Happily Divorced And After

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— SAN BERNARDINO – Richard De Nava, assistant superintendent of Business Services for County Schools, began his role as president of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) on April 8. 

De Nava has been a member of CASBO for 17 years. During his tenure with the organization, he has served as president-elect and vice president for the Board of Directors, served as director for the Eastern Section and has served as treasurer, secretary, director, president-elect, president and past president for the Eastern Section Executive Board. 

“I have had so much to be thankful for as CASBO has been the foremost authority in school business; paving the way for me to learn, lead, volunteer, advocate and build capacity,” said De Nava. “The year ahead will be defined by how CASBO members and I continue to respond in the face of adversity. On full display will be the grit, perseverance and will to move forward in the best interests of our greatest asset – the California student!”

De Nava has worked in education for 18 years. From 2009-12 he served as director of Business Services for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. He assumed his current position when he rejoined SBCSS in 2014 after serving two years as the assistant superintendent of Business Services in the San Jacinto Unified School District.

“Richard De Nava truly takes dedication and leadership to a new level. He eagerly works to ensure that our students receive the highest quality resources, educational opportunities and care they deserve,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “I look forward to all he will accomplish as CASBO president.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Digital Learning Innovation Coordinator Sonal Patel was awarded Administrator of the Year by Computer-Using Educators (CUE). Patel was honored on March 19 at the Virtual Spring CUE EdTech conference.

Patel (@Sonal_EDU) is an EdTech champion. Her work at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools is centered around closing the digital equity gaps for students countywide. Patel supports teachers, coaches and administrators through professional learning opportunities that are focused on blended learning practices. In 2019, Patel established the Inland Empire Computer Science Equity Task Force which aims to create systematic changes that provide rigorous and inclusive Computer Science education to all students. 

“Sonal is an exceptional technology leader working to create equitable digital learning environments,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “She sees the potential in each of our students and actively works to ensure they can be successful in today’s ever-changing, technology-rich world.”

CUE is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1978. Its goal is to inspire innovative learners in all disciplines from preschool through college.

The Administrator of the Year Award is presented to an administrator who has made noteworthy contributions to promoting educational technology within their school, district and/or region and builds a learning environment that promotes ongoing risk-taking and exploration. Honorees are nominated by their CUE affiliate members and selected by the CUE Board, staff and Awards Committee. 

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

Watching your tax dollars, elected officials and legislation that affects you.

It has been over 13 months since cops in Kentucky killed Breonna Taylor, and just shy of a year since Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd.

These high-profile deaths of African Americans, along with many others sparked global protests and resulted in politicians and activists on the political Left calling on their cities to and counties to defund their police departments. More precisely, many of are pushing their elected officials to reallocate money in police budgets to more social service-oriented interventions in efforts to reduce the number of violent police encounters.

But some cities in California — Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles — are planning to do just the opposite.

From 2019 to 2020, Sacramento’s approved police budget saw an increase of over $7 million. This year, California’s capital city will spend a record $165.8 million on police, a $9.4 million increase.

However, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says, by mid 2022, at least $10 million will be directed away from the police department toward the Department of Community Response.

“I’m not for ‘defunding,’” Steinberg told the Sacramento Bee. “There are some things that are part of running a city, like collective bargaining and binding arbitration, and genuine needs for the police department.”

“I’m not going to get pinned to the argument that the measure of whether or not we are investing in the community in an aggressive way is whether or not we’re taking the money directly from the police department,” he continued.

In San Diego, the city is planning to raise the police budget for the 11th year in a row.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria proposed a 3% increase for police spending next year, meaning that the police budget has ballooned by a total of 52% since 2008.

The city is introducing that increase with a decrease in library hours in an effort to offset those costs.

San Diego City Council President Georgette Gómez says that she planned to cut the police budget but former Mayor Kevin Faulconer would have vetoed that measure.

Gloria has expressed interest in reducing police spending over time also, but activists insist that more needs to be done.

In Los Angeles, after two reports from the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners admonished the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for their mishandling of several protests over the past year, the LAPD has announced that it wants a $67 million increase in its budget to contend with the costs of protest response reform.

During various protests in the summer of 2020, police made over 3,000 arrests with little to no accommodations for those arrested.

Police Chief Michel Moore admitted the protest response could have been handled better but asserted that most of his officers responded the way they did because of their training.

“While there were missteps and shortfalls in communication and command and control, especially from senior staff in the field, the vast majority of personnel performed admirably with their ongoing efforts to tirelessly serve the city, even in the face of antagonistic and violent crowds,” Moore wrote in a letter to the board of commissioners.

Training will be the primary focus of this proposed budget increase, according to Deputy Chief Dominic Choi.

Choi stated that much of the budget will be going towards salaries and overtime for extended training.

The Police Commission has not moved on the proposed budget and the LAPD needs the City Council’s approval before it can go into effect. However, Mayor Eric Garcetti has proposed a $50 million increase in the police budget, much to the dismay of members of the Los Angeles Black Lives Matter organization.

While a couple of these budget proposals are still being deliberated and wouldn’t fully go into effect until next year, they are far cries from defunding the police.

Despite a growing chorus of voices against it, more Golden State taxpayer money will likely go toward increased funding for “California’s finest.”

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA—For two decades, Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy (YVYLA) has worked tirelessly to support at-risk youth, enhancing their potential for academic, economic, and social success, and striving to build safer, more equitable communities.

Partners for more than 15 years, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) and YVYLA have collaborated on several projects, events, and initiatives. YVYLA is also an in-house partner at the health plan’s Community Resource Center (CRC) in Victorville, CA, providing mentoring services and support to local youth.

“Young Visionaries is blessed to be in partnership with IEHP,” said Terrance Stone, YVYLA chief executive officer. “Since COVID-19 hit, we were able to pivot in community outreach engagement activities and serve over 20,000 families. We will continue to work alongside our partners to serve our communities and remain open to partnering with all interested agencies to better support our neighbors.”

YVYLA has served more than 85,000 community youth through various events and activities focused on academic, employment, leadership, and life skills development and more. YVYLA continues to develop new programs that emphasize social innovation and transformation.

“Young Visionaries is extremely aligned with the community they serve we are very proud to host them as in-house partners in our Victorville CRC,” said Marci Coffey, IEHP community partnerships director. “Collaborations with trusted and well-respected organizations like Young Visionaries is a critical element to the work we do in our communities. In addition to filling in social gaps, these organizations often serve as a link or a bridge between a need and healthy lifestyle change. We congratulate YVYLA and we look forward to continuing our work to make the IE a better place, for all.”

To learn more about Young Visionaries and their upcoming 20 Year Anniversary Virtual Gala, visit http://yvyla-ie.org/.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Spelling was all the buzz at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools first Spelling Bee on March 24. 

Five winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony. First place champion Caleb Rodriquez will advance to compete in the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee in July. 

Congratulations to the 2021 Spelling Bee winners:

• First place, Caleb Rodriguez, 8th grader at Edison Academy of Differentiated Learning, Ontario-Montclair
• Second place, Hayden Gonzalez, 8th grader at Foothill Knolls STEM Academy of Innovation, Upland Unified
• Third place, Logan Person, 8th grader at Richardson PREP HI Middle School, San Bernardino City Unified
• Fourth place, Rianna Manalac, 7th grader at Loving Savior Lutheran School, Pacific Southwest 
• Fifth place, Ames Avarell, 4th grader at Inland Leaders Charter Schools, Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified 

Twelve students from nine elementary and middle schools participated in the virtual event. Districts represented included: Adelanto Elementary; Ontario-Montclair; San Bernardino City Unified; Snowline Joint Unified; Upland Unified; Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified; and private school district, Pacific Southwest. 

Scripps National Spelling Bee provides Words of The Champions, a 4,000-word study booklet, to help students prepare for the competition. Each student is given 30 minutes to spell up to 50 words. Rodriguez correctly spelled 44 words out of 50—earning him the title.

The Spelling Bee is sponsored by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Innovation and Engagement branch. The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn new concepts and develop correct English usage. For more information on the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit their website

By Lou Yeboah

The prescription Jesus gives us is to stay awake at all times and pray. Watch and pray! Stay in step with the Holy Spirit, because a day is coming suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. [Luke 21:34-36]. I tell you, there will not be time, as in the past, to get ready. If you do not respond swiftly and fiercely by repenting now, and receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will suffer massive loss of life. You see, a major war is coming soon, and it will be massive. The players are in place and this coming war will be the birth pangs of the Gog-Magog Wars as foretold by God to the prophet Ezekiel. I tell you, you must prepare and prepare NOW! The ‘End Times’ are here and you must choose a side: heaven or hell. Above all, understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” “But do not forget this one thing: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. I say, and I say again, don’t be caught off guard!

I want you to know that the “End-Time Prophecies” intends to serve as a warning to all of humanity that things are about to end. It urges us to get out of denial, to wake up to the truth, and to look at our spiritual relations and actions. Speaking of this time, which is soon to take place, Jesus said, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” [Matthew 24:22].

I want you to know that God’s chosen nation is now back in the land of promise. Understanding that country’s position in the arena of the Middle East and world affairs is critical to understanding all other geopolitical realities. [Zechariah 12:2-3]. Yeah, I know, some people think we should avoid the frightening images of what the Bible says will take place in the last days, yet how can we ignore such an important element of the Bible, and the need to be prepared? We cannot ignore the truths about the future as Jesus tells us.

This is a time to stay tuned and watch current events ever more closely. We have entered a different world. Peace and security will never be quite the same. As the apostle Paul tells us in [Romans 13:11], “now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

As [Matthew 24:32-39] tells us, “Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branches become green and soft and new leaves appear, you know summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to come. I tell you the truth, all these things will happen while the people of this time are still living. Earth and sky will be destroyed, but the words I have said will never be destroyed. When Will Jesus Come Again? “No one knows when that day or time will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows. When the Son of Man comes, it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them.  I tell you, don’t be caught off guard! The prescription, stay awake and pray!

VICTOR VALLEY, CA—- As part of Victor Valley College’s ongoing response to COVID-19, students now have free, immediate, and unlimited access to medical and mental health counseling visits through TimelyMD, a telehealth company that specializes in higher education

TimelyCare, as the program is branded, offers students a complete care solution for campus health, with on-demand and appointment-based medical care and on-demand mental health counseling programs specifically designed for college students.

The program gives students free 24/7 access to licensed physicians and mental health professionals anywhere in the United States. 

“We know that students lead busy, complicated lives. The pandemic has made life, and being a student, even more challenging,” said Vice President of Student Development Dr. Karen Engelsen. “Students, we hope that you’ll utilize TimelyMD and benefit from the 24/7 access to medical, emotional and mental health care providers. It’s free, confidential, and available to all registered VVC students. We care about you and your future. Stay well.”

TimelyMD enhances campus resources by helping limit the spread of illness, reduce the stigma of mental health counseling, and grant peace of mind to students and their families. In fact, a recent survey found the top three things that would boost parents’ confidence in the ability of campuses to support students this fall were 1) on-campus enforcement of social distancing, 2) regular COVID-19 testing and 3) access to 24/7 telehealth resources for physical and mental health – all of which Victor Valley College has implemented.

“The experiences we’ve all gone through during this pandemic have called attention to the need to invest in programs that support mental health and overall well-being,” said Associated Student Body President Bridge Lee. “I’m so appreciative of VVC for bringing care solutions to students at a time when we need it most. I hope that students will take full advantage of this exceptional opportunity and that it will be continued for years to come.”

Seeking care on-demand is as easy as making a video call through TimelyMD. From an app on their phone or other device, students can see the profiles, faces and basic identifying details of a diverse range of medical providers or mental health counselors available to them. They can choose to meet with a specific provider or select the first available. Typically, students are having a video consultation with someone within 5 to 10 minutes. 

“Virtual access to medical and mental health counseling has never been more important, especially for college students who may be learning remotely, need care after hours, and prefer to do so privately on their own devices,” said Luke Hejl, Chief Executive Officer of TimelyMD. “Resuming classes this fall includes anticipating and addressing the concerns, needs and demands of students and their families. TimelyMD is proud to partner with Victor Valley College to take quality medical and mental health care off everyone’s worry list.” 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization has one vacancy for an unexpired term in the First District.

The 11-member committee deals with school district organization issues, including the number of trustees, trustee and school district boundary areas, and unification.

Applicants must be registered voters in the First District. County Committee members cannot be employed by a school district in any county, community college district or county superintendent office. School board members are eligible to apply.

Interest forms can be downloaded at www.westsidestorynewspaper.com (look for this story in the newsfeed). The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. May 14. Virtual interviews are planned for Wednesday, May 19, 2021, beginning at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Angel Arrington at 909-386-9615 or email angel.arrington@sbcss.net.

We are looking for the best and brightest to join our team of multi-disciplinary professionals whose standards are of the highest caliber. Kosmont Companies is founded on the pursuit of four pillars of strength: Innovation, Integration, Intelligence, and Integrity. We provide cutting edge municipal real estate products and services to best serve both the public and private sectors, converging traditional consulting with property brokerage and public finance transactions to achieve financial success for our clients.

Kosmont Companies (www.kosmont.com) is a respected advisory services and transaction firm
offering a full range of real estate and economic advisory, project finance, investment and planning
services for both the public and private sectors. Founded in 1986, Kosmont Companies is a nationally
recognized expert in economic development, public finance and real estate development projects
involving government and private sector partnerships.

Kosmont Companies’ headquarters are located at 1230 Rosecrans Ave., Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.

Job Description
Minimum duties include:

• Contract review and negotiation
• Insurance review and negotiation
• Manage/coordinate virtual office and related technology platforms (using MS 365 Office –
• Teams, Tasks and SharePoint)
• Renewal of various government registrations (i.e., MBE/SBE certs, business license, etc.)
• Annual corporate minutes & filings
• Recruitment, training and retention of employees
• Negotiate and coordinate with various vendors
• Manage the Corporate calendar
• Assist with budget, billing, and accounts receivables
• Consulting activities as designated

Requirements

The ideal candidate will possess exceptional organizational skills, a strong analytical background, a
proactive attitude, excellent oral and written skills, ability to work independently and the capacity to
distill and use complex information. Candidate must be proficient with MS Office 365 applications
(Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint) and preferably have an understanding about real
estate and local government.

Contract administration experience, understanding of insurance/risk management, and experience with
I.T. will be essential to your success in this position. Experience working for or with California local
government or relevant consulting work is a plus. A degree in Business Administration, law or paralegal
experience is preferred.

Compensation is commensurate with background, education and skills.

Interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume immediately (open until filled) to: Sabrina Pareja, spareja@kosmont.com.

(NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE)

VA Loma Linda Healthcare System has resumed administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine. Single-dose clinics are available by walk-in or appointment. Call (909) 825-7084 ext. 5085 for information.