SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Since August 1 of last year, Omnitrans has offered kindergarten to 12th graders in the San Bernardino Valley free rides to school through its Free Fares for School pilot program. To date, the program has provided more than 250,000 free rides for students. Last week, the agency’s Board of Directors approved an extension of the program through May 31.

“The success of the Free Fares for School pilot program has shown that this initiative is welcomed and needed in our region,” said CEO/General Manager Erin Rogers. “We are pleased to extend the program to promote equity and build the next generation of transit ridership.”

The Free Fares for School program allows community members 18 and under to get to school, work, and play with reliable and safe transportation on Omnitrans’ 29 routes. Omnitrans provides service to schools in San Bernardino County, work, shopping, extracurricular activities, and anywhere else students need to travel. Their student ID is their pass to freedom onboard!

In keeping with current CDC guidelines, Omnitrans continues to practice enhanced cleaning measures to keep everyone safe. Masks also are required onboard buses and at transit centers.

To learn more about Free Fares for School, visit omnitrans.org/buy-a-pass/free-fares-for- school/ and for more information on Omnitrans routes and services, please visit www.omnitrans.org.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre appointed Claudia Lopez for a full term on the San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization as a representative of the Fifth Supervisorial District.

The oath of office was administered to Lopez by County Superintendent Alejandre on Jan. 11. Her term is through 2025.

The 11-member committee addresses school district organizational issues including possible changes to the number of district trustees, trustee area boundaries, school district boundary changes and unifications.

The County Committee’s newest member, Lopez, is a resident of Colton who works within the hotel industry. She stated she has been working with young people for a good 20 years and thought this would be a great opportunity to grow more and contribute to education.

The Fifth Supervisorial District includes cities of Colton, Fontana, Rialto, and San Bernardino and the unincorporated communities of Bloomington, El Rancho Verde, Glen Helen, Arrowhead Farms, Muscoy, Little Third and Rosena Ranch.

The San Bernardino County Committee on School District Organization maintains a webpage athttps://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us/index.php/business-services/business-advisory-services/county-committee

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

New HIT Strategies poll shows that even older Black voters, typically stalwart supporters of Democratic party candidates, are falling off

a HIT Strategies feature

President Joe Biden’s job performance approval numbers continue to decline among Black voters, including now older Black voters, a traditionally stalwart constituency primarily responsible for his presidential win.

Bloomington, CA—– On Saturday, January 15th Supervisor Joe Baca Jr., with the support of the Bloomington community gathered at Kessler Park to unveil monuments in honor of four committed Bloomington High Alumnus. The event had a great turn out and a lot of supporters from all around the community came to support. A huge concrete monument and a baseball field scoreboard at the park was named the “Gary Mendoza Memorial Field,” in honor of Mendoza who was an integral part of our Bloomington Little League. Gary Mendoza’s legacy had a lasting impact on our Bloomington Community and his support for the children will be passed on through generations. During the ceremony we were also able to unveil personalized benches honoring Evric Gray, retired New Jersey Nets Basketball Player; Mike Ashman, retired head coach of Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team and current batting practice coach; and Lonell Roberts, 11 season baseball player for by the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization.

“Coming together with the Bloomington community and honoring such supportive members of our community was really such a beautiful moment. All those we honored are Bloomington High School Alumnus as well and it goes to prove just how much impact members of our community can have on the world around us. As Gary Mendoza would always say, “At the end of the day, it’s all about the kids.” And that’s exactly why this park was the perfect place to honor these four great people. This park will hold memories and accomplishments of local heroes for generations to come. I would again like to thank all those who showed up and supported our community of such a special day.” – Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr.

By Aldon Thomas | California Black Media

Voting rights was the central theme at a virtual breakfast the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) held Jan. 12 to celebrate the sacrifices and impact of Martin Luther King Jr. on American life and politics.

“It is not enough to evoke Dr. King’s name on his birthday, post on social media and then take the day off,” said Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood), CLBC chair, reminding the audience of King’s activism and how his efforts led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Bradford said there are forces still attacking the rights of some Americans to vote, and more work needs to be done to make sure the voices of all Americans are heard and that all voters have access to the ballot box.

“His birthday should be about a day on, a day of activity in our community, of activism and continuing to push for real change in this country,” he continued.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who is a former chair of the CLBC, said “the crisis of democracy is center stage, we are still fighting for our fundamental rights.”

“In 1965, we secured [the vote] and now we find ourselves debating the same issue over again and with great concern about the fact that we are faced with the rolling back of what we had thought was just old stuff that people would never go back to,” said Weber.

A day before the CLBC breakfast, President Biden and Vice President Harris visited Atlanta to emphasize the importance of protecting voting rights. Although, the House of Representatives voted a day later to pass the Freedom to Vote: John Lewis Act, the legislation is in jeopardy of not passing in the U.S. Senate as two Democratic Senators — Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) — refuse to change the rules allowing a minority of senators to block legislation.

Weber said there are about 400 bills making their way through state legislatures across the country that are attempting to restrict voting rights.

“Here we are now in this century, in this timeframe, in 2022, and we are talking about something that took place in 1965 in terms of the Voting Rights Act,” said Weber. “Dr. King told us, ‘I see governors with the words of interposition and nullification dripping from their lips.’ In other words, ‘I see Jim Crow laws. I see governors trying to overturn federal law with regards to what is right and what is just in this country.’”

Civil rights activist and friend of Dr. King, Rev. James Lawson, also spoke at the virtual breakfast and encouraged Black leaders to fight for their communities.

“Black elected officials must support the community of Black people all around the country, organizing continuous campaigns,” said Lawson who shared intimate details of his work with Dr. King and how much King’s ideas, strategizing and activism secured the human rights of all Americans.

During a press call on the same day, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond spoke about the historical weight of the current voting rights standoff among lawmakers in Washington.

“Our democracy has faced defining moments many times in our history and this is one of those,” said Richmond. “This will be a question of what side you want to be on.”

Lawson called for community leaders to “dismantle plantation capitalism” and praised the work of other Black leaders that led to civil rights legislation during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

“The greatest use of law and nonviolent tactic was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many movements were in it, and we must not forget Little Rock Nine, Jackie Robinson’s desegregation of baseball and so on. It helped the Black community come together,” said Lawson.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— City of San Bernardino Council Member Kimberly Calvin has been appointed to the League of California Cities Community Services Policy Committee by League President Cindy Silva, of Walnut Creek.

“I am honored to serve the people of San Bernardino on this policy committee,” said Calvin, who represents San Bernardino’s Sixth Ward. “We have worked very hard to have a greater voice in California crafting policies on issues that directly impact us.”

The League of California Cities, which represents California’s 476 cities, sponsors, drafts, and takes positions on legislative and regulatory matters impacting cities across state. The Community Services Policy Committee specifically focuses on childcare, parks and recreation, libraries, natural disaster preparation, cultural arts, and community and human services programs, including homelessness.

City Manager Rob Field was pleased to learn of Calvin’s appointment.

“We are the largest city in the county,” said Field. “We need to have a seat at the table when discussions take place in Sacramento that could affect our residents. Council Member Calvin will do an excellent job representing the city of San Bernardino.”

Calvin’s appointment was effective January 3rd and runs through Spring of 2023.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) has thrown its support behind one of its own.

Last week, Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena) announced that the group of African American state legislators will endorse Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) to succeed U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) in Congress.

Bass, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011, announced in September that she is not seeking re-election to Congress to run for mayor of Los Angeles.

“Sydney Kamlager has spent her career prioritizing equity and access for Californians,” Bradford said, praising his colleague, who is also vice-chair of the CLBC.

Bradford and Kamlager are the only two Black lawmakers serving in the California Senate. The other nine members of the CLBC are all members of the Assembly.

“She has a distinguished legislative record on criminal justice reform, health care equity, environmental protections, and affordable housing,” Bradford continued, explaining the CLBC’s decision to support Kamlager.

For months now, people in California political circles have been speculating that Kamlager, 49, would enter the race to succeed Bass, but, until last week, she had neither denied nor confirmed the buzz around her candidacy.

“Yes, the rumors are true. I know, some think it’s the worst kept secret, but I felt it would be presumptuous to make a final decision before the lines of the district were finalized and wanted to make sure this was the right decision for me and my family,” she tweeted last week.

“I waited until the lines of District 37 were finalized before I officially launched my campaign for U.S. Congress,” she said in a statement.

In a special election last March, two-thirds of the voters in California’s 30^th Senate District in Los Angeles County elected Kamlager to represent them in the upper house of the State Legislature.

Before that, Kamlager served in the State Assembly for three years, representing the 54^th District, which includes Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights. A former District Director for former California State Sen. Holly Mitchell, who she succeeded, Kamlager was also a member of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2018 and served as its President.

The Democratic Primary will be held on June 7. Kamlager faces two challengers: Culver City Vice Mayor Daniel Lee and Jamaal Gulledge, a UCLA staffer.

Bradford credits Kamlager for introducing several “landmark” criminal justice reform and anti-discrimination bills that have now become law in the state.

“Our state is fortunate to have such a qualified candidate who stands up for working families and small businesses,” he said.

San Bernardino County’s unemployment rate dropped nearly a full percentage point in November, to its lowest level since before the pandemic, as payrolls swelled by more than 13,000 workers, according to the latest data from the California Employment Development Department (EDD).

Joblessness fell from 6.3% in October to 5.5% last month, led by a continued surge in hiring among companies serving the supply chain and the hospitality industry. The 938,800 filled jobs were the most since February 2020, when total payrolls in the county exceeded 945,000.

The EDD data show that San Bernardino County has recaptured 96% of the jobs lost during the early months of the COVID downturn – one of the fastest recovery rates in California.

For the complete November jobs report for the Inland Empire, click here

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

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) want Californians to have a better understanding of the history and culture of California’s Native American people.

At the State Capitol last week, Thurmond joined Ramos, the only Native American serving in the Legislature as the lawmaker announced that he will introduce a bill encouraging school districts to collaborate with local tribes to increase knowledge about California Native Americans in their communities.

Ramos, who is the first American Indian ever to be elected to the Legislature, cited a similar effort being made in Washington State.

“When Washington state revamped its Native American curriculum, it began by initiating a relationship between the tribes and schools. Its state’s curriculum, entitled ‘Since Time Immemorial,’ has made a positive difference for students. We can’t reverse 171 years of falsehood and mythology overnight, but we can start,” Ramos said.

Thurmond said he is excited about the initiative and honored to be working along with Ramos to integrate Native American studies into California public education.

“We have the opportunity right now to counter the actions of those who continue to teach harmful and stereotypical messages and create an environment where all students learn about and benefit from the rich history and culture of California’s first People,” said Thurmond.

Ramos said a deeper understanding of Native American people and their sovereignty would help to get rid of enduring racist stereotypes and misperceptions stuck in the imaginations of some Californians.

Last fall, a teacher in the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) in Southern California was placed on leave after a student shared a video of her mocking Native Americans while teaching math to students.

In the video, which was shared many times across the internet, the teacher was wearing a headdress made of paper feathers while explaining a math assignment. The student who captured the moment identifies as Native American.

“So few people understand the diversity of California’s first people,” Ramos stated. “They speak different languages, use different musical instruments, practice different customs and traditions. Few know many tribes were wiped out or almost eliminated during the 1800s.”

More than 40,000 students are enrolled in RUSD schools. About 80% of the district’s students identify as Black, Latino or another ethnic minority, and 46% of them are economically disadvantaged, according to U.S News and World Report.

 “These behaviors are completely unacceptable and an offensive depiction of the vast and expansive Native American cultures and practices,” the school district said in a statement. “We are deeply committed to implementing inclusive practices and policies that honor the rich diversity of our district and the greater region. We will be working with our students, families, staff, and community to regain your trust”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 630,000 people identify as American Indian and Alaska Native in California.

In combination with another race, the number of Native Americans increases to about 1.4 million people. Altogether, they make up 3.6% of all Californians, as compared to 1.9% ten years ago, the 2020 census reported.

Ramos said the legislation he plans to introduce will be the first step toward increasing student knowledge about the indigenous tribes residing in the state.

“We are fine-tuning language in the bill and will introduce it soon,” said Ramos. “If we don’t do a better job at encouraging our schools and tribes to work together, we’ll see more classroom episodes such as the one we saw last October.”

By SUNITA SOHRABJI/EMS Contributing Editor

Vaccines and boosters are essential tools for Black family caregivers, as California battles the rising numbers of Covid-19 infections due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

At a community conversation with ethnic media organized by Saint Paul AME Church in San Bernardino, Black Voice News, and California Black Media, community leaders and Black family caregivers discussed the importance of vaccines in helping keep themselves safe and able to care for their families, especially at a time when Omicron is increasing their sense of fatigue and isolation.

The conversation, which drew over 60 reporters and community members, was also live streamed on social media and cohosted by the California Department of Aging. Cheryl Brown, a member of the state’s Commission on Aging, moderated the discussion.

Speakers asked that family caregivers receive priority for vaccines, boosters, test appointments and home-testing kits, and personal protective equipment.

Family caregivers have not been considered essential workers, and therefore were ineligible to be first in line when Covid vaccines appeared on the scene in early 2021, said Dr. Donna Benton, Research Associate Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California’s Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

Benton also serves as director of the USC Family Caregiver Support Center and the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Center. “Vaccines are a key weapon against the ravages of this virus,” she stated.

“Vaccines are a key weapon against the ravages of this virus,” she stated.

USC’s survey of local caregivers found that of the 60 percent who had jobs outside of the home, 30% had dropped out of the formal work force in order to care for their families – a factor that increased their isolation. Dropouts were primarily women, noted Benton.

There are more than 4.5 million family caregivers in California alone, but Benton said they are largely invisible in the broader healthcare system.

“Caregivers are saying ‘we want the masks.’ We need PPE. We need to be prioritized for boosters, and also for testing,’” she said. She noted the near-impossibility of getting a home testing kit or an appointment for a Covid test.

The Biden Administration announced Jan. 13 that it was purchasing an additional 500,000 million home testing kits. Benton expressed her hope that family caregivers would be a priority for distribution of those additional supplies.  The administration plans to distribute 1 billion home testing kits in total.

Benton also spoke of the need to expand at-home vaccines and booster services, noting that it is difficult to get home-bound people, especially those with dementia into a car and out to a vaccination site. “There are not enough healthcare workers going door to door,” she said.

Ruth Rembert shared her personal story of serving as the sole caregiver to her husband, who has multiple myeloma — the cancer that killed former Secretary of State Colin Powell last year. Because of his hugely compromised immune system, even a cold can have huge health consequences, she said, adding that she is letting no one come into the house for fear of even minor infections.

“I won’t  allow anybody to come in my house who has not been vaccinated, and even then, I insist they wear a mask. People don’t realize the danger they put you in when they don’t get vaccinated, or when they’re not masked, said Rembert, noting there was a lot of misinformation spreading about the continued need to wear a mask indoors in congregate settings, even if fully vaccinated.

“I heard people say, I don’t want to put that in my body. I say: ‘you have two choices. You can either choose to have this vaccine in your vein, or you can choose to have formaldehyde in your veins, because that’s how serious it is.’”

Rev. Noella Buchanan, Caregiver Coordinator for the Southern California Conference African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Alliance and a retired pastor, has been the caregiver for her mother-in-law, her sister-in-law, her mother and then her husband. She is now the primary caregiver for her cousin who is over a hundred years of age.

Buchanan noted that Black people have throughout history been used for spurious medical testing, including the Tuskegee Experiment, and therefore have an inherent fear of getting vaccinated. “Many people believe their faith will carry them through. But we are seeing so many loved ones die when they haven’t taken the shots.”

Like Benton, Buchanan advocated for health care workers to deliver vaccines at home. “Elderly people can’t stand in line for two to three hours.”

She noted that vaccines and home testing kits can be delivered via houses of faith. “People trust their churches.”

22 year old rapper Kennedy King shared a rap that won her first place in a contest organized by Saint Paul’s AME Church in San Bernardino, California. King and her family have all suffered through Covid; she fears for her grandparents getting infected, noting the consequences would be much higher.

King noted that her generation gets most of their news from social media, and raps are an important tool in spreading the word about the effectiveness of vaccines.

“Music is very relevant to young people’s lives; we communicate a lot through music,” she said, before performing her prize-winning rap.

“We have to get into young people’s heads that if you don’t care about yourself enough to get a vaccine, care about the elders around you,” said King.