Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino County Probation Department received funds for an intensive probation supervision program for high-risk DUI offenders with multiple DUI convictions.

The $645,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), approved by the Board of Supervisors, will go toward additional proactive home contacts with probationers to make sure they are following court-ordered terms of their probation and prevent probationers from re-offending.

“Our monitoring program supports probationers to stay on track with treatment and other court-ordered measures,” Chief Probation Officer Tracy Reece said. “The goal is that with additional supervision and treatment options, it will reduce the number of probationers who are re-arrested for DUI offenses.”

The probation grant will also pay for warrant operations targeting probation violations and/or DUI suspects who do not appear in court, alcohol testing, treatment compliance, DMV restrictions, and special weekend, evening, and holiday operations to enforce terms of probation.

“Monitoring programs are critical to reducing the devastating consequences of DUI offenses,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Prevention is an effective, proactive tool to address the often-tragic consequences of impaired driving.”

The grant program runs through September 2024.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

FONTANA, CA— On November 14, the City of Fontana Regular City Council Meeting was regrettably disrupted by several agitators protesting the October 24th council vote that approved the enhancement of code compliance efforts of unlicensed sidewalk vendors. These ongoing disruptions necessitated the meeting continuance to November 15th at 7:30 a.m.

Despite repeated warnings and several attempts to bring the meeting to order, the apparent deliberate acts of disruption persisted, resulting in a Council recess. Efforts to resume the meeting were thwarted by unrelenting shouting, threats of violence, and general intimidation tactics from the protestors. Consequently, the Council, prioritizing the safety of all involved, voted to adjourn and reschedule the meeting at the earliest available opportunity.

Several of the agitators attempted to vandalize Council Chambers and City Hall offices, while others attempted to intimidate City Council members and other meeting participants with continued threats of violence. Many attendees expressed genuine fear for their safety and required police escorts from council chambers to their vehicles.

“It was clear that the agitators were intent on interfering with the orderly business of the City Council meeting even before the meeting began,” said Mayor Acquanetta. “Chaos and violence within the Council Chambers will not be tolerated. The city council is committed to ensuring the safety of all meeting attendees, irrespective of their viewpoints.”

Following the adjournment, a group of individuals congregated for a second time at Mayor Warren’s home, attempting to intimidate the mayor’s family and neighbors ultimately causing severe distress to the children in the neighborhood. Due to concerns for the safety of the mayor’s daughter, she was relocated to an undisclosed location.

In light of these incidents, it is essential to emphasize that the City of Fontana remains committed to upholding a professional and respectful environment during council meetings. The actions taken, and the tactics employed, by these individuals do not reflect the values of the City of Fontana and will not impact our commitment to open dialogue and civility.

For more information regarding Code Compliance efforts for unlicensed food vendors please see the Letter from the Mayor re Council Meeting.

The ‘BallotMobile: Traveling Voter Education’ Will Stop in all 24 San Bernardino County Cities and in Unincorporated Communities Leading up to the 2024 Presidential Primary Election in March

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters launched its first-ever traveling voter education pop-up, dubbed the BallotMobile: Traveling Voter Education. The BallotMobile will stop in all 24 San Bernardino County cities, plus additional unincorporated county communities, to share voter education resources with voters in their respective area.

The BallotMobile route commences on Friday, January 5, 2024, in the City of Needles and culminates on the Presidential Primary Election on March 5, 2024, at the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters’ headquarters, where a special gold ballot will be ceremonially cast. The two-month journey will play an important role in educating the county’s 1.17 million registered voters about new and important information regarding the election. BallotMobile resources include informing voters on the earlier 2024 Presidential Primary Election date, how to register to vote, how to check personalized voter information, the four ways to vote in San Bernardino County, and Primary Election-specific topics such as crossover voting.

“The election is coming up and we want to ensure that every eligible voter in our county understands how to register to vote and cast their ballot,” said San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, Stephenie Shea.  “San Bernardino County is the largest county by size in the contiguous United States. The BallotMobile will help us travel to even the farthest corners of our county to share this important information.”

The BallotMobile will deliver a two- to three-hour pop-up experience at local events and well-known locations throughout the county. Residents will receive voter education materials, resources, and giveaways, and take advantage of an Instagram-worthy backdrop for photo opportunities.

“For the 2024 Presidential Primary Election, we’re excited to visit all 24 cities and unincorporated communities in the county, meet with community members and give them the tools they need to be an informed voter,” Shea said. “The BallotMobile will go a long way in ensuring that every voter’s voice can be heard on Election Day.”

For more information on the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters’ BallotMobile or to find out when the BallotMobile will visit your area, visit Elections.SBCounty.gov.

By McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media

Aaron Ellis, 43, has personally experienced the pain and animosity victims of hate incidents suffer.

On January 30, Ellis, an editor for a press release service and a Black resident of San Dimas, was dressed in his workout clothes and wearing a backpack filled with bricks to increase the intensity of his workout when as he started to walk around his Charter Oak neighborhood in the San Gabriel Valley, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cruiser pulled up and directed him to halt.

Within moments, Ellis reported that the officer aggressively slammed him against the cruiser hood, frisked and handcuffed him, and tossed him in the backseat of the patrol car. Someone had accused Ellis of peeking into parked vehicles. Ellis, barely 10 minutes into his 45-minute workout, said he was dumbfounded and terrified.

“The deputy said they got a call that someone matching my description was trying to break into cars,” Ellis recalled. “I said that was absurd because I just started walking. I was on the street so short of a time I didn’t have a chance to come around cars.”

The officer, Ellis remembered, acted like everything about him was suspicious. Not having his ID with him didn’t help. Two additional police cars arrived, and the deputy who detained Ellis said they would release him if they could verify that no crimes had occurred.

Ultimately, Ellis was released. After a tense exchange with the deputy, he walked home and told his wife what occurred.

Ellis’ dad filed a complaint at a sheriff’s station.

The actions and presumed biases of the person who called 911 and the Latino deputy who detained Ellis were rooted in hate, Ellis believed.

“I can’t think of any other reason someone would call the police on me and say some heinous, straight-up lies unless it was race based,” he said. “As far as the actions of the police, they were just responding to a call. How I was treated though — they didn’t give me a certain benefit of the doubt they would have given other people.”

UCLA’s Initiative to Study Hate aims to understand and mitigate the kind of hate Ellis experienced at the hands of law enforcement and other forms this societal issue takes. For example, how hate shows up in groups, institutions and even organizations that form to fight against it.

The three-year social impact project, launched in October 2022 with the support of a $3 million unanimous donation, brings together scholars from various specialties to explore topics such as the impact of social media hate speech on youths, racial bias in health care settings, the neurobiology underlying hate, and the unexpected areas where hate appears in daily life.

The initiative’s director, David Myers, the UCLA Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, recently said in a press release that hate is pervasive and vexing.

“But in just one year, we have gained important new insights into how it functions and how we might better address it,” he said.

During the study’s first year, researchers investigated topics including the treatment of Black youth experiencing suicidal thoughts, the roles of Black and Latinx youth in gun prevention programs, the hyper-sexualization of Asian women and the crimes in the U.S. motivated by race and gender, and how partisan media has spurred right-wing extremism.

Researchers discovered that hate speech on social media affected 80% of fifth to 12th graders with 47% cyberbullied. Additionally, 75% of unhoused peoples experienced discrimination within a month, with over half stating they had been harassed or threatened.

The project will launch a podcast series within the next year and work in partnership with the California Commission on the State of Hate to develop resources and guidance for governments and communities to reduce and respond to hate activity. Another partnership with UCLA’s Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies will put a spotlight on antisemitism in the U.S. and across the globe.

The research is set to continue. A team will explore historical approaches to combat hate and how its definition can hinder its mitigation. Another group will broaden its study of hate and cyberbullying on social media to include college students. Other researchers will analyze hate’s impact on youth and the media and information landscape, racism in childbirth, and anti-Black hate.

In an email to California Black Media (CBM), Meyers said future initiatives to study hate will examine Islamophobia and Antisemitism in response to the headline-grabbing news pouring out of the conflicts in Israel and Palestinian lands.

Initiative fellow and social scientist Kevin Gatter said the project brings scholars together to push through challenges.

“This initiative is a testament to the importance of drawing from other fields in order to produce research that will have a greater impact,” he said.

Hate crimes and incidents are on the rise in California – and they continue to impact Blacks more than any other race. According to the California Department of Justice, in 2022 hate crimes involving racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia increased by more than 20%.

Ellis said, overall, most of his experiences with people in his area are friendly. Now, he is concerned about the source of the hate he experienced.

“The ones who lurk in the shadows are who I worry about,” Ellis said. “The person who called the police on me, I still don’t know who that is. That is why I don’t go down that street.”

Myers said the UCLA initiative is more than a school project.

“We don’t want to simply to know how hate works,” he said. “We want to eradicate it.”

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

By Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is joining local governments, advocates, and other partners to launch the United Against Hate Week (UAHW) in Berkeley on Nov. 13.

The initiative was started by local government leaders and elected officials in the Bay Area after several hate groups held rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley.

UAHW activities organized to raise awareness about hate and promote cross-racial and ethnic unity will run from Nov. 12 to 18.

“The week is marked by individuals and community organizations coming together to host events and take action to help combat a national and statewide increase in hate,” reads a press release from the CRD.

“In California, reported hate crimes have reached their highest levels since 2001 — jumping more than 20% from 2021 to 2022. As part of the state’s response to hate, the California Civil Rights Department recently launched CA vs Hate, a non-emergency, multilingual hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal,” the press release continues.

Held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center in Berkeley, the Nov. 13 launch ceremony featured several prominent speakers, including Becky Monroe, Deputy Director, Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs at the California Civil Rights Department; Rick Callender, President of the California and Hawaii State Conference, NAACP; Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco); Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín. Ilan Davidson, President, L.A. County Commission on Human Relations; Patrice O’Neill, Founder and Co-Director, Not In Our Town; Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Senior Strategic Advisor, Not In Our Town.

On November 6, California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber released her department’s latest voter Report of Registration in anticipation of the March 2024 primary elections.

The report, which covers a 154-day period ending Oct. 3, 2024, provides a running count of California voter registrations with data gathered from elections offices in the state’s 58 counties.

About 22.1 million people or 82.91% of eligible voters in the state have registered to vote.

Among registered voters, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 50% with 46.82% or 10.3 million voters. Republicans account for 23.9% (5.2 million voters) followed by voters with no party preference at 22.2% (4.9 million voters).

Californians who are registered to vote can also check or change their pollical party and vote-by-mail preferences on the Secretary of State’s website.

The Report of Registration includes:

• Voter registration by political party, county, city, congressional district, state senate district, state assembly district, state board of equalization district, county supervisorial district, and political subdivision
• Statewide voter registration by age group and by county
• Historical comparisons to previous reports in odd-numbered year
• Voter registration by political bodies attempting to qualify as political parties (by county)

Californians who are not yet registered to vote can do so or update their voter registration online as well.

By Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Former foster youth living in the city and county of San Francisco are eligible to apply for a Guaranteed Income Pilot Program that will pay them $1200 a month for 18 months.

“Guaranteed income programs help level the playing field and will give these former foster youth the support and resources they need to pursue their California dream,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement when he announced the program November 3.

To support the program, the state awarded San Francisco $3,439,090. Another Guaranteed Income Pilot program will be launched in Ventura County with a $1,538,758 state investment.

“These pilots, through the Department of Social Services, will provide unconditional, individual, regular cash payments intended to disrupt poverty, advance equity, and support the basic needs of recipients,” said a press release from Newsom’s office.

San Franciscans who participate in the program will receive counseling and the state will measure the impact of the program on their lives and their eligibility for other public benefits.

“Transitioning out of the foster care system can be incredibly challenging for many of our youth, and this sustained unconditional income over 18 months will help systems-involved youth pursue their hopes and dreams. In doing so, our goal is to disrupt the cycle of poverty and advance a more equitable future for former foster youth,” said San Francisco Human Services Agency Deputy Director of Policy, Planning, and Public Affairs Susie Smith.

“This is an amazing opportunity to break the cycle of poverty experienced by many young adults transitioning out of foster care,” Smith added.

By Tanu Henry, Antonio Ray Harvey and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

The California Faculty Association (CFA), the union representing faculty at California State University (CSU) schools has voted to authorize a strike if it cannot reach a deal with the 23-campus system’s administration.

CFA represents approximately 29,000 professors, lecturers, coaches, and other faculty across the state.

“Cal State voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, if necessary,” said Charles Toombs, a professor and former chairperson of Africana Studies at San Diego State University (SDSU) and the union’s president, during a virtual press conference Oct 30. “Members are emphatic that low pay, growing workloads, and systematic inequalities are not sustainable.

The union pushed for 12% across-the-board increases this fiscal year, but CSU offered 12% over the next three years. When CFA refused to consider a multi-year offer, the CSU offered a one-year GSI of 5%. CFA then declared an impasse within 40 minutes of receiving this offer.

“We are still moving through the statutory process. CFA members plan on bringing our demands and solidarity to trustees and new Chancellor Mildred García at the November 7 CSU Board of Trustees meeting in Long Beach,” read a press release from CFA.

“CSU management says they can’t afford our re-opener proposals, but a CFA fiscal analysis shows otherwise. The CSU has been hoarding billions of dollars in reserves instead of investing in faculty and staff who work directly with our students. Their investment in administrative personnel is increasing while their investment in instructional support continues to shrink,” it continued.

In the fall of 2022, 18,308 Black or African American students (4.0%) were enrolled in the CSU system. Overall, the CSU system. The CSU system is comprised of 23 universities with nearly 500,000 students.

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Diwali is one of the major Asian Indian religious festivals observed in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. It celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

Known as “The Festival of Lights’ it is celebrated globally across diverse religions and cultures. This year, Diwali will fall on November 12, and for most who observe it, celebrations will last five days. The date of the celebration changes every year because it is based on the Hindu lunar calendar.

The celebration of the holiday varies depending on regional customs and traditions. Among Hindus, the most widespread custom is the lighting of ‘diyas’, small lamps filled with oil, on the night of the new moon to invite the presence of Lakshimi, the goddess of wealth. In Northern India, the festival also celebrates the royal homecoming of Rama to the city of Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, the 10-headed king of the demons.

California native Happy Uppal spoke with California Black Media (CBM) and shared how her family celebrated Diwali when they lived in India and how it has changed for them since coming to the US.

“Speaking to my family about the holiday, Diwali meant we were going to have a lot of food, go to festival shows, and do fireworks. We used to light candles around our entire house. It was something my family looked forward to every year in India because they celebrated a lot. The holiday meant that they got to be with family and celebrate our culture at the same time. It was a time of new beginnings and cleansing of the past,” said Uppal.

With around 902,621 people who identify as Asian Indian, California has the largest population of Sikhs, Hindus and Jains in the United States.

Traditionally, the first day of Diwali, known as Dhanteras, is dedicated to cleaning homes and purchasing small items of gold. Lakshimi is the focus of worship on this day. The second day, called Naraka Chatrudashi or Choti Diwali, prayers are offered for the souls of ancestors. On the third day, Lakshimi Puja, families seek blessings from Lakshimi to ensure their prosperity, light candles, fireworks, and visit temples. On the fourth day, known as Goverdhan Puja, merchants perform religious ceremonies and open new account books. The final day called Bhai Dooj, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.

To the Jains, the holiday has a different meaning. For them, Diwali is the day when the last of the Jain Tirthankaras, Lord Mahavira, attained nirvana, a spiritual state characterized by the transcendence of mortal limitations and obstacles, and the attainment of infinite knowledge and enlightenment. Lord Mahavira established the dharma followed by the Jains worldwide.

For the Sikhs, Diwali is a story of the struggle for freedom. It celebrates the victory of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind, from the designs of Emperor Jahangir, who had imprisoned him and 52 other princes with him, in 1619. Guru Hargobind refused to leave the prison for freedom until he was able to bring all of the princes with him.

“The celebration is minimal in the United States unless you go to a temple,” said Uppal. “Not as many families celebrate as much as homes in India. Celebrations usually still include some sort of special sweet dish and lighting of a few candles.”

Along with the sweets, Samosas are very popular dishes to enjoy during Diwali celebrations. Aloo Bonda, a potato stuffing inside of a crispy coating of gram flour is another favorite amongst observers.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) in Southern California hosts one the most elaborate Diwali celebrations. This spiritual, volunteer-driven organization is dedicated to improving society through individual growth by promoting Hindu values of faith, unity and selfless service. The center sits on 20 acres and includes 164,000 square feet of building space. On Diwali, the building is illuminated with multi-colored light shows, fireworks, lamps music and festive energy. Their Diwali celebration will take place on Nov. 10-13. The “Diwali Light and Sound Spectacular” takes place on the Nov. 11, 12, and 13, from 6-8 p.m. — with shows every thirty minutes.

During a time in the world where the darkness seems to be more prevalent daily, taking the time to acknowledge the beauty and hope light brings is what Diwali is all about,” Uppal said.

Here are additional Diwali celebrations to look out for if you are interested in experiencing the festival of renewal and light.

Diwali at the Pomeroy Center

Saturday, Nov. 18 from 3-7pm

207 Skyline Boulevard San Francisco, CA 94132

The event includes arts and crafts for children under 12, professional Indian Dance Performances and a buffet dinner with ticket purchase.

Diwali Fest 2023 – Festival of Lights

Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Art of Living Dome

948 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States

This event will have all the aspects of celebration which include lighting Lamps (diyas/tealight candles provided), an opportunity to make a

personal Sankalpa (deep wish) and offering. Lighting lamps and Dance performances, meditation and Indian cuisine.

All are welcome and anyone who comes for the event can witness a traditional Hindu ritual called the puja.

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.