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SAN BERNARDINO, CA— We wish you and your family nothing but the BEST this Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season. Just a reminder, for those that have an itch to give back this season, Community Action Partnership, San Bernardino Valley College and the Young Visionaries are still in need of volunteers for their Turkey Giveaway on Saturday, November 21. They will provide each volunteer with PPE (mask or shields, hand sanitizer, and gloves).

To volunteer, please fill out the form below:

You can also email Yoselyn Aldama for more information at yaldama@yvyla-ie.org or call or text (909) 513-4316. 

Grounded Self-Care studio offers meditation, yoga and other self care practices for inner healing.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— On Sunday, November 8, Grounded held its grand opening in the heart of Downtown San Bernardino. The Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Cities assisted with the promotion and support of the ribbon cutting, along with Assemblymember Eloise Reyes. Below are a few words that the founder, Destinee Frye, stated about her purpose and mission with Grounded:

It was all a dream. Chasing purpose is an interesting experience. My husband thought I was crazy, I thought I was crazy, but God said it was time, so I moved.

Yesterday, I saw people moved to tears, to laughter, breathing a little bit easier because they experienced a breakthrough, they didn’t know they needed.

All a reminder that all of the sacrifice was worth it. I chose my purpose over emotions, over expectations, over opinions, over logic, over common sense, over comfort, and I’ll keep choosing it over and over again. 

Thank you to everyone who has believed in the process, new believers, and the ones that have been rocking with me since the beginning. WE did it! And we’re just getting started! 

Grounded Self-Care Studio is located at 381 N E Street in San Bernardino. 

The Shoppes at Chino Hillsis the Inland Empire’s premier destination for shopping and dining features more than 380,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and office in an open-air, main street-style pedestrian setting partners with GUARDaHEARTFoundation to offer No-Cost COVID-19 antibody testing for the City of Chino Hills community and the surrounding areas. The COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 serology antibody tests are covered under the CARES Act and will be available to the community with or without insurance starting on Tuesday, Nov. 10 through Thursday, Nov. 12 at The Shoppes at Chino Hills 13920 City Center Drive, Suite 4055, Chino Hills CA 91709 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Located across from Victoria’s Secret, between H&M, and The Den Salon). Free parking at the back of the building, Paseo of the Stars parking lot. 

The Shoppes at Chino Hills executiveswill be available for interviews from 9-10 a.m. to discuss the importance of offering the no-cost Covid-19 antibody testing to the community. The Shoppes has been very much focused on reaching into that community in various forms of activity.” Chino Hills is a great, family-oriented community set in a great commercial environment with a mix of cultures, which is representative of the culture of Southern California.  

Dr. Douglas S. Harrington M.D., Fellow of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology, and the American Society of Clinical Pathology, an expert in laboratory diagnostic testing. Dr. Harrington is also the Chairman of the GUARDaHEART Foundation 501(c)3 will be available to discuss the difference between a COVID-19 swab test vs SARS-CoV-2 serology antibody test, including other topics on the SARS-CoV-2 serology antibody test and the correlation of heart disease and the coronavirus. 

The SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing being provided is one of the most reliable antibody tests available. It has a sensitivity of 100 percent and a specificity of 99.6 percent performance evaluations. This COVID-19 antibody blood test can be used to detect the presence of an IgM & IgG antibody response. A positive result indicates that an individual has been infected with the COVID-19 pathogen and has developed some level of immunity. This test could be a critical next step in battling COVID-19, continuing to flatten the curve and ensuring a safe re-opening of the community. 

If members of the media are not able to attend on opening day, Dr. Harrington is available for interviews either by Zoom, phone or email Q & A. 

WHO: Confirmed & Available for on-site interviews on Tuesday, November 10^th from 9-10 AM

• Dr. Douglas S. Harrington, MD, Fellow of the American Society of Preventive Cardiology and Chairman of the GUARDaHEART Foundation
• Estrella Harrington, Founder of the GUARDaHEART Foundation
• Darryll Goodman, GM for the Shoppes at Chino Hills 
• Cynthia Moran, Chino Hills Council Member
• Other City Officials Invited
• Executive of The Shoppes at Chino Hills

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020 – First Day of Antibody Testing. Everyone is available to receive the COVID-19 serology antibody test at no cost to them as long as they don’t have any symptoms of COVID-19.  Testing starts at age one and anyone under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

WHERE: The Shoppes at Chino Hills 13920 City Center Drive, Suite 4055, Chino Hills CA 91709 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Located across from Victoria’s Secret, between H&M, and The Den Salon). Free parking at the back of the building, Paseo of the Stars parking lot.

SACRAMENTO, CA— Californians age 70 and older with a noncommercial driver’s license are now eligible to renew online or by mail, eliminating the need to visit a California Department of Motor Vehicles office. Licenses with an expiration date between March 1, 2020, throughout the COVID-19 emergency are eligible.  

Through Executive Order, Governor Gavin Newsom has temporarily waived the California law requiring drivers age 70 and older to visit a DMV field office to renew their license for the length of California’s State of Emergency or until modified. The DMV is completing the programming necessary so customers who meet the criteria will be able to complete their renewal online beginning December 6.

Nearly all California drivers are now eligible to renew their license online or by mail – even if their renewal notice states an office visit is required.

The DMV previously provided yearlong extensions to senior drivers with noncommercial licenses expiring in March through December 2020. Those who received the extensions are eligible to renew online.

Commercial licenses, including those for drivers 70 and older, expiring between March and December are extended through December 2020, to align with federal guidelines.

The DMV previously expanded eligibility for drivers 69 and under to renew online, even if their DMV notification states they must come to an office.

Summary of California driver’s license extensions

	Expiration month	Status
Age 70 & older (noncommercial) Age 69 & younger (noncommercial)	Beginning March 2020	Expanded eligibility to renew online or by mail for licenses expiring during the emergency
Commercial (all types, all ages)	March-December 2020	Extended to December 31, 2020
Learner’s permits (noncommercial)	March-November 2020	Extended six months or to a date 24 months from the date of application

The ability for senior drivers to renew online is the latest action to help Californians avoid or delay a DMV office visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DMV continues to streamline its processes to limit the time customers spend at an office. Customers applying for a REAL ID are encouraged to fill out the online application and upload the required documents before they come to the office for expedited service.

The DMV continues to recommend that customers use its online services, expanded virtual services and other service channels to complete transactions, including eligible driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals. Customers can use the Service Advisor on the DMV website to learn their options to complete DMV tasks.

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By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media 

The California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) will hold its fourth annual conference in a virtual setting this year. 

Scheduled for Thursday, November 12 and Friday, November 13, the statewide conference will be centered on the theme “Blueprint for Educational Equity.”

Organizers say attendees can look forward to workshops that highlight the newest innovations in learning and cutting?edge educational interventions that lead to academic success, particularly for Black students. 

“Despite the challenges posed by COVID?19, this year’s conference will continue to build on CABSE’s strong legacy of shining the spotlight to expose inequities faced by students of color in this country,” said Micah Ali, the Conference’s chairperson. “I am confident that our speakers and workshop programming will offer an illuminating view of the challenges faced by Black and Brown students.” 

“I look forward to the thoughtful, productive and collaborative solutions that will undoubtedly be advanced during this convening,” Ali continued. 

Confirmed speakers include Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Dr. Shaun Harper, Founder and Executive Director of the University of Southern California’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. 

Dr. Thomas Parham, President, California State University Dominguez Hills, is also scheduled to speak during the virtual meeting. 

Compton Unified School District (USD), Riverside County Office of Education (COE), San Diego USD, Ed Trust West, Corona Norco USD and Fresno COE, among others, will all participate in scheduled workshops. 

Each workshop will address a “Blueprint” theme: Applying a Holistic Cradle?to?Career Lens to Education; Embracing Technology as the Great Equity Equalizer; and Challenging Inherent Bias and Promoting Positive Campus Climates. 

“Our Blueprint for Educational Equity is envisioned as a living document that crowdsources the best and brightest ideas in the educational space,” said CASBE President Gary Hardie, Jr. “We look forward to seeing how these issues will be elevated and the kind of solutions that will be proposed.” 

Even with a thoughtful blueprint to help Black students succeed, CASBE faces an uphill climb. The organization is holding its annual conference at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to public school education in California and across the country. Public education policy experts warn that distance learning will likely increase the disturbing achievement gap that already exists between Black students and that of their peers of other ethnic groups. 

In California, nearly 68 percent of all African American perform below their grade level in English and language arts. In math, about 80 percent of Black students do not meet the state’s proficiency mark. 

CASBE is a nonpartisan organization consisting of elected and appointed school officials, administrators, and instructors from across California who are committed to advancing equity for Black students. CABSE members represent governmental agencies, charter schools, and charter school organizations, traditional public schools, and community colleges. 

The organization says its mission is to expand the PK?14 educational opportunities available to all students in California, with an emphasis on underrepresented and under?served Black students. 

Find more information about the conference and register online at www.cabse.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The senior population is growing in San Bernardino County and now, more than ever, identifying and solving issues they face is important to ensuring a respectable quality of life for them. Due to seniors being most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, Assemblymember Eloise Reyes coordinated an effort to provide seniors with resources they need. Committed to this task, Assemblymember Reyes held her 4th Annual Senior Advocacy Week from October 5th to the 9th; visiting 12 senior facilities.

Partnering on the Senior Advocacy Week was UNITEEE, The Holy Land Church, California State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Autism Society, and IEHP. Through this collaboration over 1200 seniors were provided with Person Protective Equipment (PPE) including facemasks, N95 masks, hand sanitizer, face shields, and brochures with local and state resources for seniors. A senior from one of our visits stated, “the items were very nice and came in so handy especially the hand sanitizers and the box of 50 individual masks.”

The mission of Senior Advocacy Week is to listen to the issues that are impacting seniors. For too long seniors have been without a voice in Sacramento and the Inland Empire. With over 200,000 seniors in San Bernardino County, they cannot be ignored any longer. Since being elected in 2016, Assemblymember Reyes has given seniors a voice to share policies that impact their quality of life, including income, lack of public transportation, unnecessary fees, lack of community spaces, and affordable housing. 

Senior Advocacy Week concluded with the Seniors Scam Stopper Town Hall with the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and the Department of Aging and Adult Services, where seniors were informed on how to protect themselves and their loved ones from scams. During the Seniors Scam Stopper Townhall, Peter Meza, a CDI expert stated that, “about 70 percent of the wealth in the U.S. is within the senior citizen community which makes them a big target for scams involving unsuitable life insurance policies and annuities.” He further stated that, “there was an 85-year-old senior who was put into a life insurance plan that was not going to pay out for 20 years, so they would not begin to collect till they are 105 years old.” Stacey Hernández from the San Bernardino County Department of Aging and Adult Services stressed the importance of not responding to unrecognized phone calls, text messages, and emails. She additionally advised that, “if you happen to be speaking with someone who seems legitimate and they insist on payment for the service they offer to be in the form of gift cards, money transfer, or cryptocurrency, then it is most likely a scam.”

“I believe senior advocacy week has become something that our seniors look forward to each year. Our office knows that San Bernardino communities have different issues that have to be addressed, which why it is so important that we continue to talk to our seniors and ask them what they need. With that information we can continue to offer the services our seniors need and remain responsive to the other issues they may face,” said Assemblymember Reyes. 

Senior Advocacy Week allows Assemblymember Reyes to gain insight into the issues that are impacting seniors in the Inland Empire and to find public policy solutions to address them. Call our office at (909) 381-3238 for further details.

Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes represents Assembly District 47 which includes the cities of Fontana, Rialto, Colton, Grand Terrace, San Bernardino, and the unincorporated areas of Muscoy and Bloomington.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Patrons of the San Bernardino Public Library are now able to pick up books placed on hold at Rowe Branch, 108 E. Marshall Blvd. Book pick up continues at the lobby of Feldheym Central Library at 555 W. Sixth St. Books may be picked up Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

Patrons may place books on hold via the online catalog at SBPL’s website at www.sbpl.org or by calling 381-8201 Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reference Librarians will also be available via phone during those hours to answer patrons’ reference questions. Rowe staff can be reached directly at 883-3411 during its service hours Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— On Saturday, November 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County in collaboration with Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy and San Bernardino Valley College will be hosting their annual turkey giveaway at San Bernardino Valley College located at 701 South Mt. Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino. 

Due to COVID, there are some restrictions. The restrictions include: Must pre-register online to attend; must be a resident of San Bernardino County; and one vehicle per household may participate. Please register at: https://annualturkey.eventbrite.com. Entrance begins at the intersection of Mt. Vernon Avenue at Esperanza Street. 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— A number of residents have asked what County leaders are doing to persuade Gov. Gavin Newsom and other State officials to offer more flexibility on COVID-related restrictions and allow more businesses to reopen. Make no mistake, the County has been hard at work on a daily basis throughout the pandemic trying to influence leaders in Sacramento.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman says he and other County officials and staff are in contact with federal, State and local officials on a daily basis. Much of this effort focuses on requesting alterations in State guidelines and securing additional pandemic-related resources for the county.

These efforts have delivered some notable results. Specifically, we have worked with the State to resume business activities serving communities in Purple Tier counties such as ours. Some of these specific businesses and activities we have fought to open include:

• Personal care services
• Campgrounds and outdoor recreation (with modifications)
• Hotels and lodging (with modifications)
• Libraries, retailers and shopping malls (25% capacity)
• Youth sports
• Allowing for in-person worship in churches and places of worship with restrictions. 

We have also secured commitments from the State for additional testing and critical financial resources, as well as:

• Waivers that have allowed 100 schools in the county to open for in-person instruction
• More than $13 million to help provide temporary and permanent housing for the county’s homeless residents
• More than $50 million in federal CARES Act funding for a variety of services associated with combating COVID-19
• Almost $40 million to help backfill revenue losses associated with the pandemic

Our efforts to relax state mandates

While the County’s efforts have resulted in the State’s providing of additional resources, Chairman Hagman says convincing the governor to relax many of the State’s pandemic-related mandates has been a much harder sell.

Specifically, San Bernardino County has pushed hard for the state to recognize our county’s unique characteristics (primarily our immense geography), that would allow less populated rural areas to be treated differently than densely populated urban areas.

“We not only are the largest county in the lower 48 states, but we also have remote communities that have experienced literally zero infections,” Chairman Hagman said. “So we’ve been asking the State to allow us to adjust requirements based on things like population and infection rates. We’ve also emphasized a variety of practical challenges — such as requiring churches in desert communities to hold worship services outdoors when temperatures approach and exceed 100 degrees.”

He believes Governor Newsom is concerned about setting precedents for counties that don’t share San Bernardino’s unique conditions, but will nevertheless demand similar accommodations. Still, Chairman Hagman emphasizes that the County has no intention of easing up on its efforts.

“We have been very vocal in advocating a relaxation of many of the rules associated with reopening businesses, and have been particularly aggressive in seeking accommodations for churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship,” he said. “We’ve seen some success in that area, but are continuing to press our efforts.”

Ignoring the State not a viable option

Though some residents have argued that the county should either simply ignore the State’s directives or take a much more aggressive approach in demanding accommodations, Chairman Hagman said the county’s more cooperative tone has yielded better results — and that defying the State presents a number of unacceptable risks.

“In most of our communications, we have emphasized our willingness to work with the state for the benefit of county residents and others throughout California,” he said. “I am convinced that our cooperative attitude and tone has brought more benefits to San Bernardino County, and that a belligerent attitude would likely backfire.”

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY—- As we await to see will win the Presidential election, we can celebrate on the local side of things. Mayor of Rialto, Deborah Robertson and Assemblymember Eloise Reyes Gomez were among those who were re-elected. So, congratulations to those ladies. They have both been instrumental in bringing about major change to the community. Other good news is that Proposition 17 was passed as well as Proposition 22, and Proposition 20 was rejected. 

Proposition 17 / Free the Vote Act is an amendment to the California constitution restoring the right to vote for people on parole. Now, over 50,000 people on parole in California will be able to vote in the next election. SOI is proud to be a part of the coalition of organizers that worked on the campaign to free the vote. Thank you to all the staff and volunteers that phone banked, did voter registration and helped to get out the vote. 

Proposition 20 was a prison spending scam that would have put more people in prison with longer sentences by turning misdemeanors to felonies and reducing parole options. California rejected Prop 20 and returning back to tough on crime policies.

California voters listened to the hundreds of thousands of drivers like you who want to remain independent. Your story, your voice and your support made this possible, and victory for Prop 22 wouldn’t have happened without you. With the passage of Prop 22, you get to keep your flexibility and will gain new historic benefits.

To see the results for San Bernardino County, please click below