LOS ANGELES, CA—Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assemblymember Chris Holden’s police reform legislation, AB 26 that establishes clear guidelines for police responsibility and accountability when witnessing excessive force by another member of law enforcement.

“Derek Chauvin was charged for killing George Floyd, but justice for George Floyd doesn’t rest in Chauvin’s conviction alone – there were three additional officers who simply stood by and watched him die,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “I thank Governor Newsom and everyone who supported AB 26 that will make it crystal clear in our state law what a peace officer’s duty is to intervene when witnessing excessive force.”

California law requires police officers to intercede when observing another officer using force that is beyond that which is necessary, but there are no universal measures used to determine that an officer has in fact interceded. In the case of George Floyd, a lawyer for one of the accused junior officers argued that there was intervention because the junior officer asked the supervising officer if they should turn Floyd on his side.

If AB 26 becomes law, police officers would be required to intercede when witnessing excessive force under the updated guidelines and report the incident in real time to dispatch or the watch commander. The officer’s due process will be protected as the employing agency would review evidence and determine if the offending officer met the standard for intervention. Retaliation against officers that report violations of law or regulation of another officer to a supervisor would be prohibited.

Last year, Governor Newsom’s Policing Advisors released their recommendations which included legislation to “Require officers to intervene to prevent or stop other officers from engaging in excessive force, false arrest, or other inappropriate conduct.”

“Today’s signing is a big step forward for police responsibility and accountability. Instituting these core values are paramount to building public trust that has eroded between law enforcement and communities across California,” said Holden.

AB 26 clarifies and establishes intervention to include, but not limited to:

• The use of de-escalation techniques
• Confronting the officer applying excessive use of force
• Physically stopping the excessive use of force, when in a position to do so
• Recording and documenting the incident in real time with body cameras
• Reporting the incident to dispatch or the watch commander in real time stating the offending officer’s name, unit, location, time and situation in order to establish that an attempt to intervene has been made

AB 26 also makes the following the changes to state law:

• Requires the peace officer to report the incident immediately to his/her supervisor
• Prohibits retaliation on a peace officer for reporting the incident
• Prohibits an officer from training other officers for a period of at least three years from the date that an excessive use of force complaint is substantiated
• Requires an officer who fails to intervene be disciplined up to and including in the same manner as the officer who used excessive force

The full text of the legislation can be found here, and full remarks from today’s bill signing here.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—-Two schools in San Bernardino County have been distinguished as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools. This prestigious award recognizes schools based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. They are among the state’s highest performing schools.

Hidden Trails Elementary School in Chino Valley Unified School District and Valencia Elementary School in Upland Unified School District are among only 26 schools in California receiving this recognition.

“This is a distinguished award that schools all across our nation strive for, and we have two schools within our County receiving this high honor,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “I commend the efforts put forth by our educators and their outstanding commitment to transform the lives of students.”

National Blue Ribbon Schools is a program of the U.S. Department of Education designed to celebrate exemplary schools in which educators, students and families have worked to create positive and effective learning environments for all students.

The Department of Education recognizes all schools in one of two performance categories, based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates:

• Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.
• Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among their state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s student groups and all students.

 

Hidden Trails and Valencia Elementary Schools were both recognized as Exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools for their work in establishing educational equity and for their dramatic gains in student achievement.

“At Hidden Trails, our focus has been on building the kind of school that engages students and makes them want to be here,” Hidden Trails Principal Lisa Sura said. “Our data-driven instruction and teacher collaboration have helped us build a positive school culture in which students are encouraged to reach their highest potential through a multi-tiered system of support.”

Both Hidden Trails and Valencia Elementary School principals noted this award serves as recognition of the hard work staff, students, educators and families put in to create a safe and welcoming school where students can succeed.

“Valencia believes it can collectively accomplish great things and make a positive difference in the lives of students,” said Valencia Elementary Principal Rachael Emery. “Our mission reflects the core belief that students, no matter their academic level, deserve focused instruction to achieve academic growth and to support emotional well-being. We owe our success to our staff’s collaborative work to implement evidence-based strategies with rigor to assure equitable access to quality teaching and learning.”

In total, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized 325 schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2021. These outstanding schools will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on November 4 and 5, 2021.

For more information visit our website at www.sbcss.net and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. #transforminglives.

 

SACRAMENTO, CA —The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) endorses Mr. Cecil Rhambo for Los Angeles County Sheriff.

CLBC recognizes Mr. Rhambo as a respected community leader with a wealth of  experience in law enforcement, protecting Los Angeles County citizens for more than 33 years. Mr. Rhambo is currently the Chief of LAX Airport. He has a strong track record of community policing and successfully reducing crime in Compton and South L.A.

He’s organized youth boxing and developed the Community Oriented Policing Bureau, which focused on suppressing violent crime, combatting homelessness, parking enforcement, quality of life programs, youth programs, and the mental health response teams that partnered with psych clinicians county-wide.

“I’ve known Cecil for many years and as chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, I am confident he would be the Sheriff all of LA could be proud of,” said Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus. “I know he is the right person to lead the LA County Sheriff Department during this state and national demand for police reform and accountability, and I trust his commitment to bringing desperately-needed transparency, equity, and integrity to the Department.”

This past year the Black Caucus has authored police reform legislation to include changes in the use of force, banning chokeholds, age requirements of officers, and accountability among other improvements to law enforcement – many of which are shared strategies of Mr. Rhambo as a veteran officer in LA County. If elected, the Black Caucus is confident Mr. Rhambo will enforce these changes and provide solutions to crime both outside and inside the department.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- “We Mentor Men Towards a Better Future”, – This year marks the 65th year of the Social Lites Inc. as an organization and 55th year of them making a strong and lasting impact on our Black and Brown young men of our Inland Empire community.

This year we the organization is excited to be ushered in by President Sheri Lewis and Vice President Elsie Paulino who bring a wealth of knowledge and a combined 30+ years with new ideas to the program.

The Beautillion Program provides services that ensure that our youth are college bound and equipped to succeed in college and realize their full potential as men, career professionals, entrepreneurs, and productive citizens through the program. They also provide mentoring, leadership and character and life development skills to makes students from Elementary to High School.

In addition, participating high school seniors who express a desire to attend college may qualify for academic scholarships after completing a rigorous six-month extracurricular program that involves academics, community service projects, and refining social skills. To date, the Beautillion Program has given out approximately $2.5 million dollars in scholarships to college bound young men.  

The Beautillion Briefing will be from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 10 at The Center for Youth & Community located at 468 West 5th Street in San Bernardino.

Please call Marlene Davis at (909) 709-5502 for more information. Mark your calendars, this will be a life changing opportunity for the young men in your lives.  

By Lue Dowdy, LUE Productions

Are you between the ages of 6 and 25? The Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce-Inland Cites East Chapter is looking for young folks with businesses that would like to showcase their products at the SCBCC-Inland Cities East monthly business mixer on Monday, October 25^.  

The goal is to support, encourage, and uplift our future business owners. The mixer is FREE and will be held in the City of San Bernardino and is open to all. Space is limited so please register soon by visiting the website at www.blackchamberofcommerce.org or texting 909.567.1000. Participants will be advertised on final mixer flyer. 

Set up time is 4 p.m. and breakdown is at 8 p.m. Prepare for fun, networking, and resource information. Remember it takes a VILLAGE! Until next week, L’s!

By Lou Yeboah

Okay, no more warnings! Have it your way. But you ought to know that there will be terrible consequences for those who refuse to repent- those who choose to do their own thing. Choosing the creation, but refusing the Creator, what’s wrong with you? You will perish [Luke 13: 3, 5] even though that is not what I desire- [2 Peter 3:9). Even now you are filling up a “store house” of wrath that will one day be poured out on you – [Romans 2:5. Acts 17:30] “I have sharpened My sword; I have bent My bow and made it ready [Psalms 7:12]. Since you have refused to repent, now it’s my prerogative, and I will do what I want, says the Lord.

I tell you, making decisions without considering the consequences is foolish and dangerous. The price to pay is always catastrophic. Listen, God in His justice and forbearance has given you opportunity after opportunity to turn to Him, but you refuse, but God will not be mock; you will suffer the consequences of your choice. If a sinner can be sent to hell for all eternity, this clearly demonstrates God’s full hatred toward disobedience.

As people whom God deeply cares about, he wants us to deal with disobedience wisely. Remember, nobody can ever please God while living in rebellion. Rebelling against Him is equivalent to rejecting Him and His Word. Repent or Perish! The choice is your!

A warning about a coming day: In [Revelation 6:8] one-fourth of the world’s population are killed, and the remaining three-fourths of the people survive. In [Revelation 9:18] one-third of these survivors are killed. Even after half of the world’s population has been killed, the survivors refused to repent of their sin and idolatry – [Revelation 9:20-21]. Later, God let the sun scorch them with a burning heat. At this time, they not only refused to repent and glorify God, but they also cursed him – [Revelation 16:9]. Then God sent darkness, along with pain [pain from the burns and sores of the previous judgment]. The people still refused to repent of what they had done – [Revelation 16:11[. At that point, there is nothing left for God to do, except to return and bring judgment upon them, at the final battle of Armageddon. [Revelation 16:21]

Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

Even though God has brought correction to a rebellious people to turn them back to truth, they would not listen but instead hardened their hearts to remain in opposition to God. Failure to repent while still able seals their doom when they die. [Luke 10:13-15].

[Revelation chapter 16] man’s last chance to turn.

They didn’t want to hear what God had to say. They refused to apply the words of prophesy to themselves and to take the shame for what they had done. They had no remorse, no guilt. The prophet’s words did not move the people to a place of repentance. Their hearts were too hardened, and their necks were too stiffened to take heed to the forewarning of impending doom. They didn’t want to hear that they were not right in the eyes of God. They didn’t

want to hear words of rebuke that lets them know they have fallen short of the glory of God. They didn’t want to hear sound doctrine. Therefore, they refused to listen at all. They wanted their ears tickled with words of blessings and peace. Doom and gloom was not the type of prophet they wanted so they refused to hear and obey.

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” [Ezekiel 33:11].

Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:2]. Repent! And do this, understanding the present time: The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. [Romans 12:11-14].

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—The San Bernardino City Unified School District’s (SBCUSD) Welcoming Resource Center, currently at 781 #A W. Second Street in San Bernardino, will be closing October 1.

The district leased the Second Street location in 2018, opening a temporary Welcoming Resource Center where families could enroll new students while a new, permanent facility is built adjacent to the Board of Education building.

“The construction of the new resource center is slated to begin soon,” said

SBCUSD Administrator of Operations Sam Precie. “We’re excited to share more details in the coming months about our plans to break ground on this project that means so much to our community.”

“Our families have advocated for a permanent place that we hope will become a hub of valuable resources for students and families,” Precie added, “and we’re getting closer to making that a reality.”

The new center will be a single destination for families looking to enroll their children in SBCUSD schools, conduct a language assessment, access health and wellness needs, get support services for students in foster care and homeless situations, and technology needs.  

After considering several factors, SBCUSD officials determined it was not in the best interests of parents or employees to continue leasing the facility on Second Street. SBCUSD will close the building by October 1 and relocate the remaining employees to other facilities.

Enrollment and Placement Services, the Language Assessment Center, and the Family Engagement Office are among the departments still located at the Welcoming Resource Center (WRC) on Second Street. Families will still be able to enroll their children in school at any SBCUSD school campus and online while Enrollment and Placement Services relocates.

“Enrolling at your neighborhood school has always been an option for families, and school staff continue to be ready to provide good customer service to our new students and families while our Enrollment and Placement Services staff move,” said Chief Communications and Community Engagement Officer Ginger Ontiveros.

The departments located at Second Street will be relocated to the following locations:

Enrollment and Placement Services and the Language Assessment Center staff will be relocated to empty classrooms at Jones Elementary School, located at 700 North F Street in San Bernardino.

Family Engagement Office staff is scheduled to move to space at Dr. Mildred Dalton Henry Elementary School, 1250 W. 14th Street in San Bernardino.

Multilingual Programs staff will move to the Professional Development Center (PDC), 4030 Georgia Blvd. in San Bernardino.

Specialized Programs, GATE, transitional kindergarten (TK), and PE staff will move to Lincoln Elementary, 255 W. 13th Street in San Bernardino.

The District is committed to keeping families updated on the relocation process through the official SBCUSD website and social media channels, as well as notices via ParentSquare. ParentSquare is the District’s new all-in-one communication platform.

“We want to make this transition as easy as possible for our families,” Ontiveros said. “In the end, we know this move is the right thing for students and staff.”

SACRAMENTO, CA – Earlier this week, Governor Newsom signed Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation, AB 948 which would address discrimination in the real estate appraisal process.

“Black homeowners in predominately white neighborhoods are getting their homes appraised for far less than their neighbors,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden. “It’s just another example of how bias, whether explicit or implicit, creates inequity for Black Americans. This is redlining 2.0.”

AB 948 would require the Bureau of California Real Estate Appraisals to gather data on demographic information of buyers and sellers of real estate property and compile data of homeowners from protected classes who file complaints based on low appraisals. The legislation also requires appraisers to take anti-bias training when renewing their license.

In just one example, a Black couple in Marin City, had their home value lowballed by nearly $500,000. Similar incidents have been recorded throughout California and the Country.

“This bill reflects a starting point in a much-needed conversation about how discrimination is still prevalent in the home buying and selling process, and I am committed to addressing this inequity,” said Holden.

Governor Newsom also signed AB 1297, authored by Holden, which expands the financing authority of the California Infrastructure and Economic Bank (IBank) to include housing projects, when the housing is necessary for the operation of the financed project.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—-After a mask-wearing and music-filled event on Saturday, September 25 that brought much joy and excitement to the San Bernardino High School (SBHS) community, Abdel-Rahman Hussein and Jamie Villalobos were crowned the new Mr. and Miss Cardinal City, respectively.

The 2021–2022 pageant was unlike any held before. According to pageant

director and SBHS bilingual school outreach worker Jaime Rios, due to COVID-related cancellations of the separate 2020–2021 Mr. Cardinal and Miss Cardinal pageants, he made the decision to combine the pageants for 2021–2022.

“The students and staff have waited so long for the pageant,” Rios said. “It’s become a tradition and something that everyone looks forward to. Once we had the proper safety precautions in place to make it happen, I wanted to involve both sets of contestants.”

Rios worked closely with staff from SBHS and Sturges Center for the Fine Arts, where the pageant was held, to make sure that everyone would be as safe as possible from COVID. He also consulted with District officials, including the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Safety & Emergency Manager Eric Vetere.

The COVID safety measures involved limiting the pageant audience to 250 invited guests only, which included only 10 members of each contestant’s family, pageant judges, performers, and a small, select group of Sturges and SBHS staff and judges’ guests. Since Sturges can accommodate 700 audience members, the extra space allowed the audience to be grouped by household with empty seats between groups.

Additionally, every person in attendance was asked to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth at all times, excluding when sipping water or for children under age 2, as allowed by law. Signage reminded attendees to assess their health before entering Sturges, and everyone had to submit to a temperature check. Hand sanitizer stations were available for the judges, backstage for the contestants, and for the audience. An industrial-sized, HEPA-grade air filter in the auditorium filtered the air for virus particles.

Filling out Mr. Cardinal City’s court are first runner-up Carmel Gonzales and second runner-up

Saul Felix.

Miss Cardinal City’s court includes first runner-up Kylee Bravo and second runner-up Laura Galindo. Miss International Beauty 2021 Trinity Ortega and Teen International Beauty 2021 Ashley Torrez were also crowned Saturday night and will be part of the Miss Cardinal City court.

The pageant also included several special presentations. Ivan Cruz, a SBHS Class of 2021 graduate, was named Mr. Cardinal City 2020–2021.

“The Mr. Cardinal City 2020–2021 pageant was cancelled just weeks before the event due to the COVID-19 lockdowns,” Rios said. “The contestants had been practicing and providing hours of community service up to that point, but they never got to take the stage. I couldn’t give that back to them, but I could crown an honorary Mr. Cardinal City 2020–2021 from among the contestants.”

Cruz was crowned shortly before Mr. Cardinal City 2021–2022 was announced, so his reign was short lived, but he will be listed as a former Mr. Cardinal City in official documents.

Dr. Harold Vollkommer, retired SBCUSD interim superintendent and former deputy superintendent, was honored for his longtime support of the Mr. and Miss Cardinal City pageants. He has judged several pageants and been the master of ceremonies for others.

Mr. and Miss Cardinal City and their Courts will represent Cardinal City, which is an official chartered city that encompasses the SBHS campus and all of its current students and staff, at various in-person and virtual functions.

According to Susan Jeske Irvine, the holder of the trademark for Miss International Beauty and Teen International Beauty, both titles focus on using the exhilaration of pageantry to teach women and girls important life skills, encourage involvement in community service, and use their “Crown for a Purpose,” while shaping the leaders of tomorrow. Miss International Beauty and Teen International Beauty were incorporated into the Miss Cardinal City pageant this year as part of a set of unique circumstances because of COVID and the passing of founder Louise Madlin.

Mr. and Miss Cardinal City are eligible for college scholarships when they graduate from SBHS. To donate to the Cardinal Scholarship fund, contact Communications/Community Relations secretary Susan Zavala at (909) 381-1250. Miss International Beauty 2021 and Teen International Beauty 2021 will each receive $100 in prize money.