Happily Divorced And After

The San Bernardino Public Library (SBPL) has announced it is offering scholarships to residents 19 years and older looking to obtain an accredited High School Diploma and Career Certificate online at no cost.

The initiative, in partnership with Career Online High School (COHS), is part of the adult education program at the Library’s Jack L. Hill Lifelong Learning Center, which was designed to help adults gain the skills and credentials needed to advance in their careers or further their education.

The online program provides students with 24/7 virtual classrooms, personal academic coaches, and real-world career training.

“Libraries offer a safe, supportive environment to foster learning and community. Our online education program for adults is a natural extension of library services that empower adults to learn and grow,” said COHS Superintendent Dr. Howard Liebman.

To ensure students have the necessary resources to succeed, SBPL offers free public Wi-Fi at all its locations, and laptops are available for checkout at the Feldheym Library for use by cardholders in good standing.

Students that obtain their accredited high school diploma through COHS also receive a certification in their chosen career path along with a resume, cover letter, and other tools to start or advance their careers.

The initiative addresses a critical need in San Bernardino, where the U.S. Census Bureau reports that over 27% of adults over the age of 25 lack a high school diploma.

COHS has partnered with more than 1,800 library locations across the country and is accredited by Cognia/SACS/NCA/NWAC, and its diplomas are recognized by U.S. colleges and universities. The scholarship is covered by the State of California as long as the student maintains good standing with their work and assignments throughout the program.

To learn more about the diploma program, including how to enroll and available scholarship opportunities, visit https://sbpl.mycareerhs.com/.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino County Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will provide claims assistance to veterans in Barstow the third Thursday of every month beginning Feb. 20. This initiative, in partnership with the County Department of Aging and Adult Services-Public Guardian (DAAS-PG), supports the County’s ongoing commitment to ensuring veterans receive the benefits they earned through service to our nation.

“The goal of bringing these resources to Barstow is to make it easier for veterans to access their benefits,” said VA Director Matt Knox. “Many of the clients served by DAAS-PG are veterans who may be on fixed incomes, so the additional veterans assistance will make a huge difference in their lives.”

Starting February 20, VA Veterans Service Officers will provide benefit claims assistance at the Barstow DAAS-PG office, located at 536 East Virginia Way, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third Thursday of every month. Staff is available to assist veterans with filing claims for U.S. Veterans Affairs disability, pension, job training, and educational benefits. There is no need to schedule an appointment, and veterans will receive assistance on a first come, first served basis.

“We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Veterans Affairs and the opportunity to expand comprehensive services to Barstow area veterans at a single, accessible location,” said DAAS-PG Director Sharon Nevins.

In addition to the new office hours in Barstow, veterans may also receive County VA claims assistance Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., by calling 909-382-3290.

San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (ARC) Josie Gonzales is pleased to announce the appointments of Aldair Jimenez as Interim-Assistant Assessor and Janis Maggs as Assistant Recorder. These appointments are part of the ongoing effort to strengthen the department’s leadership and provide excellent services to the residents of San Bernardino County.

The Assistant Assessor is tasked with oversight of key functions within the Assessor’s office, focusing on the accurate and timely assessment of property values, while ensuring the integrity of the property tax roll. The Assistant Recorder will oversee the Recorder and County Clerk operations, focusing on document recording, vital records issuance and copies of public official records, as well as oversight of the Administrative and Fiscal units.

“I am excited to promote two very talented individuals to help drive the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office forward,” said ARC Josie Gonzales. “Their expertise and dedication to public service will contribute to the continued success of our mission to provide efficient and accurate services to our county.”

Aldair Jimenez most recently served as the Public & Legislative Affairs Analyst for ARC, where he played an instrumental role in shaping legislative strategies and advocating for policies that benefited the department and the public. He was recently recognized by the California Assessors’ Association for his outstanding contributions to the Legislative Committee. Aldair has been with the department since 2019, following a successful career in procurement in both the public and private sector. His dedication to public service is evident through his achievements, including earning a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Leadership from California State University, San Bernardino. Aldair is also a proud graduate of the San Bernardino County Management & Leadership Academy, having successfully completed the program in 2021.

Janis Maggs brings a wealth of experience in public service, having most recently served as the ARC Administrative & Financial Manager. In that role, she was tasked with overseeing the department’s financial operations, ensuring budgetary compliance, and streamlining administrative processes to enhance efficiency. Her expertise in budget management and operations has greatly contributed to the department’s ability to operate effectively and serve the public. Janis has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to improving organizational performance and supporting the goals of the ARC. She has been with the County for nearly 25 years, starting as a Child Support Officer and then serving as a Staff Analyst with several departments before coming to ARC, where she has spent the last 13 years. Janis holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from University of California, Riverside and completed MLA in 2022. She received the San Bernardino County Public Service Award for Excellence in 2022 for her role in the department’s COVID-19 response.

The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office continues to strive for innovation and service excellence to meet the evolving needs of San Bernardino County residents. These key appointments enable the department to provide strong leadership and further its mission to improve service delivery in the community.

For more information about the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office and the services offered, please visit arc.sbcounty.gov.

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III

“I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you like this guy (Trump). I think what you like about him; he appears to be strong and the rest of us are weak… That’s what he’s selling…Here’s what you’re buying…He’s a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot. He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for… He’s the ISIL man of the year.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on CNN 2015

There are periods in history… epochs, distinctive periods in time marked by notable events, that in many instances signal change. Columbus stumbling upon the Americas where Indigenous peoples had been living for thousands of years. The French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the semiconductor, WWII, the Civil Rights era, etc.

In many instances, one may not realize that they’re living in the historic moment. It’s only upon reflection that you realize the significance of the time. There are other periods, I call them Oppenheimer moments, where you know that you are in the moment. The first atomic bomb was tested on July 16, 1945. The bomb, nicknamed “Gadget”, released 18.6 kilotons of power. We are told that Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, upon watching the first ever atomic bomb explode, quoted a line from Hindu scripture; the Bhagavad Gita, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. Oppenheimer knew he was in the moment.

As we look at the current geopolitical landscape, we find ourselves firmly in the grips of the second Trump administration. There is a dramatic decline in the status of America, both domestically and internationally. The economic outlook is uncertain. America is funding a war in Ukraine and a genocide in Gaza. Homelessness, unemployment and incarceration rates are continuously on the rise. One can only conclude that we are living in a historic moment. Steve Bannon, the former Trump campaign and White House advisor calls it “managed decline”.

One of the ironies in all of this is we have seen this movie before. We are watching Trump Redux. We are not just watching the film; we are actors in it. For those of us that are old enough to remember, watching the news and political programs today is analogous to watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We find ourselves constantly yelling at the screen, except this is unscripted.

People are aghast listening to President Trump attack DEI policies, firing federal Inspectors General, threatening to close the Department of Education and pledging to fire FBI agents that investigated January 6. Steve Bannon told us in 2019 of what was to come, “…we had a whole tiger team of the White House counsel guys, the ‘deconstruction of the administrative state,’ which is a huge element…we want less (government intervention). In fact, we want to start to take apart certain parts of the apparatus.” America, you were warned.

Now, the authoritarian that over 77M Americans voted for wants to disregard the constitutionally guaranteed right of “birthright citizenship”. He is impounding funds, freezing nearly all foreign aid, federal grants and loans as if he has been magically granted the power of the “ex post facto veto”.

Almost none of President Trump’s policies have gone through legislation or House votes.  Trump issues his edicts through Executive Order. The American people are being subjected to a flurry or whirlwind of executive action. Bannon called it “flooding the zone and muzzle velocity”. “Every day we hit them with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done, bang, bang, bang. These guys will never—will never be able to recover. But we’ve got to start with muzzle velocity.” Some people may think Trump is crazy. If he is, he’s crazy like a fox.

But it’s not just him. President Trump is not alone. The racist suggestion of Trump saying, the United States should own Gaza and develop it into “the Riviera of the Middle East” by displacing the Palestinians from their homeland to other countries in the region, was first posited by former President Joe Biden. The AP reported, “A Western diplomat in Cairo said Egypt rejected similar proposals from the Biden administration and European countries early in the war.” Trump’s major faux pas was he made Biden’s secret proposal public.

Trump is not alone in his racist deportation efforts. CNN reported, “According to an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute, more than 12 million people were “deported” – either removed or returned – from the US during the Clinton administration. More than 10 million were removed or returned during the Bush administration. Far fewer – more than 5 million – were removed or returned during the Obama administration.” Lest we forget, President Obama was dubbed the “Deporter in Chief”.

Trump’s ideas of deconstructing the administrative state, cutting government agencies or his privatization/neo-liberal policies via Project 2025 are not new. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich proposed similar tactics with his “Contract with America”. Former President Bill Clinton thought he could make government more efficient by employing principals from the private sector by “Reinventing Government as We Know It”.

The major problem with these schemes is very simple. The goal of private sector capitalism is the maximization of profit. The goal of democratic/republic government is the protection of the people and the delivery of services. Contrary to the beliefs of the oligarchs, government is not in the “business” of making money. It’s lucky if it breaks even.

Don’t let this context confuse you. Sen. Graham is correct, President Trump is “…a race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot.” This is evidenced by his baseless rants about Mexican rapists, his proposed Muslim ban, his lie about Barack Obama’s birthplace, his attack on the Central Park 5, his baseless attack on DEI programs, removing historical videos of its storied Black Tuskegee Airmen from Air Force training modules, supporting genocide in Gaza, just to name a few. Remember, all of this resonated with over 77M Americans.

So, what are we to do? Well, for starters do not listen to Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Anyone who tries to insist that the election was not a rebuke of the Democrats is delusional and anyone who argues that Democrats don’t need to change is clueless.

I strongly suggest reading Dr. King’s 1963 Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Then read Frederick Douglas’, 1857 speech, If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress –“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

After that, read more and remember, when they tell you about their own, they are also telling you about themselves. Believe them.

Dr. Wilmer Leon is a nationally broadcast radio talk-show host. Author of Politics Another Perspective. Host of the podcast Connecting the Dots w/ Dr. Wilmer Leon. Go to www.wilmerleon.com or email: wjl3us@yahoo.com. www.twitter.com/drwleon and Dr. Leon’s Prescription at Facebook.com © 2025 InfoWave Communications, LLC

By Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media

In recent months, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) and Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) have been hit with two lawsuits and numerous reports alleging racist incidents targeting Black residents.

Last November, a formal complaint was filed on behalf of several students and two teachers — Bella Ivory and an anonymous complainant — against Beverly Hills High School. Attorneys Bradley C. Gage and Benjamin Crump are representing the plaintiffs.

The complaint details incidents of harassment, retaliation and violence targeting Black students, according to Gage. Some Latino students had been the victim of racial slurs and are also considering a suit.

In a video Gage shared with the press that was recorded on Election Day White students can be seen marching through the school’s halls celebrating the election of Trump while waving a Trump flag. They pounded on a classroom door in the video. Behind the door were Ivory and several Black students. During a press conference in January, Ivory described how she and Black students felt during that experience.

“The profanity aimed towards our vice president, who is part Black,” said Ivory referring to Kamala Harris, “combined with students congregating outside of my classroom, increased my fears and also the fears of those students that were locked inside that room with me.”

Another video shows feces on the floor of a bathroom and graffiti reading “I hate ni**ers.” There is also a TikTok video describing a cafeteria as dirty while showing Black students having lunch.

“So, we have had for a number of years now, children at Beverly Hills High School, who claim they have been called racial slurs, had monkey sounds made at them, and around them, been threatened with violence and actually received violence,” said Gage.

Gage told California Black Media (CBM) that he interviewed alumni going back at least 10 years, many of whom were willing to go on the record about racist incidents and the school’s inability to deal with them. In another instance parents and students complained about the use of a “ni**er card,” a card White students claimed to have purchased from Black students allowing them to freely use the epithet.

“They have what’s called as an N-word pass. And what they’re doing with that is students will give either $50 or $100 to Black students,” said Gage. “They’ll pay them on Apple Pay. Then they get an “N-word pass, and start using the “N-word around some other Black kids.”

These new cases are not the only ones brought against the city of Beverly Hills based on discrimination or racism. The second set of major suits was filed against the BHPD in January. The class action suit claims there have been a thousand instances of racial profiling by police.

“There are now 1,085 identified putative class members in the first lawsuit which is awaiting a ruling by the court on class certification,” reads a press release from Brad Gage, APC, the law firm representing the plaintiffs.

“There is also a second, class action for continuing acts of racial profiling,” the statement continues.

CBM contacted the city of Beverly Hills for comment, but a spokesperson referred us to archived statements on their website.

Michael Bregy, BHUSD’s superintendent put out a statement refuting the complaints against the school district.

“We do not have evidence that suggests that there was racism at the recent spirited demonstrations,” wrote Bregy. “However, BHUSD has implemented proactive measures to ensure that any concerns related to racism and antisemitism – perceived or real – are addressed promptly and effectively.”

Bregy wrote that the district is planning to work on “empathy” programs with groups like the NAACP.

The city also released a statement about the allegations of police profiling in November when the first complaint was announced.

“The role of the Beverly Hills Police Department is to enforce the law, regardless of race.   The statistics presented referencing the number of convictions is a mischaracterization of the evidence in this case,” reads the statement.  “In addition, the 1,088 arrests referenced includes people cited and released, not just custodial arrests. The city denies and will continue to strongly defend itself against these allegations.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of White residents is about 75%, while Black residents make up only 1.9% of Beverly Hills. With the installment of the Trump administration there is concern that incidents of violence against minorities will become commonplace and that the federal and local courts may be less inclined to provide relief.

Gage has filed and won discrimination charges against Beverly Hills in the past, and Crump has handled some of the most controversial racial bias cases in the country, including representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor who were both killed in incidents involving police officers.

Gage is concerned about the future of discrimination cases.

“It’s very serious. It’s very violent. It’s escalating on a daily basis,” said Gage. “And I feel concerned with the way that our country is going right now, where ordinary individuals seem emboldened to say and do things that never would have been acceptable, even six months ago or three months ago,” said Gage.

By Bo Tefu | California Black Media

A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the University of California (UC) of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions, alleging that Black and Latino students are favored over Asian American and White applicants. The lawsuit, filed by the group Students Against Racial Discrimination, claims UC’s admissions policies violate Proposition 209, a state law passed in 1996 that prohibits the consideration of race in public education.

The lawsuit also alleges UC is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination by federally funded institutions.

In response, UC stated that race is not a factor in admissions, as per state law, and that student demographic data is collected only for statistical purposes.

Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the UC system, said the entity had not been served with the lawsuit.

“If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices,” said Holbrook.

“We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world class education,” he said.

The complaint criticizes UC’s use of a “holistic” admissions process, arguing it replaces objective academic criteria with subjective considerations that disadvantage certain racial groups. It cites admission rate disparities at UC Berkeley, noting a decrease in Black student admissions from 13% in 2010 to 10% in 2023, compared to an overall drop from 21% to 12%.

The lawsuit follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions, which has prompted challenges to race-conscious policies nationwide. The plaintiffs seek a court order preventing UC from collecting racial data in applications and request a federal monitor to oversee admissions decisions.

By Lou K. Coleman | WSS News Contributor

Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you, people. Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! I want to tell you what the future holds. [Isaiah 24:1-17].

A great demonic flood is descending upon humankind. The devil knows his time is short, and he is preparing to unleash overwhelming winds and waves of evil. [Revelation12:12]. He is about to bring a fierce downpour of filth, wickedness, and testing beyond anything your mind can conjure. He is going to use his millions of evil spirits in an effort to subdue the whole earth to his complete control by tyranny, oppression, cruelty, violence and agonizing torments to a degree the world has never known. Producing unparalleled suffering for the people of earth. But above it all will be the hand of God, permitting Satan this freedom, guiding every detail to the accomplishment of His purposes: the ultimate defeat of Satan, the destruction of sin, the establishment of His kingdom of righteousness and peace, and the release of creation from its bondage to corruption.

As often as it passes through, it will carry you away; it will sweep through morning after morning, by day and by night. But those who believe will enter into eternal life, and those who do not will enter into eternal punishment. [Matthew 24:13; Matthew 25:31–46].

Stunned by Jesus prophecy, the disciples ask Him, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” [Matthew 24:3].

Jesus responds with a detailed discourse, known as the Olivet Discourse, which covers the events leading up to His second coming. [Isaiah 24].

He warns them about: False Messiahs and False Prophets ? Wars and Rumors of Wars ? Famines, Pestilences, and Earthquakes ? Persecution and Betrayal of Believers ? The Abomination of Desolation ? The Great Tribulation. [Matthew 24:4-14; Daniel 9:27].

The Olivet Discourse ends with Jesus telling His disciples about the final judgment at the end of the Tribulation and to be vigilant and discerning. [Revelation, Chapters 8 to 11].

God mercifully keeps saying, “Turn ye, turn ye, why will you die?” The first woe is passed. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things. [Revelation 9:12; Isaiah 34: 1-17].

Repent, and get under the Umbrella of the Almighty God NOW before it is too late!

Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations. All the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I AM THE LORD. The only unshakeable power. [Ezekiel 38:20-23; Joel 3:16; Haggai 2:6-7; Hebrews 12:26-27].

To whom can I give this warning? Who will listen to me?

All this wrath to come. All this torment.  You would think that men would repent of their sins and turn to God, but the Scripture says they won’t. Look, their ears are closed, so they cannot hear. Their consequences are just exactly what Satan intended them to be. They resisted God. They turned their back on God. They did not honor God. The word of the Lord has become offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it. What a picture of the utter depravity and degradation of the human heart. Wrath and judgment break loose, but men will not repent.

What sorrow awaits my rebellious children, says the Lord. [Isaiah 30:1].

This is a warning from the mouth of Almighty God — and its fulfillment is found throughout the Bible. Already you see signs of such calamity in America. [Ezekiel 33]. The enemy is already at the gate!

Then I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” [Revelation 9:13-21].

So, the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus, I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed — by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

Father, we thank you for the warning that we’ve received of what is to come. I pray that we will tremble with it, that we would take it seriously. I pray that it would bring us to tears as Jesus wept over Jerusalem. I pray that we will be deeply troubled by the concept of just the bloodshed that is coming and repent while there is still a time of grace. In Jesus Name. Amen!

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has introduced two bills in the State Senate that could lower prescription drug prices for California residents.

Senate Bill (SB) 40, or the Insulin Affordability Act — and accompanying legislation, SB 41, or Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform — comprise Wiener’s Prescription Drug Affordability (PDA) Package.

Together, the bills would cap monthly co-pays for insulin at $35 (SB 40) and create regulations for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) whose negotiation practices, critics say, have resulted in steep price increases for prescription drugs (SB 41).

“It makes no sense that people with diabetes in states like West Virginia can access affordable insulin while Californians are stuck with higher prices,” said Wiener in a statement.

“When basic life necessities like medication become unaffordable in Blue States, working people pay the price. As Democrats, we should be leading on making people’s lives better and more affordable,” continued Weiner. It is past time California caught up with other states and put basic protections in place to contain the astronomical cost of basic medications.”

SB 40’s proposed $35 monthly co-pay was written, in part, in response to the price of insulin tripling over the past decade, Wiener’s office says. As a result of the increase, one in four people using insulin has reported insulin underuse because they can’t afford the full dose. Four in five Americans in need of insulin have incurred thousands of dollars in credit card debt to pay for the medication, according to a recent survey conducted by CharityRx.

About 4,037,000 adult Californians have diabetes, with an additional 263,000 cases of Type 1diabetes diagnosed each year. This rate in new cases disproportionately affects the elderly, men, and low-income patients, Wiener’s office reports.

Christine Fallabel, regional director of state government affairs and advocacy with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), a sponsor of SB 40, said, “The ADA has long led the fight to make insulin more affordable, and there has been significant progress. We look forward to building on the momentum across the country to extend the $35 per month insulin cap to include people with state-regulated health plans in California. No one should have to skip their lifesaving insulin due to costs alone.”

According to Wiener, SB 41 is his follow-up to similar legislation he introduced last year, SB 966, which was vetoed by Gov. Newsom.

Middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry, PBMs buy prescription drugs from manufacturers and then sell them to pharmacies and health plans. Their position as intermediaries allows them to charge high administrative fees and significantly higher prices for drugs to pharmacies than they paid originally. This practice results in higher costs for patients seeking the prescriptions they need.

“On behalf of the Californians we serve who live with chronic and rare diseases, we are grateful to Sen. Wiener for his commitment and attempt to hold pharmacy middlemen accountable for their anti-patient and anti-pharmacy practices,” stated Liz Helms, California Chronic Care Coalition President & CEO.  “Health care costs continue to rise when patients cannot afford medically necessary medications. We are committed to bringing transparency and oversight to PBMs, and look forward to continuing our work with Senator Wiener, our advocacy partners, and welcome others to join us in this fight.”

SB 41 proposes that all PBMs be licensed and that they disclose basic information regarding their business practices to the licensing entity. It also calls for a number of other requirements and prohibitions, including limiting how fees may be charged and requiring transparency related to all fees assessed.

“This bill addresses some of the worst abuses by pharmacy benefit managers: lack of transparency, unfair business practices, steering, and price gouging,” said Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog. “Increasingly what is best for PBMs is not best for patients or the health care system.”

In 2022, drug spending in California grew by 12%, while total health premiums rose by just 4%. Last year, more than half of Californians either skipped or postponed mental and physical healthcare due to cost, putting their safety and well-being at risk. One in three reported holding medical debt, including half of low-income Californians.

So far, there is no organized opposition to the Prescription Drug Affordability package.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra has welcomed three new Board Members and promoted two former Board Members to Emeritus status.

“We consistently seek leaders who have a heart for the arts and all it can mean to a growing urban area like the Inland Empire,” explained Symphony Board of Directors President Donna Marie Minano. “As a regional Symphony, it is imperative that we involve leaders who are geographically representative, but even more so, that they bring diversity of thought and life experience to our decision-making processes.”

Since December, Minano and the San Bernardino Symphony Association’s Officers and General Board have officially welcomed Marla Matime, Kurt Weinmeister, and Dr. Scott Wyatt to the Board. Each will serve a three-tear term. The Association also promoted to Emeritus status former Board Members Dr. Judy Rodriguez Watson and Hon. Judith Valles who joined the Board in 2007 and 1999 respectively.

Nominated by Board President Elect Sonietta Brown, Marla Matime is is the founder and CEO of The MAR.M Agency LLC, a creative marketing, advertising, and communications agency serving Southern California.

She is the Consultant/Executive Director of the Black Elected Officials of California. She serves on the board of directors as President of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice and is chair of CCAEJ Action. She is also a mother of three and serves as Immediate Past President of the African American Parent Advisory Committee at Lake Mathews Elementary and is VP of Communications for the school’s PTA.

Nominated by Board Governance Chair Dr. Erin Keefe, Kurt Weinmeister recently retired from his role as Chief Operating Officer at St. Bernardine’s Medical Center in San Bernardino where he had served since 2017.

Previously, he was CEO of San Dimas Community Hospital and Executive Vice President/COO of St. Francis Medical Center.

The Upland resident, an avid biker, skier, and world traveler, has been involved in the arts for many years and is a longtime supporter of youth arts education.

Nominated by Board Endowment Chair Jeffrey Torres, Dr. Scott Wyatt is an elected Board Member of the San Bernardino City Unified School District where he has served since 2015. He is also the proud father of two children who attended District schools and from 2010-2011, he volunteered on the District Advisory Committee and was PTO president at Richardson PREP HI Middle School.

Dr. Wyatt has been an educator for over 20 years, serving as a teacher, lead teacher, principal and Area Director of Student Services. He has worked in K-12 Alternative Education programs, Juvenile Court School Programs, ROP/CTE programs, Special Education programs, and he supervised the Toyota Learning Center at the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. He serves on numerous committees throughout the county and state including the San Bernardino Countywide Gangs and Drugs Task Force where he is the Chair.

Emeritus Board Member Judy Rodriguez Watson is owner of Watson & Associates Development Corporation, located in Seal Beach California, along with her husband James R. Watson. The Company develops, owns and operates real estate and has been in business since 1972. Both Watsons have been involved in local philanthropy focusing on California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra for decades.

She was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from CSUSB in 2015. Much of Judy’s attention is now devoted to philanthropist activities.

Emeritus Board Member Hon. Judith Valles is a former two-term Mayor of the City of San Bernardino. In that role, she oversaw numerous community revitalization programs including renovating the City’s historic areas, increasing the number of neighborhood cluster associations, expanding youth programs, and bringing about greater support for the arts. She served as Symphony Board President from 2013-2015.

She was born in San Bernardino and attended both San Bernardino High School and San Bernardino Valley College before seeking higher education. In addition to being San Bernardino’s first Latina mayor, she became the first Latina President of a large community college.

Since forming an Association in 1963 and incorporating in 1982, the San Bernardino Symphony’s leadership has included numerous notable names, including author and lecturer Frank Plash, newspaper publisher Gerald A. “Jerry” Bean, philanthropist Marilyn Karnig, Gresham, Savage, Nolan and Tilden partners Allen Gresham and Phillip Savage III, law professor and partner with Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith Dean McVay, noted educators Dr. John M. Pfau, Dr. Jay Fiene, and Drs. Ernest and Dorothy Garcia, as well as many respected local business owners such as Mary Schnepp, Duke Hill, and Charles Obershaw.

She was born in San Bernardino and attended both San Bernardino High School and San Bernardino Valley College before seeking higher education. In addition to being San Bernardino’s first Latina mayor, she became the first Latina President of a large community college.

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

Two former members of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans shared some of their experiences developing a 1,075-page report that detailed injustices suffered by African Americans during and after chattel slavery.

Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist Dr. Cheryl Grills and Bay Area-based attorney Don Tamaki, who were part of the nine-member reparations panel spoke at the “Justice Through Action: Black Reparations-Reparative Justice” event hosted by local chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) in Sacramento on Feb. 8.

The event was held at the California Museum.

“The first impact that the overall report had on me is that it gave me a panoramic view and it was a panoramic view of the elephant in the room,” Grills, who attended the event virtually, told the audience.

“The way America teaches about our history, American history, gives us little snippets and little pieces. It’s definitely watered down,” Grills added.

However, Grills said the report the task force compiled presented a version of the Black experience in America that was not diluted.

“You could see the totality of the elephant,” she said. “The report gives you the fullness and density of the elephant, which was, at the same time, validating, overwhelming, and painful.”

The final reparations report was submitted to Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislature on June 29, 2023, after the task force completed a two-year study that proposed a comprehensive reparations plan.

Assembly Bill (AB) 3121 authored by then-Assemblymember Shirley Weber and enacted on Sep. 30, 2020, established the state’s reparations task force.

“California has historically led the country on civil rights, yet we have not come to terms with our state’s ugly past that allowed slaveholding within our borders and returned escaped slaves to their masters,” stated Weber, who is now Secretary of State.

The JACL is the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American-Pacific Islander Civil Rights Organization. It is focused on securing and safeguarding the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (AAPI) and all communities who are affected by injustice and bigotry.

The JACL presentation was hosted to observe the 83rd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

That panel was part of the Northern California Time of Remembrance (NCTOR) committee’s Annual Day of Remembrance program organized in partnership with the California Museum.

Tamaki, who is Japanese American and the only non-Black member of the task force, said the Black and Japanese experiences in America have some parallels but there are significant differences as well.

“When you look at reparations, and this was the eye opener to me, it’s actually a unifying concept,” Tamaki said. “There’s no equivalence between four years in a concentration camp that our community experienced and 400 years of oppression.”

Tamaki explained, “We do have some things in common. Japanese know something about mass incarceration and profiling and the consequences. In that respect, there is a reason for all of us, whatever our background, to start looking at (reparations). We have to cure the body and not just put a band-aid on it.”

Grills is a clinical psychologist whose work focuses on community psychology. A Professor of Psychology at Loyola Marymount University, she us also a past president of the Association of Black Psychologists.

Tamaki is a senior counsel at Minami Tamaki LLP.  He has spent decades working with AAPI legal services programs. In the 1980s, he participated in the Japanese American reparations movement and served on the pro bono legal team that reopened the landmark 1944 Supreme Court case of Fred Korematsu.

The case resulted in overturning Korematsu’s criminal conviction for violating the incarceration order that led to the imprisonment of 125,000 Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Tamaki was the lone non-Black member of the nine-member Reparations Task Force.

At the 2025 NCTOR event, presented by local chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), several Japanese, Jewish and other non-Black groups in California conveyed their support for reparations for Black American residents of the state who are descendants of enslaved people.

Earnest Uwazie, a Sacramento State University criminal justice professor and director of the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, was one of more than 100 persons who listened to the two-hour discussion.

“I thought the event was great,” said Uwazie. “It’s always great to hear from the people involved in the study of reparations and it is good to get a comparative with the Japanese experience. This was extremely informative.”