Local

REDLANDS, CA—- Members of the Redlands Community Center Youth volunteers, known as “Teens Inspiring Others,” conducted their second tobacco litter cleanup on Monday, November 25.

As part of the #freeourbackyard campaign, the volunteers, partnering with the CommonVision Coalition and the Institute for Public Strategies, collected cigarette butts and tobacco litter around Sylvan Park’s picnic area and skate park. Within 40 minutes, the youth volunteers picked up more than 2,167 cigarette butts, tobacco-related litter and marijuana paraphernalia. 

Cigarette butts are a toxic, non-biodegradable substance that is left behind to pollute the environment and is the most commonly littered item in the United States. These items are especially problematic when they are found in areas that are frequented by children and pets. They pose an additional risk if they are ingested.

When smoking occurs in public areas, like parks, it also places the public at the risk of third-hand smoke, a toxic residue that is left on surfaces long after the smoke from devices such as cigarettes and electronic cigarettes has gone. According to the California Department of Public Health, third-hand smoke contains high levels of nicotine and cancer-causing chemicals. Some of the chemicals in third-hand smoke are different from those found in fresh smoke because it changes over time and becomes more toxic.

This cleanup was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Common Vision Coalition, Teens Inspiring Others and the Institute for Public Strategies to promote wellness in the community.

“I am excited to have my youth volunteers collaborate in a project that allows them to get out into their community, learn the importance of civic engagement, and advocate for themselves,” said Jennifer Michaels, Teens Inspiring Others Youth Volunteer Coordinator.

“It is great to see the teens in our community taking a passion in beautifying our public parks,” said Seth Henry, Community Gardens Coordinator. “They did an amazing job, and I was happy to see them working together as a team to serve their community.”

SAN DIEGO, CA—- Covered California continued its statewide open enrollment campaign by teaming up with the Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego for its Holiday Boot Camp on Tuesday. The event comes as Covered California alerts consumers about a critical upcoming deadline. Consumers must sign up by December 15 if they want their coverage to start on January 1.

“We want all Californians to know that if they want coverage for all of 2020, the deadline to sign up is this Sunday,” said Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Now is the time to check if you qualify for the new state subsidies that are available for the first time this year, which are lowering costs for hundreds of thousands of Californians, and ring in the New Year with a quality health care plan.”

The event continues Covered California’s campaign of teaming up with well-known Californians who promote healthy lifestyles and understand the importance of access to quality care. 

Scout Bassett will share her awe-inspiring story of perseverance and courage, which saw her go from being adopted as an amputee from a chemical fire in Nanjing, China to growing up with a family in the United States, and eventually becoming a World Record-holding Paralympian in the 400 meters and American record-holder in 100-meter and 200-meter sprints.

The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) was established in 1997 and assists, supports, and provides opportunity to people with physical challenges — like Bassett and hundreds and others — so that they can lead active lifestyles and compete in athletic events.

“CAF believes all people deserve the right to a healthy lifestyle and wellness through sports. We are excited to host an inclusive Holiday Bootcamp with Covered California to showcase our commitment to athletes of all ages and abilities, and a shared priority for staying healthy”, says Bob Babbitt, Co-Founder of CAF.

In addition, Covered California will be joined by Betina Gozo at the Boot Camp.  Gozo began learning dance, performing and music at a very young age and used her love of fitness to become a Nike Master Trainer.  She has traveled the country working to help people become the best versions of themselves through fitness and health.

Covered California also wants to make sure that consumers know that California has restored the penalty that was part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from 2014 through 2018, meaning consumers who do not get covered could face a fine when they file their 2020 taxes in the spring of 2021.

For those facing a penalty, a family of four would pay at least $2,000, and potentially more, for not having health insurance throughout 2020.

“Consumers need to take action now during open enrollment,” Lee said. “This is when people can sign up to get health insurance and avoid the potential of a big surprise when they file their taxes in 2021.”

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
• Call Covered California at (800) 300-1506.

Open enrollment runs through January 31, 2020.

REDLANDS, CA—- Cooking guru, entrepreneur and auctioneer extraordinaire, Martha Green served as the keynote speaker at the recent Salvation Army Red Kettle Kick Off at the ESRI Café in Redlands.  The event raised $72,000 of the $100,000 goal. All funds raised will go to help the Homeless, Hungry and Hopeless.

“Please give at the Red Kettles this Christmas Season so that we can help more people in need,” said Green.  Last Christmas The Salvation Army assisted over 1000 families and delivered 5,500 toys to 1,400 children.

The Red Kettles are one of the main fundraisers for The Salvation Army and the funds raised help those in need here in the county throughout the year.

The Salvation Army has served the Inland Empire since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination.
“Just wanted to take a quick moment to thank all who attended and donated to this years Red Kettle Kickoff”, said Major Edward “Duke” Markham, Corps Officer/Administrator, The Salvation Army San Bernardino California South Division.  “I want to thank Martha Green for joing us, she did a great job and has shared that she will continue to be of support to us and our mission here in San Bernardino County to help those in need,” Major Markham.
Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.  For more information please call: 909.792.6868 or 909.888.1336.
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About The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino County since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination.  The Salvation Army provides emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available.

The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of The Universal Christian Church, and also offering holistic programs for people of all ages. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world,

The Salvation Army of San Bernardino serves the communities of: Redlands, Yucaipa, Calimesa, Mentone, Bloomington, Loma Linda, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Rialto, Muscoy, San Bernardino and other Mountain Communities. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY. Our local numbers are (909) 888-1336 or (909) 792-6868.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Experience a NEW renaissance inspired by Harlem’s late nights and hot jazz, at The Cotton Club 2020, Saturday, February 15. Come dressed in your 1920’s inspired attire and take a step into an unforgettable era of art, culture and music in the prestigious Renaissance Room at the National Orange Show, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Garrett Management Group (GMG), LLC is pulling out all the stops Valentine’s Day weekend, where guests will enjoy a divine 3-course dinner, dancing and dynamite jazz performances by j.dee and the Big Time Band, with host Jammin Jay Lamont. Guaranteed to be the hippest event of 2020!

Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased at www.gmgevents.net, www.showclix.com and for additional information by calling 1-866-514-3391. VIP Access is available for $100.00 where guests can expect to enjoy a 3-course pre-fixe dinner in the best seats in the house. VIP Access includes reserved seating, waiter service and a complimentary bottle of champagne at each table. A limited supply of VIP tickets is available and guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets early. General Admission tickets are $75.00. General Admission tickets are available for a discounted rate of $70.00 when purchased as a group of 6 or more.

The Cotton Club 2020 celebrates a great turning point in history where blacks began to control their social culture, music and artistry– what is recognized as the Harlem Renaissance. GMG is not just creating the music from this era, but they are creating the space and platform to make it happen. The infamous jazz clubs of the 1920’s were usually run by white gangsters selling bootleg liquor during Prohibition. Black people were not typically stakeholders in the clubs where they performed. However, this Cotton Club is from the black perspective, OUR point of view—reclaiming what makes us great. The event also allows a younger generation to experience the rich history of the Harlem Renaissance. GMG understands this event is different than anything else they have produced. “We’re recreating a historic moment in time, says Managing Partner, Alton Garrett. “From the fashion and costumes of the evening, it is the personal participation that will drive the excitement and energy around this event. Better believe people are going to show up and show out!”

By Naomi K. Bonman

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Monday, January 20, 2020, several community organizations will be celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy with the San Bernardino Dr. Martin Luther King Day Parade Extravaganza and Awards Gala. The parade will be held on the west end of San Bernardino starting at Arroyo High School located at 1881 W Base Line Street in San Bernardino at 11 a.m. The parade will end Graciano Gomez Elementary School located at 1480 W 11^th Street in San Bernardino. The parade and expo will end at 4 p.m.

The organizations behind the parade include: Youth Build Charter School Inland Empire, the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, Young Visionaries Leadership Academy, The Black Cultural Foundation and LUE Productions along with other community entities.

The SB MLK DAY PARADE will be an informative and educational event, in which the entire community can enjoy. The day will consist of parade activities followed by entertainment and a vendor extravaganza that will showcase local talent, an art walk, food, classic cars and celebrity guest.

The Awards Gala which will honor key sponsors, community members, and community organizations that have contributed time and resources in the beautiful City of San Bernardino. Awards Gala set to take place Saturday, January 18th, 2020 in the City of San Bernardino.

The committee is currently seeking sponsorship, car and float entries, vendors, performers and volunteers. For more information or to get involved, visit www.blackchamberofcommerce.org.

Get REAL ID ready by planning ahead during the holiday travel season

SACRAMENTO, CA—- In advance of Thanksgiving – the biggest travel holiday of the year – the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is reminding Californians that new federal ID requirements to fly within the United States or enter secure federal facilities take effect October 1, 2020. Californians who fly to visit friends and family should be aware of the new federal requirements and begin making necessary preparations for a REAL ID so next year’s travel arrangements are not derailed.

“Let this holiday travel season be a reminder to all Californians that the October 2020 federal enforcement date will already be here by this time next year,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “If your identification card or driver license expires after the federal enforcement date, and you need a REAL ID sooner, we encourage you to apply now.”

As a reminder, a REAL ID driver license or identification card can only be obtained by visiting a DMV field office with the required documents:

• An identity document (valid passport, birth certificate, etc.)
• A document with a Social Security number (Social Security card or W-2 form showing entire number)
• Two hard copy documents showing California residency (utility or cell phone bill, bank statement, mortgage bill, etc.).

A list of federally accepted application documents and other information can be found on the California DMV REAL ID website.

To save time, the DMV encourages residents to fill out their application prior to visiting their nearest DMV office and to consider those that offer Saturday and extended morning hours. Californians can also check the status of wait times at their local branch by visiting www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/fo/fotoc.

For the complete document checklist, an the interactive quiz to find out if it’s time to get a REAL ID, and a list of other federally approved identification that can continue to be used after October 1, 2020, such as a passport, visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov.

CATHEDRAL CITY,CA—-The Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project (MAPP), the Inland Empire’s first and most active medical marijuana patient support group and law reform organization, will be celebrating its 20^th Anniversary in December. Founder and Director, Lanny Swerdlow looks back and says  “If someone had told me when I first began MAPP twenty years ago in  December 1999 that people would be able to grow their own without fear of arrest and that it would be sold legally in stores,  I would have wondered what they had been drinking.”

To celebrate 20 years of successful cannabis activism in the IE, MAPP will be holding a 20^th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday December 7 at 5 p.m. in the consumption lounge at the Vault Dispensary in Cathedral City at 35871 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City, CA. The event will feature speakers, entertainment and a buffet dinner at a restaurant/bar.

MAPP has always been a local Inland Empire organization engaging local citizens with local elected officials to allow for safe, reliable and local access to cannabis. It was members of MAPP that approached the Palm Springs City Council in 2008 asking them to enact an ordinance that would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries to open and provide marijuana to medical marijuana patients with valid doctor’s recommendations.

The Palm Springs City Council agreed to do that and formed the Palm Springs Medical Marijuana Task Force to draft an ordinance that would allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. Back in 2008 there were only a few cities that had drafted ordinances to allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries so the task force was pretty much developing it from scratch. 

MAPP Director Lanny Swerdlow was a member of the task force and notes that the City took developing this ordinance very seriously. “Two city council members, Ginny Foat and Steve Pounet served on it along with City Attorney Doug Holland, Chief of Police Gary Jeandron and citizens representing different segments of the community. It took one and one-half years to get it written and passed, but city officials were determined to make it happen from the beginning.”

Since its founding, MAPP has been active in promoting and protecting the rights of medical marijuana patients to have access to marijuana. They have made repeated appearances before the Riverside and San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors as well as many cities in the IE. 

One of MAPP’s major accomplishments came about in 2015 when Riverside County was considering banning all medical marijuana patient cultivation. A concerted push by patients at a Board of Supervisor’s meeting resulted in the ordinance not being implement and instead an ordinance was enacted that specifically allowed patients the right to cultivate their own medicine in quantities that could provide them with sufficient medicine to treat their ailments.

Today the Coachella Valley is a hotbed of cannabis activity with Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert and Coachella allowing commercial cultivation, manufacture and distribution of cannabis. The only other IE cities to allow commercial cannabis businesses are Adelanto in San Bernardino County and Perris in Riverside County. 

With the passage of Prop. 64 which legalized the use of cannabis for all adults 21 and over and the development of legal commercial businesses, MAPP has been working to make cannabis accessible throughout the IE.

Although no licenses have been issued, MAPP is currently working with Riverside County in the development of its ordinance to allow cannabis businesses to operate in the unincorporated areas of the County which is expected to take place in 2020.

The passage last week by the House Judiciary Committee of the MORE Act will remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and thereby end federal marijuana prohibition. A vote on the House floor is expected sooner rather than later and will make MAPP’s 20^th Anniversary a truly momentous event.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino Pastors United (SBPU) has taken the lead with community pastors, business leaders, dignitaries, and ordinary people to have a memorial service in honor of the victims and their family members whose lives were forever changed as a result of the terrorist attack on the City of San Bernardino on December 2, 2015.  

The pastors, community residence will march in solidarity for 15 minutes to the site, with children, youth, leaders, residents young and old, all on one accord marching until they get to ground zero for a pre-arranged setting for 30 to 50 people. The invited guest speakers include former Mayor Carey Davis, former Chief of Police Jarod Burguan, current Mayor Valdivia and City Council, Congressmen Pete Aguilar, Assemblymember James Ramos, and Assemblymember Eloise Reyes-Gomez, and Senator Connie Leyva’s office to name a few.

The SB Pastors United is pursuing a request that December 2, 2019 and each year hereafter be set-aside as a SPECIAL DAY in the city of San Bernardino. The program will conclude with the releasing of doves, and community uniting to together to heal, and pray and fellowship together.

We are asking the community to join us, as we remain strong, providing:  “Healing, Change, and Progress” to the City of San Bernardino, for more information call (909) 353-7977 or contact  The Way World Outreach Church at (909) 884-7117.

The Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center provided turkeys, clothing and job opportunities to hundreds of people on Saturday during our annual holiday event

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Hundreds of local residents in need received clothes, job opportunities and Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings on Saturday, November 23 at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway hosted by the Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center in San Bernardino. 

The center provided more than 300 turkeys received through donations by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino and other organizations. 

In addition to receiving holiday meals, clothing was available for purchase for just a $1 and staff from ARC Staffing agency was in attendance to meet with those interested in pursuing job opportunities in the area.

“As a small organization, we are proud to be able to offer comprehensive assistance to our community during the holidays,” said  Paul E. Jones, CEO of the Resource Center and the Pastor of Zion Elect New Generation Ministry in San Bernardino. “Our mission is to transform communities; one life at a time, and the additional services offered this year offers new opportunities to those in need”.

During the event, more than 50 people found new job opportunities.

Write by Naomi K. Bonman

On Saturday, November 23, the Inland Valley News celebrated it’s 22nd Annual Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala & Charity Auction. The celebration was held at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California.

This year’s honorees were Hilda Kennedy, founder and president of AMPAC Business Capital; Josie Gonzalez, Supervisor 5th District San Bernardino County; Joseph Williams, Trustee San Bernardino Community College District; R. Michelle Decker, Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation; Michael G. Rademaker, CEO & Founder MGR Real Estate; George Jones, Esq. Kathy Patoff; Monk Hines; Sherie Rodgers; and Alise Clouser.

The proceeds from the event went to support the Morrow Pancreatic Health Foundation (MPHF). The MPHF will provide prevention, education and awareness around pancreatic related illnesses to underserved communities and populations that are prone to inadequate healthcare.

For more information and to view more photos, please visit www.inlandvalleynews.com.