Local

By Audrey Thompson

In 1964  President Johnson, a Democrat,  received 94 percent of the Black vote and since then no Republican presidential candidate has gotten more than 15 percent of the Black vote. Today, in the new Millennium, our vote is the most reliable block of votes for the Democratic Party from local elections to the Presidential elections. We are not new Democrats, but for almost 100 years, not 45 years since the voting rights act was passed and not even since President Barack Obama was first elected, but for almost 100 years, we have been the most reliable block of voters for the Democratic Party. No other group can boast the same.

Yet, all other groups get support, money and their voices heard by the Democrats. For me, I think I have seniority! My people have been their most reliable block of voters for almost a Century. Time vested in this Democratic Party with blood, sweat and tears and nobody else can say the same. It’s so bad, you can count on one hand how many African American’s are on staff for the California Democratic Party, it’s bad, it’s real bad!

We still have the highest unemployment rate, the highest incarceration rate and the highest school suspension rate. In fact, we have the highest of all the bad things and the lowest of all the good things. The Democratic Party does not support our agendas and they don’t support our candidates. If we continue to vote for the Democrats blindly they will never respect us nor give us a thing. This election look closely at the candidate, don’t vote blindly!  Please don’t go for the okeedoke again, stop voting on a promise! As the late comedian Joan Rivers used to say, “Can we talk?”

On  Monday, October 13 at 9:30 a.m., community activists and concerned residences, led by Kim Carter, of Time for Change Foundation, will be holding a Press Conference on the steps of City Hall, to bring national attention to the back door politics of our new city leaders.  This comes on the heels of yet another scandal like the City’s bankruptcy.  Recently, during an open competitive process, a bid competition set up by the City for the purpose of community development, after receiving the highest score in that competition, the City Council final approval was placed on the agenda only to be pulled off, not once but twice!  One would think that with a “Review Committee” and the published results of that competition showing the winner (pgs. 14-16) (pgs. 370-372) that the City would honor their commitment!  But, NO!  If you don’t like the winner, you can change the rules?  The message this sends is “San Bernardino is not open for business!”  Or is it only for a chosen few?  Don’t enter the competition because it won’t work, a handshake won’t work, only back door politics work.  Are we there again?  Did we not just vote in a new regime to move our City in a new direction?

We are in a period of rebuilding our city.  No entity will be willing to come to San Bernardino to invest if the City does not hold to the competition process.  As all citizens are aware, we are supposed to be living in a free market society without the back door politics that plagued the City for the last 15 years and led to bankruptcy. This is not good for the citizens of our City or the future of our children, and we won’t stand for it.  This is the scandalous politics that we said would be long gone.  We voted in new people for an open, transparent and accountable City Council.  We stood for change and the voters’ voices were heard; we have new leadership and a new Council, yet the same only dirty politics. They are letting all businesses know that we don’t have a new regime; we are reminded of the old antics.  Has the new City Council been infiltrated or did we vote in new people who write rules and then change the game when they don’t like the result?  We live in a democratic society, a free market society with open competition.  When someone wins fair and square, there should be no rebuttals.

How can you ask people to vote for you during reelection time when you are sitting in the seat and not living up to the promises of openness, transparency and accountability?  How can you ask the citizens to trust the City to vote yes on Q when we can’t trust the results of Q; when the City takes money from agreements and then reneges?  If the City was truly moving forward, the transparency and accountability would be obvious.  Instead, what we have here smells like a rat!  According to Kim Carter: “I’m not a sore loser, because I was the winner.  This is not about me, this is about the process which is supposed to be open and transparent…a healthy competition.  Is any business safe to come here and enter a competition only to be awarded but not rewarded?”   It’s obvious the game is rigged when the rules change once the winner has been declared.  We are also seeing that the City is attempting to reward contracts following secretive RFPs which only has one person in the race.  There is a motion on the City Council agenda for October 20^th to award an out of town agency … a $200,000 contract … in which there was only one agency in the race.  Hear me clearly … no competition = agency gets awarded contract … However, a healthy competition = winner gets shafted.

It is a rigged game when the rules change if the winner isn’t what … liked?  the right color? the right gender?
the right political party?  in the right family?   As an African American entrepreneur, I have to wonder, is this discrimination or just the City changing the game when they don’t like the winner?  The government is supposed to be open, transparent and accountable.  Has there been some Brown Act violations?  To not honor the process which is clearly laid out sends the wrong signal to people outside and inside San Bernardino.  Where is the accountability?  Where is the transparency?  Where is this new leadership?

LOS ANGELES, CA-The call for submissions is open for the 23nd Annual Pan African Film and Art Festival (PAFF), February 12 – 22, 2015 which will take place at the newly renovated Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in the heart of Los Angeles. The largest and most prestigious Black film and art festival in the U.S., PAFF spans 11 days and features an unrivaled art show boasting more than 100,000+ attendees who will enjoy the artistic works of more than 100 fine artists, designers, and unique craftsmen from around the globe and hailing from countries such as the United States, Brazil, Kenya, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Jamaica and Tanzania. The Film Festival will showcase over 150 films from the world over. The diversity of PAFF is represented by its core value of Pan-Africanism in every feature selected and its special events including an extensive fine art show.

“PAFF ArtFest stimulates the Black art trade. There is education on purchasing fine art as an investment as well as sales by the artists,” said Allohn, director of PAFF ArtFest. “PAFF ArtFest showcases creativity most often excluded from major galleries and affords an exchange place to encourage art collection.”

“Through the years, our guiding principle of ‘Pan-Africanism’ as a movement remains to unify and provide a space for patronage of the expression of all people of African descent worldwide,” said Ayuko Babu, executive director and a founder of PAFF.

ELIGIBILITY:
PAFF ArtFest is juried according to the following guidelines to maintain the objective of featuring fine art, quality craft and designer merchandise.

Accepted: fine art and photography, handmade unique crafts and jewelry and designer fashions and accessories, one-of-a-kind, original pieces, designer-crafted or hand-printed T-shirts.

Gallery applications will be accepted; however, a gallery may not exhibit and sell works by more than four artists.

For complete details on rules, restrictions, fees, deadlines, booth options, equipment rentals and online application, visit www.paff.org.

TYPES OF ART:
The directory of artist and business exhibits include:
Fine Art
Painting
Illustrations
Mixed Media
Ceramics
Photography
Quilt
Wearable Art
Home Décor
Craft
Fashion
Art Wear
Jewelry
Leather Craft
African Textiles
African Crafts
Egyptian Artifacts

ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM AND ART FESTIVAL
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) is America’s largest, and most prestigious Black film and arts festival. Each year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada. http://www.paff.org/

SAN BERNARDINO – Assemblymember Cheryl R. Brown (D-San Bernardino) invites the public to attend a free Senior Fraud Stopper Seminar on Thursday, October 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Hutton Community Center in Colton.  Experts will provide fraud prevention information relevant to home repair, telemarketing, unclaimed property, identity theft, mortgages, and more.

“Given the significant rise in fraudulent activity, it’s more critical than ever to hold this important discussion,” said Assemblymember Brown. “Several agencies including the California Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Insurance Commission, and the United States Postal Service will join me as we host a free educational seminar to help seniors avoid being victimized by the latest scams.”

The Hutton Center is located at 660 Colton Avenue, Colton, 92324. Please RSVP to sara.garcia@asm.ca.gov or call (909) 381-3238.

Students participating in International Walk to School Day 2013

Thousands of Riverside County students from more than 70 schools will be walking and rolling to school Wednesday, October 8 to celebrate International Walk to School Day.

This one-day event is a part of an international effort to celebrate the many benefits of walking and bicycling to school and to encourage more families to get out of the car and onto their feet on the way to school. International Walk to School Day kicks off a year-long effort to create sustainable walking and biking programs to help improve fitness, air quality, and traffic flow around schools.

As in past years, thousands of students and hundreds of parents and community-based volunteers will form “walking school buses” in which groups of children, adults and volunteers walk to school together. Many sites have planned exciting activities, such as visits from local elected officials, community leaders, police officers, firefighters, and safety mascots like IEHP’s “Rad Rider” and Riverside Police Department’s “Buckle Bear.”

McAuliffe Elementary school in Riverside is one of the schools that will be participating in the special occasion. It has made Walk to School Day a weekly event. Their Fit Friday activities include music, spinner signs and fun prizes for the students who walk to school.

“Every time we walk, we get prizes,” said a Damian Armstrong a student at McAuliffe Elementary in Riverside, “but I would still walk if I didn’t get prizes, because it’s fun!”

The event is coordinated by the County of Riverside Department of Public Health and is sponsored by a combination of public agencies, police departments, city governments and community organizations. A complete list of participating schools and school districts is attached.  More information on the Riverside County Safe Routes to School program is available online at www.rivcoips.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RivCoSafeRoutesToSchool.

Alpharetta, GA-–Cricket Wireless announces the launch of its Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs contest to recognize men and women who serve as one-person enterprises and still make it a priority to help their community.

“Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the heartbeat of most communities,” said Winston Warrior, Director of Marketing and Customer Acquisition, Cricket Wireless. “As a community brand, we’re always looking for ways to support these business owners – including our dealers and sole proprietors, thus, positively impact our customers where they live and work.”

Entry forms are being accepted online now through Oct. 19, 2014, via the Events page of cricketwireless.mediaroom.com/cricketstars. Entrants must provide details on their sole proprietorship business, community involvement and social media presence. All entries will be reviewed and evaluated by Cricket, then narrowed down to three finalists who will be named 1^st-, 2^nd– or 3^rd-place winners by a panel of judges, and receive prizes as follows:

• 1^st Place: $5,000, Free Mobile Device with 1 year of Cricket service
• 2^nd Place: $2,500, Free Mobile Device with six months of Cricket service
• 3^rd Place: $1,000, Free Mobile Device with three months of Cricket service

Finalists will be announced late-November and must participate in a Cricket-sponsored video recording which will be housed on Cricket’s YouTube channel for finalists’ social media engagement via their respective social media channels. Finalists will be recognized during in-store celebrations on Small Business Saturday which takes place on November 29, 2014. A panel of judges will review the finalists’ videos and rate the finalists based on their community involvement/improvement, clarity and creativity in sharing their business story, social media engagement, and expressed passion to be named the grand prize winner. The panel will determine the 1^st-, 2^nd– and 3^rd-place winners who will be announced mid-December. To learn more about Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs or to enter, please visit cricketwireless.mediaroom.com/cricketstars and join the conversation via social media using #CricketNation. The contest is open to residents of Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

In addition to Cricket Community Stars: Salute to Solopreneurs, Cricket offers affordable pricing, group and loyalty plans on a reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network. For instance, the monthly savings in the Group Save plan are perfect for solopreneurs in need of separate lines for business and personal use.

About Cricket Wireless

Cricket is bringing consumers more value with a simple, friendly, and reliable nationwide wireless experience with no annual contract.  The power of Cricket is our fast, reliable, nationwide 4G LTE network; easy and affordable unlimited plans with taxes and fees included; annual loyalty rewards; and a great selection of phones customers love. Cricket, Something to Smile About.  Cricket is a subsidiary of AT&T Inc.

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Photo Credit: skidmore.edu

By Rev. Bronica Martindale-Taylor

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Now is the time to VOTE. We need your participation in order to bring our city back into fiscal alignment.  There are groups whom are not residents of San Bernardino spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours putting up signs all over town urging San Bernardino voters to reject Measure Q, a repeal of San Bernardino Charter section 186 which sets public safety pay. Measure R is another measure that needs your YES VOTE. Come and learn why it is vital that you VOTE YES on both measures. We need you to be informed on what your vote means to our city.

Come join us on Saturday, October 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursday, October 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Inghram Community Center located at 2050 N. Mount Vernon Street in San Bernardino (92411). For more information, please call (909) 649-6900.

Navy Ensign Michelle Ehlhardt

By Lt. Ana Maring, Navy Office of Community Outreach

SAN DIEGO – A 2003 Etiwanda High School graduate and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native is serving aboard USS Essex (LHD 2), the largest of all amphibious warfare ships and resembles a small aircraft carrier.

Ensign Michelle R. Ehlhardt is a surface warfare officer aboard the San Diego-based WASP-class amphibious assault ship that is nearly as long as 3 football fields at 844 feet. The ship is 106 feet wide and weighs more than 40,650 tons. Two geared steam turbine engines can push the ship through the water at more than 24 mph.

USS Essex (LHD 2) is fifth ship to bear the name Essex. It is named after a town and county in Massachusetts which is significant because of the tie in with the people of Essex County in 1798 and the building of the first USS Essex.

As a 29 year-old with numerous responsibilities, Ehlhardt said she has been in the Navy for 11 years and is prior enlisted. “I joined the Navy because I wanted to travel and have college paid for,” said Ehlhardt. “My brother was already in college and I wanted to give my dad a break.”

She also said she is proud of the work he is doing as part of the Essex’s 1200-member crew, protecting and defending America on the world’s oceans. “With this one ship we can do multiple missions,” said Ehlhardt. “Our role is to take the Marines where they need to go. We have multiple capabilities, including Navy and Marine aircraft. We also have our amphibious capabilities.”

Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard USS Essex. Approximately 73 officers, 1109 enlisted men and women make up the ship’s company, which keeps all parts of the ship running smoothly — this includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the engines. Another 1800 or so form the Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and Essex is capable of transporting the MEU and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters.

“USS Essex is truly a fine warship and the crew that mans her is second to none,” said Capt. Peter Mantz, the ship’s commanding officer. “The sailors and Marines of Essex have been working diligently to prepare this warship, and I feel an unparalleled sense of pride working alongside our nation’s finest sailors and Marines.”

The principle mission of Essex is to conduct prompt, sustained operations at sea, primarily as the centerpiece and flagship of the Amphibious Ready Group. Essex provide the means to transport, deploy, command and support all elements of a Marine landing force of over 1,800 troops during an assault by air and amphibious craft.

Designed to be versatile, Essex has the option of simultaneously using helicopters, Harrier jets, and Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC), as well as conventional landing craft and assault vehicles in various combinations. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to also support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice.

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s largest amphibious assault ships, Ehlhardt and other Essex sailors are proud to part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times.

“I love the Navy,” said Ehlhardt. “I eventually want to command my own ship, that’s my mission in life. The Navy has been the best decision for me. I’ve traveled to 23 countries on six continents.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Saturday, October 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation (YWE) in conjunction with the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 1^st Community Wellness Event and Lupus Awareness Walk at the Community Medical Center Plaza Parking Lot located at 1800 Medical Center Drive in San Bernardino.

This is a FREE community. The theme for the day is “A Healthy Me” with special guest speaker Diana Wehbe, 99.1 KGGI Radio Personality and author. Other activities of the day include music, vendors, food, raffles, and community fun. There are also a limited number of Omnitrans Day Passes available. Free registration/sign-ups for teams can be completed by emailing ywefoundation@gmail.com.

Jessie Zuniga making a handprint on Dr. Kimberley Payne. Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels’ annual September campaign is entitled “Every Handprint Tells a Story.”

LOMA LINDA, CA- Kimberley Payne, M.D., associate professor of Loma Linda University School of Medicine and director of translational research at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, accepted a $250,000 pediatric cancer research grant from Hyundai Motor America’s “Hope on Wheels” on September 22.

The grant will support Dr. Payne’s work as a “Scholar of Hope,” focusing on leukemia in children. She said her work on behalf of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is not just important professionally to her, but very personally.  “My brother, Jacob, died at the age of 3 of this disease,” she told a group assembled to see the check presentation. “It’s too late for Jacob, but I hope our work will find new treatments and a cure for this disease.”

Irwin Raphael, general manager of the Western Region of Hyundai Motor America, spoke of the Hope on Wheels campaign, founded by Hyundai 16 years ago. “In that time, Hyundai Motor America has donated $87 million toward pediatric cancer research, all over the nation,” he said.  He added that about 15,000 children are diagnosed with pediatric cancer every year in the United States. “We will win” against this disease, he said. This year’s contributions are being given during the month of September, which is devoted to children’s cancer awareness.

Christopher Alcala, a former patient at Children’s Hospital with leukemia, spoke movingly of his diagnosis as a child, and having to tell his mother himself.  He was referred to Loma Linda, and talked of how the Children’s Hospital became a second home, giving him hope and confidence in his future as he saw his way back to health.  He added that he is ready to begin college, and looking forward to a full life. Another former patient, Kimmie Metcalf, said she and her family were so grateful for the good care she received at Children’s Hospital.

For more information, visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org/September.