With a 30-year legacy of uplifting the next generation of diverse real estate executives, the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate’s Ross Program announces 18 new graduates for their 2023 winter session. Since its launch in 1993, the program has graduated over 1,000 students and remains a pivotal academic asset to equip professionals with critical real estate development and finance skills.

“Through rigorous curriculum and real-world case studies, the Ross Program prepares real estate professionals with the next steps they need to advance their career or upskill their talents in real estate finance and development,” said Richard K. Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, who oversees the Ross Program. “Program graduates leave with a very practical skill set.”

After the Rodney King verdict and the civil unrest that followed in 1992, USC and the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles (CRA) recognized the unprecedented and immediate need for experienced real estate professionals to aid in the rebuilding parts of South Los Angeles. At the time, CRA found a lack of minority developers and joined with community leaders and USC to create a program to help foster diverse talent in real estate development. The name Ross honors the late Stan Ross, a well-known icon in the accounting and real estate industry responsible for funding the program’s endowment and an outspoken role model in the industry for students and professionals alike.

The following graduates for the 2023 winter session received the crucial skills to navigate affordable housing, office, retail and mixed-use spaces. Graduates include:

Violeta Aguilar-Wyrick, founder and principal of Xara Public Affairs

Emmanuel Choice, senior asset manager of Decro Corporation

Matej Dlabal, architectural designer for ZGF

Greg Elliott, president of Anderson Howard

Hugo Escalante, real estate broker and broker associate for RE/MAX Top Producers

Alexander Fung, senior management analyst for the City of Eastvale

Armida Garcia, real property coordinator of the Los Angeles County Development Authority

Landy Joseph, project manager for West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation

Kevin Lee, library district director of the Banning Library District

Maricela Marquez, community development analyst for the City of Santa Ana

Pauline Martinez, administrative assistant to Dr.  Manuel Castells, University Professor for the University of Southern California

Luis Melo, California realtor for Solid Work Properties LLC.

Meredith Sharkey, management analyst for the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments / San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust

Rubani Shaw, production designer for IDEO

Terrence Smalls, CA Realtor and founder of Reche Capital

Christina Sutton (PMP, PMI-ACP), founder of  O’thentik Designs

Omar Taylor, president of Nobis Management

Gina Gibson-Williams, community development and public works director for the City of Eastvale

The Ross Program continues to arm professionals with advanced real estate fundamentals and enables members of underrepresented groups and those that invest resources in emerging communities to further their careers. In the program’s 2023 winter session, 38% of graduates were black, nearly half were women and about 33% were Hispanic.

For more information or to apply for the 2023 summer session, please visit https://lusk.usc.edu/ross.

About the USC Lusk Center: The University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate seeks to advance real estate knowledge, inform business practice, and address timely issues that affect the real estate industry, the urban economy, and public policy. The Lusk Center produces relevant and timely real estate research, supports educational programs for students and executives, and convenes professional forums that bring together academics, students, business executives, and community leaders. For more information, please visit www.usc.edu/lusk.

By Lou K Coleman-Yeboah

Talking ‘bout Celebrating Black History! Come on Celebrate Jesus Celebrate!  Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same Jesus who heard the songs of the slaves and the chants of the civil rights marchers will hear the prayers of those who now cry out for justice throughout our country.

Come on, “Celebrate Jesus Celebrate,” because as we remember the days of old and consider the years of many generations, we are reminded that what God has done in previous generations to deliver His people from darkness and bring them into the light, he will do the same for us. [Deuteronomy 32].  All we need to do is take the Word of God as our ancestors did and put it to song again, because we as a people, can still have hope; the same hope the slaves found effective and fruitful; because we serve a God that drowned Pharaoh’s army. We serve a God who gives light in the midst of darkness. We serve a God who leads us in the path of righteousness for His Name sake. We serve a God who is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before His glory with exceeding great joy.

I want you to know that God has given us the “light” of Israel and the light of Christ to guide us out of the current darkness we face. So let us take the Word of God and put it to song again. God gave the slaves a song when essentially, that’s all they had when faced with the brutal realities of slavery, and the seemingly, insurmountable, impossibility of freedom and deliverance; they sang, a sermon in a song. They sang about the mysteries and majesty of Christ in the midst of a miserable, demeaning, and maniacal situation. They sang: “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep.” They later added another line, “Tell Martha not to moan.” Why? “Because Pharaoh’s army got drowned in the Red Sea. They sang the songs of Zion [Israel] in a foreign land. They sang the “Samson” story in “Witness for my Lord.” They sang the drama and the deliverance in “Daniel in the Lion’s Den,” “Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace,” and “David and Goliath.” They sang, “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.” They sang the victory when they sang: “Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John.” They sang “Joshua Fought the Battle At Jericho.” They sang “We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.” They sang “Twelve Gates to the City.” They sang about the “New Jerusalem.” They sang a sermon in a song.  And just as God gave Moses a song when He delivered His people from Pharaoh’s army [Exodus 15:1], and just like He gave Miriam and the women a dance [Exodus 15:20], He has given us a song to sing – “We’ve Come this far by Faith, Leaning on the Lord. Trusting in His Holy Word. He’s never failed us yet. [We’ve Come This Far By Faith -by Albert A. Goodson].

Come on Celebrate Jesus Celebrate – Black History Month 2023!

Disneyland Resort announced that for a limited time beginning February 15 at Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure Park, guests will have the opportunity to encounter Moon Girl from the newest Disney series “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” which debuted on February 10 on Disney Channel and February 15 on Disney+.

Moon Girl arrives at Disneyland Resort as a part of Celebrate Soulfully, a combination of food, entertainment and experiences that highlight and celebrate Black stories. The series follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur, whom she accidentally brings into present-day New York City. The duo works together to protect Lunella’s Lower East Side neighborhood from danger.

FONTANA, CA— Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes marked the start of the 2023-24 legislative cycle at her Community Swearing-in Ceremony on Saturday, February 11 at the Steelworkers’ Auditorium in Fontana. California Attorney General Rob Bonta administered the oath of office and former State Senator Connie Leyva, now with KVCR, acted as the Master of Ceremonies. The 2023-24 session will be Majority Leader Reyes’ fourth term representing portions of the Inland Empire in the State Assembly, but this will be her first term representing the new 50th Assembly District. All legislative lines were redrawn last year using the most recent U.S. Census data.

“Thank you to my district for trusting me to serve you for another term,” said Majority Leader Reyes. “I will continue to align my work with the Inland Empire’s values. You are my neighbors and I look forward to hearing more from you and taking your words to Sacramento to fight for the resources our region deserves.”

Other event speakers included California Legislative Latino Caucus Chair Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (Corona), San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Loma Linda City Councilmember Bhavin Jindal, Chaffey College Superintendent Dr. Henry Shannon, Colton Joint Unified School District Board Member Bertha Flores, and UFCW Local 1167 Operating Director and Inland Empire Labor Council President Yesenia Gonzales.

In prior terms, Majority Leader Reyes has championed legislation to increase equity and inclusion in vulnerable communities throughout the state. She will continue to do so during the 2023-24 legislative session.

Shaneen Bonner is a Two-Time Grammy Considered, Award-Winning, Billboard Charting Music Artist and Record Label Executive who built a successful career in the music industry for over 10 years, first as a music artist and later as a record label executive. Her love for music came from the church and developed by multi-cultural experiences. Her soulful music is filled with positive lyrics and life-changing messages that captivated her listeners’ hearts.

Shaneen is an active member of Christian Songwriters and Musicians International, Women Songwriters Hall of Fame, and many others. She has been featured in several newspapers and magazines. She uses her activism to help the homeless community, empower teenage mothers by connecting them to a supportive community of other teen mothers & adult mentors, and women effected by domestic violence.

Shaneen is also an author who has written her first book called “Bleeding Within a Journey to Finding Healing.” The book helps people deal with inner issues that have been caused by trauma. The book helps a person to identify the issues caused by pain, disappointment, hurt that has occurred in their life.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaneen Bonner.

Tell us about you.

I’m an Award-Winning, Billboard Charting Music Artist, Author, and Record Label Executive with a successful career in the music industry for over 10 years, first as a music artist and later as a record label executive. I took on the role of executive to create financial freedom. Growing up I was always musically inclined. At the age of 8, I listened to Minnie Riperton sing the song “Back Down Memory Lane.” During junior high and high school, I auditioned for several talent shows as well as singing in church choirs. This all inspired me to create and write for my first album “God Loves You.” I grew up listening to all genres of music from Michael Jackson to Michael Bolton. My love for music came from the church and was developed by multi-cultural experiences.

What is your dream and how will accomplishing your dream benefit you and others?

My dream is to become a multi-passionate entrepreneur. It will benefit others by helping them collapse time around them pursuing their dreams.

Who or what inspired you to pursue this dream? 

My three daughters inspired me to pursue my dreams by taking risks.

What challenges have you encountered while pursuing your dream? 

I had to overcome five obstacles to achieve my dream.

1. Comfort Zone. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you must learn to step out of your comfort zone and embrace change.
2. Learn to overcome comparing yourself to others.
3. Tackle the fear of failure. We are all afraid of something.
4. Overcome perfectionism.
5. Overcome procrastination.

Who or what inspired you to keep pushing regardless of the challenges you’ve encountered? 

My family and my faith in God inspired me to keep pushing forward regardless of any challenge.

Please provide final thoughts/advice for others by finishing this sentence… dream.

Dream Big, invest often, and believe in yourself.

Who can benefit from Decree Records services?

Decree Records services is for Gospel and Inspirational artists who want to take their music to the next. The record label offers artist development, music consulting, and music submission services.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— In honor of Black History Month, the South Colton Diversity Committee is honoring individuals for their community works on Saturday, February 18. Among those honorees is LUE Productions and Westside Story News contributor, LuCretia Dowdy. She will be honored at the Black History Awards Ceremony alongside the President for the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce-Inland Cities East Chapter and Colton Sherriff, Art Satterwhite III. The ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. at the Crossing located at 165 E. O Street in Colton. There is no charge to attend, and food and drinks will be provided.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Saturday, February 25, the 55th Annua; San Bernardino County Black History Parade will be held starting at 10 a.m. The parade will begin on Citrus and Summit Avenue and will proceed to the Home Depot parking lot on Sierra Lakes parkway in Fontana where an expo will be held immediately following the parade.

This year’s Grand Marshal is the founder of the R&B group “Lakeside”, Captain Mark Woods Jr.  and his lovely wife, Soul Train dancer, Sharon Hill Woods.

Soul Train was an American music variety television show and the first to prominently feature African American musical acts and dancers. It was on air nationally from 1971 to 2006 and was one of the longest-running syndicated programs in American television history. The R&B group “Lakeside” performed their hit song “Fantastic Voyage” by lead singer Captain Mark a Woods Jr.  Woods.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) is pleased to announce the winners of the 40th annual San Bernardino County Academic Decathlon Competition. The awards ceremony honoring 18 high school teams, took place on February 9.

“These incredibly talented and hard-working students committed hundreds of hours preparing for this year’s academic decathlon,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “It is an honor to not only recognize them for all their hard work, but also recognize their support systems and coaches for helping them excel in the competition.”

The three teams with the highest overall scores this year are:

• 1st place: Chaffey High School
• 2nd place: Redlands High School
• 3rd place: Rancho Cucamonga High School

The back-to-back champion team, Chaffey High School of Chaffey Joint Union High School District, will send its top nine scoring decathletes and coach to represent San Bernardino County at the California Academic Decathlon State Competition in Santa Clara from March 25-26. At large teams may also represent the county at the state competition.

In addition to coming in first place, Chaffey High School also won awards for the following team events:

• Art
• Economics
• Literature
• Music
• Science
• Social Science
• Speech
• Super Quiz

The award for the highest-scoring student from the Chaffey High School team went to junior classman, Dylan Ventura. Ventura earned 8,088 points out of a possible 10,000.

This year, nearly 300 students from 18 high schools throughout San Bernardino County participated in the competition.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the San Bernardino County Academic Decathlon Competition was held as a hybrid event with portions of the competition being held virtually, while others were held in person.

This comes after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to transition into a completely virtual format in 2021 and 2022.

The theme for this year’s competition was “The American Revolution and the New Nation.”

Each year, the theme is generated by the United States Academic Decathlon and is provided to SBCSS by the California Academic Decathlon.

The event competition took place over three days in December, January and February consisting of categories in essay writing, both prepared and impromptu speeches, panel interviews, objective testing and culminated with the highly anticipated Super Quiz.

For more news and information, visit the SBCSS Newsroom and follow @SBCountySchools on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. #transforminglives.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— In a nationwide study, the City of San Bernardino Parks,
Recreation, and Community Services Department was ranked #14 in the nation for its engagement with residents on social media. The study, conducted by Next Practice Partners, a national consulting firm, examined the social media presence of parks departments from the 100 largest cities in the United States.

It is important for our residents to know about the wonderful programs and activities at our parks, senior centers, and community centers, “said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “To be ranked so highly for connecting with our residents is something to be proud of.”

The rankings are based on data obtained from the U.S. Census, National Recreation and Park Association, ETC Institute, agency websites and social media accounts, and social analytics tools. Collectively, it ranked the engagement for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to create an aggregated ranking model for Social Media Engagement.

These agencies and their staff transform lives in their communities and more people need to know that,” said Neelay Bhatt, Founder & CEO of Next Practice Partners.

“Cleveland topped the rankings, followed by Kansas City and Cincinnati. Detroit, Boise, Spokane, Minneapolis, Greensboro, and Gilbert rounded out the top ten.

“This ranking justifies the commitment our department has made to a strong marketing program,”” said Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Director Lydie Gutfeld. “We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the results.”

Among the data points in which San Bernardino scored the highest was the frequency in which followers responded to agency posts. The City ranked number three in the nation for its interactions on both Facebook and Instagram.

“We thrive when we read about the impact we are having from our residents’ social media comments,” added Gutfeld. “Our followers are the inspiration for so many of the programs and services we provide.”

With a large Spanish speaking population, all the San Bernardino Parks Department social media posts are written in both English and Spanish. The Department has also increased the use of video posts this past year.

“We have just begun to scratch the surface of telling our story through our social media platforms, continued Gutfeld. ” The more we can engage our communities, the stronger our services and programs become.”

To follow the City of San Bernardino Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook, go to: https://www.facebook.com/SBCityParksAndRec/

To follow the City of San Bernardino Parks and Recreation Department on Instagram, go to: https://www.instagram.com/sbcityparksandrec/?hl=en

To follow the City of San Bernardino on Facebook, go to: https://www.facebook.com/sbcitygov

To read the full report, go to: https://www.benextpractice.com/pdf/npp-2022-social-media-engagement-rankings.pdf

PASADENA, CA—Assemblymember Chris Holden is seeking nominations for his annual 41^st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year and Women of Distinction celebration.

“For over 30 years, in recognition of Women’s History Month, the Legislature has honored the achievements of women throughout California during the annual Woman of the Year celebration,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “It is your chance to acknowledge the superwoman in your life and in our community.”

Nominees must live, volunteer, or work in the 41st Assembly District, which stretches from La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena in the West to Upland in the East and includes the communities of Altadena, Bradbury, Claremont, La Verne, Monrovia, Rancho Cucamonga, San Dimas, Sierra Madre, and Wrightwood.

Deadline for Nominations: February 24, 2022, at 5:00 pm

Nomination forms are available here: https://a41.asmdc.org/woman-year-nominations