to every California taxpayer — whether they drive or own an automobile or not – to offset the high price of gas. The $400 amount is based on an estimate of what the total annual cost would be to cover the .51-cent-per-gallon tax for the average driver.

 “A rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax — which would severely impact funding for important transportation projects and offers no guarantee that oil companies would pass on the savings to consumers,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) in a statement.

The Rev. Shane Harris, the president of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA) in San Diego, said the $400 rebate doesn’t help enough.

On March 17, he sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators. In it, Harris proposed what he called the Golden State Gas Stimulus, which asks that $1,200 be given to every Californian who has a registered vehicle and makes up to $75,000 annually. State registered vehicle owners that earn between $75,000 and $95,000 would receive $600, according to Harris’ plan.

“A stimulus is extra money, a rebate is essentially giving me back what I own anyway,” Harris said. “My argument is that we need more resources, not money that is already ours. The $400 just does not meet this moment from my perspective.”

Across California, there are 15 refineries supplying gas for transportation to all regions of the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

On top of that, Californians pay an average of about $1.27 more than the rest of the country per gallon in taxes and fees, including a 51.1 cent excise tax that goes toward road repairs. Other fees included in that amount are climate program costs and local taxes.

PAJA teamed up with several groups — many who share his view about the Dems’ $400 gas rebate plan — to hold a gas giveaway at an Arco gas station in San Diego on March 14. The organizations used $15,000 worth of donated funds to put up to $50 of gas in the tanks of over 320 people’s cars.

Harris said drivers told him that without the donated gasoline they would not have been able to meet routine obligations like getting to work or taking their children to school.

“We were trying to meet a critical need for working class and low-income people,” Harris said. “One mother handed me a card and was crying. She didn’t know if she would be able to pay for her medication or gas this week. Her medication was $70. Meeting this need was critical for those most impacted by the prices at the pump.”

A lot of individuals, Harris noted, are terrified of high gas prices, and those telling people to take a bus or trolley or buy an electric car instead of driving their current automobile are in the wrong.

“I don’t know how you tell a low-income person or a working-class person they should buy a $50,000 electric car in the spur of a moment when gas prices are at an all-time high,” Harris said. “It is very elitist to tell working class people to get on the bus when the bus takes three hours to get from one location to the next.”

Blondy B. said California’s leaders need to realize if individuals like him, who have service jobs, are priced out of driving their automobiles the whole state will pay.

“They aren’t going to listen to me,” Blondy B. said of elected officials. “They need to help out. If prices keep going up, people are going to suffer.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On April 16th, 2022, at Indian Springs High School Join All Nations Worship Assembly SBD for the LARGEST FREE Easter Egg Hunt in San Bernardino County from 12:00PM – 3:00PM. 30,000 eggs, food, games, candy, and fun for the entire family! We’ll be having 4 different Egg hunts by age including a special needs hunt for ages 2-11. Can’t wait to see you there!

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

On Equal Pay Day last week, First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom addressed the gender and race wage gap in the U.S. and the state, as the federal government announced similar plans.

“In [California], we have some of the strongest pay laws in the nation, but women still earn just $.86 on the dollar and that number plummets for women of color,” said Newsom.

Equal Pay Day was March 15.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) estimates that women in the U.S. earn 83 cents to every dollar that men earn.

That gap gets wider for women of color, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to the AAUW, Black women earned 58 cents for every dollar White men made in 2019.

In 2019, the AAUW estimated that Black women, on average, were paid about 63% of what white men were paid.

To throw light on the specificity of this discrepancy, AAUW designates Sept. 21 as Black Women Equal Pay Day.

“While sexism and racism are distinct forms of discrimination that manifest differently, their effects are compounded when a person experiences both at the same time. Intersectional discrimination perpetuates the racial and gender wealth gaps, limits Black women’s access to educational opportunities, and impedes their career advancement,” it reads on the AAUW’s website.

Last week, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to implement measures to combat the gender and racial wage gap last Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women earn less than men on average in nearly 350 different occupations.

Department of Labor Chief Economist Janelle Jones wrote that educated Black and Brown women are representative of this estimate.

“Black and Latina women with only a bachelor’s degree have the largest gap at 65%, and Black women with advanced degrees earn 70% of what white men with advanced degrees earn,” stated Jones.

“This is a big problem, but we actually know how to fix it,” said Wendy Chun-Hoon, director of the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor.

The federal investment strategy includes two major aspects of the gender wage gap: salary history and occupational segregation.

The Department of Labor plans to limit the use of prior salary history in the hiring process, which they hope will help to close the gender gap and balance the pay-setting for federal employees.

Additionally, the White House announced that President Biden will sign an executive order focused on the same goals regarding employment decisions by federal contractors.

“By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said Chun-Hoon.

The White House’s second area of concern is the effect of occupational segregation on women’s economic security.

Occupational segregation, according to Chun-Hoon, is concerned with where women work and how some of those jobs tend to be valued at a lower rate.

“By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said Chun-Hoon.

She mentioned that the effect occupational segregation has on gender wage disparities also affects race wage disparities, as is the intersectional nature of earning inequality.

“In 2019, this is even before the impact of the pandemic, Black women faced a $39.3 billion loss, Hispanic women faced a $46.7 billion loss just because of the jobs they were concentrated in,” said Chun-Hoon.

The goal, according to Chun-Hoon, is to make investments in occupations often filled by women — such as education and health care — to bridge the gap.

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY—- San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. is ecstatic to see that TopGolf has opened in San Bernardino County. TopGolf had its grand opening on March 11, 2022, in the city of Ontario. TopGolf is an outstanding entertainment asset for all ages and its existence will assist in keeping our county’s Regional Park’s system stronger due to the revenue it shall receive here in San Bernardino County.

“I am happy to see that an international entertainment group, such as TopGolf has opened its first Southern California location right here in San Bernardino County. This location will create hundreds of sector jobs and the annual revenue to our County Regional Parks will be approximately $625,000. This location is an opportunity for families and businesses in our county and across our region recreationally. So many jobs in our county have been created due to the opening of TopGolf and it will attract people from all over the state to come and visit. I am looking forward to seeing families golf here and hope everyone has a great time.” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

SACRAMENTO, CA— As part of an annual recognition of Women’s History Month in the State Capitol, Assemblymember Chris Holden announces the City of Pasadena’s Director of Public Health and Health Officer, Dr. Ying Ying Goh as the 41^st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year.

“I am thrilled to have Dr. Ying Ying Goh as Woman of the Year for the 41^st Assembly District,” said Assemblymember Holden. “Her dedication in the face of overwhelming pressure is admirable and deserves to be acknowledged, Dr. Goh has worked tirelessly to get resources to the City of Pasadena and to its residents.”

Dr. Goh serves as the City of Pasadena’s Director of Public Health and Health Officer, and is responsible for the overall planning, administration and operation of the Pasadena Public Health Department. In this dual role, Dr. Goh also provides medical supervision and direction for City health services and programs and has the authority to declare public health emergencies and quarantines. Prior to appointment as Director of Public Health, Dr. Goh served in various capacities at the Pasadena Public Health Department, as the City’s Health Officer/Deputy Director and as the Department’s Medical Director for Programs and Research, securing new grant funding and managing programs related to diabetes care management and childhood obesity prevention. Her professional experience includes clinical pediatric practice; management of a California Endowment task force to improve healthcare access and quality in Los Angeles County; design and implementation of a case management program for seniors with chronic conditions, and research to improve nutrition and physical activity for youth. Dr. Goh earned a bachelor’s degree at Stanford University.

In addition to recognizing Dr. Ying Ying Goh as the 41^st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year, Assemblymember Holden will recognize a Woman of Distinction from each city in the 41^st

Women of Distinction from throughout the district include Juanita West-Tillman (Altadena), Cher Ofstedahl (Claremont), Chief Colleen Flores (La Verne), Maritza Flores-Travanti (Monrovia), Elizabeth McSwain, (Rancho Cucamonga), Marilyn Sparks (San Dimas), Bertha Aguirre (Sierra Madre), Cathy Billings (South Pasadena) and Kim Anthony (Upland). Over 150 nominations were sent to Assemblymember Holden for the honor.

“The 2022 Women of Distinction are dedicated leaders who improve the lives for thousands of individuals and families in the 41st Assembly District and beyond,” said Holden. “They demonstrate the power of giving to others and community empowerment, I am honored to be amongst a high caliber of professionals.”

BLOOMINGTON, CA— Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. helped kick off the beginning of the baseball season by participating in the Opening Day Ceremonies for the Bloomington Little League at Kessler Park. All Little League teams were present, and they were able to join in on the games and giveaways. The highlight of the opening was seeing two 1981 World Series Dodger Champions and co-MVPs, 3rd baseman Ron Cey and catcher, Steve Yeager in attendance. The event was supported by the Department of San Bernardino County Sheriffs, the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and the Bloomington Municipal Advisory Council (MAC).

“The Opening Day Ceremony for the Bloomington Little League began on a good note as the community gathered at Kessler Park to start off the baseball season. The event was well attended, and a lot of community support was present for the little leaguers. The Bloomington Little League members had a blast seeing baseball legends Ron Cey and Steve Yeager attend the event. The Dodger Alumni gave the children an inspirational speech. These 1981 World Series Champions’ presence at the opening was very special to the Little League. Some of the lucky players left the event with autographed baseballs and cards. I look forward to attending Bloomington Little League games this season and am looking forward to the rest of baseball season!” -Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.