Face coverings are no longer required but are still strongly recommended in San Bernardino County as the result of new health order requested by the Board of Supervisors.

The new order repeals the April 23 omnibus health order that required face coverings as well as social distancing at essential businesses, and banned gatherings and short-term rentals.

Although no longer regulated by a county health order, gatherings and short-term rentals are still prohibited and social distancing at essential businesses are still required under the state’s “stay-at-home” order.

“The County strongly urges everyone to continue wearing face coverings in public to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and businesses may still require face coverings for customers and employees,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “But repealing the local health orders and deferring to the less-restrictive state orders will allow the County to reopen businesses more quickly as the governor continues to relax standards.”

Many types of businesses were allowed to reopen this week under certain conditions. The Board of Supervisors last Thursday adopted a Readiness and Reopening Plan and made plans to seek the governor’s consent to open many other types of businesses next week. The board plans to discuss additional details on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. That meeting can be viewed on the CountyDirect Broadcast Network at http://www.sbcounty.gov/Main/Pages/ViewMeetings.aspx .

Information related to COVID-19 in San Bernardino County can be found at http:// sb covid19.com/ .

Two weeks ago, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp drew sharp criticisms from African Americans across the country.

Black politicians, social media commenters, and others blasted the governor, saying his decision to lift his state’s month-long stay-at-home order by first opening businesses like barbershops, nail salons, sneaker stores, tattoo parlors, gyms, and bowling alleys put the lives of Blacks at risk. Those are businesses African Americans frequent, his critics pointed out.

But unlike Georgia, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said businesses like barbershops, beauty shops, and nail salons will not be allowed to begin servicing their customers again until the third phase of the Golden State’s reopening plan.

“Phase three is not a year away. It’s not six months away. It’s not even three months away. It may not even be more than a month away,” Newsom said at his daily press conference Friday. “We just want to make sure we have a protocol in place to secure customer safety, employee safety, and allow the businesses to thrive in a way that is sustainable.”

On May 8, California started the second in a four-stage process of reopening business and public spaces shut down during the COVID-19 crisis on a category-by-category basis. Businesses in industries such as retail, manufacturing, logistics, and others that fit certain safety requirements opened Friday, still maintaining recommendations for wearing masks and gloves, and maintain a social distance of six feet between people.

Now, smaller businesses like salons and barbershops that require closer contact between people  — and that have been hit hard in the pocket by coronavirus-related shutdowns  —  are calling on the California governor, state legislature and other politicians to allow them to return to work.

The Black Small Business Association of California (BSBA) wrote letters to Sacramento Mayor Darryl Steinberg and Gov. Gavin Newsom urging them to consider allowing barbers and cosmetologists to safely resume their business.

“While we understand the need to prioritize public health and safety during this unprecedented crisis, the economic devastation of this moment cannot be overstated,” the letter read. “This loss of income is compounded by the limits of California’s safety-net services and has left too many barbers and cosmetologists without assistance during this difficult time.”

The BSBA claimed that many of the protections federal and state officials promised to small businesses did not reach barbers and cosmetologists.

“For example, many of these individuals have applied for Unemployment Insurance, but were denied,” the letter read. “Others applied for the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the Small Business Administration and were denied access to these funds as well. In addition, few if any have received access to information about local emergency funding options when these funds have been made available.”

In addition to those letters, the BSBA, along with the Mixed Cosmetology School, several barbers and cosmetologists wrote safety guidelines to serve as a model for how these specific businesses could begin reopening sooner rather than later.

Those guidelines include the implementation of personal protective gear, mandatory temperature checks, symptom questionnaires, and extensive disinfection.

Robert Brown, a barber at Another Look Hair Salon in Sacramento, highlighted some of the unique issues facing barbers and beauticians during the pandemic.

“Many African American owned salons didn’t qualify for the PPP loan because we rent booths to our stylists and barbers,” Brown said. “We didn’t have the payroll numbers to give banks to qualify.”

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a federal government stimulus loan program under the CARES act that provides cash to small businesses to cover payroll. The federal government forgives the loan if 75% of it is used to keep employees hired.

California joins several other states in reopening businesses after months of closures in the midst of this pandemic. But due to the size of the state, Gov. Newsom says, the reopening process has been based on the needs of different counties.

Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, detailed how Los Angeles County will cooperate with the governor’s reopening plan.

“[Los Angeles] County is in conversations with our state partners and wants to ensure any restrictions we ease are in the best interest of the health of all of our residents,” Barger said. “What’s best for other counties may not necessarily be right for Los Angeles County as we are the most densely populated county in the state, our guidelines will certainly look different than others.”

Dave Charles Presley Jr., a Rialto resident, and barber for 28 years had to move out of his apartment due to all of the revenue he has lost since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare,” Presley said. “I’m looking at all of these politicians with these fresh haircuts, yet our businesses are suffering. I know they didn’t cut that themselves.”

Presley also claims that he has waited for over a month to receive the unemployment benefits that he applied for after the governor issued his stay-at-home order.

Lorenzo Griffin, CEO of Laran Products, has been trying to help barbers like Presley as Laran Products only sells their merchandise directly to salons and barbershops.

“The beauty industry, the barbershops, and the beauty salons is the second-largest social institution in Black America, second only to the church,” Griffin said. “It’s vital that we open but it is absolutely vital that we stay safe when we open.”

Some have expressed concern about Black people returning to certain jobs during this reopening process. Dr. Melva Thompson-Robinson, Executive Director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Center for Health Disparities Research, spoke about the many challenges Black people have been facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“For the African American community, this has been something that has been centuries in the making in terms of the inequality and the racism that African Americans, in particular, have experienced,” Thompson-Robinson said. “As far as the African American community, they are often working in positions where they’d be considered essential workers. Not just as a doctor or nurse, but they are part of the janitorial staff or other essential staff.”

Thompson-Robinson also expressed her concern about the inherent racial bias in the medical community and explained how African Americans can combat that bias without coming across as hostile.

“You can advocate for yourself by having someone who can go with you, who can advocate on your behalf, or if you can’t have someone go with you, have someone put together a list of questions that have to be answered by the doctors so if you’re there by yourself, your issues and concerns aren’t being overlooked,” Thompson-Robinson said.

Comedy is the best medicine, especially in the times such as this with the Coronavirus pandemic. Comedian and actor, David A. Arnold’s, stand-up, Fat Ballerina, couldn’t have been released at an even better time such as this.

A standup comic, actor and writer, David A. Arnold is triple threat in the world of comedy.  As a comedian, he has performed all around the country and made various tv appearances.  He is known for his ART OF STANDDUP COMEDY (AOSC) master classes.  

For 11 years, he has taught the AOSC master classes to hundreds of novice and veteran comedians.  The AOSC class covers everything from structuring a joke to finding your comedic voice. Standouts among the many successful AOSC alumni include ABFF Comedy Wings Competition winners Zainab Johnson, Daphnique Springs and Amberia Allen, Tony Baker (Last Comic Standing), actors London Brown (HBO’s BALLERS) and James Davis (Comedy Central’s HOOD ADJACENT) as well as semi-finalist Jackie Fabulous of AMERICA’S GOT TALENT. Currently, AOSC boasts a waiting list of more than 300 people.

I recently interviewed Mr. Arnold where he chatted ore about his Netflix special, endeavors, and what inspired him to get into comedy.

Naomi K. Bonman: For starters, who is David Arnold?

David A. Arnold: David Arnold is someone who’s…it’s David A. Arnold. If you don’t put in the A you’re gonna get the white man that does all the soundtracks to James Bond, which I’m sure everybody will Google and be like ‘Who the hell is this?’, (laughs) he doesn’t look funny at all (laughs). But I’m a David A. Arnold. I’m a stand up comedian and television producer who probably has been making people laugh behind the scenes way longer than they even know. And now with my Netflix special, I’ve gotten a chance to come out and put a face to my comedy and my style of comedy, so with that and with the spark of my social media following, I got a chance to be seen. So I’m this dude who’s finally getting a chance for the world to see what I already I know, which is I’m funny.

Naomi K. Bonman: (laughs): And it’s working, I love it! So speaking of your Netflix special, Fat Ballerina, how does it feel to finally have your special on Netflix and what was the process like to get there?

David A Arnold: It feels great to have a special on Netflix because you finally get a chance to be seen on a world stage and get a chance to share stuff that you’ve been working on. As comedians that we do. We’re working on stuff in hopes to be able to share it on a national stage. and the things that you work on for years sometimes, you’re finally able to see people react to it. It’s kind of dope.

The process was long. I’ve been doing stand-up for 24 years. This was my third special, and my first first one that has been on a platform this large. It was working out; it was working the material out for many years. It was being denied. It was being turned down. It was being passed on and then eventually taking matters into my own hands and self-producing and putting the money up to do it and then getting my friend Kevin Hart to get behind me, and my management jumped on and was like, ‘This is good stuff”. And then with them behind it we took it over to Netflix and they looked at and had to put it up, so it was a process, but the part that I love the most is that I did it myself and I invested in myself because I believed in myself and it paid off.

Naomi K. Bonman: That is dope! We definitely have to invest in ourselves first.

David A. Arnold: Yeah, a lot of people won’t do that. A lot of people think they’re great. But are you great enough to put up 50, 200, 50,000 dollars on your idea if you had it to do so? A lot of people aren’t willing to do that. A lot of people will say that they’re good but that they need their money. You have to really believe. I’ve always been that guy from the beginning. From all of the short films that I wrote, directed and starred in, in 2005, I did a bunch of short films, and all of them I put my own money up and they all won awards at various film festivals around the country. I’ve never had a problem and that’s the one things I’m always going to bet on…David. Because I do the work. So that’s the dope part about it.

Naomi K. Bonman: So I was able to watch a few clips of Fat Ballerina and I definitely loved what I watched so far. So for those who have not tuned in yet, without giving too much away, what can people except from the special?

David A. Arnold: It’s going to take you on a journey through family and relationships, and marriage. It’s a real look at that stuff from my perspective, and I always tell people this set is for grown men who pay the bills. This a’int a set for if you gotta a little boyfriend and ya’ll splitting the rent and some of the stuff might not be for you, but truth of the matter is I do family, I do relationships. It’s all speaking of who I am. It speaks of the pettiness of the person that I am and how I see the world, and it’s actually very smart. I’m very proud of the work that we did.

Naomi K. Bonman: I haven’t gotten to watch the whole thing yet, but I love what I seen so far.

David A. Arnold: It’s doing good! My favorite is when I get people who hit me on social media and are are like, “Oh, my god! I’m only two and half minutes in and I can’t breathe!” (laughs)

Naomi K. Bonman: (laughs) Right…

David A. Arnold: That’s my favorite part; that when people get in and like right off the bat I come out just swinging. I think that to me is the best part. The retention rate on it is very high which is also dope for streaming stuff, so I’m very proud of that.

Naomi K. Bonman: So what inspired you to get into comedy? Have you always wanted to be a comedian or were you just thrown into it?

David A. Arnold: Well, when you graduate from high school with a 1.8, you a’int got too many choices…in life, so I always knew that I loved making people laugh. I was never the class clown, but I’ve always had this thing for storytelling and I feel that was what made me interested in it. Then I saw D.L. Hughley do it in the 90s when I was in the Navy and that’s when I was like, “Oh, I think I can do this. I can tell so many stories.” And that’s the kind of thing that got me into it. So after I got out of the military, I started doing that. I was kind of late in my life of getting started, but that’s when I started doing it and I haven’t looked back since.

Naomi K. Bonman: Awesome! That’s very inspiring. So in addition to comedy, you’re also an actor. You’ve been in The Real Husbands of Hollywood and the House Of Pain, just to name a few. So do you have any TV/Film projects that you’re currently working on as far as acting?

David A. Arnold: Well, I’m developing a show right now with Kevin Hart that’s based off a bit that I did in the stand-up special. I’m also in development for my next stand-up special. We already got a deal for another one, so I’m working on that. And I produce a lot of television. I produce and write. I write House of Payne and Meet the Browns. I wrote a show called Fuller House on Netflix. I wrote season 4 and 5 of that. I also wrote Real Husbands of Hollywood, a show called Zoe Ever After with Brandy. I’ve been writing and producing television for awhile. Before the virus shut us down, I was producing a show for some YouTubers called Jayden and Annie over at Nickelodeon. So I’m up and down the scale from some crazy comedies like Real Husbands of Hollywood to kid’s YouTube, like Jayden and Annie on Nickelodeon, so I’ve done all of it.

But I’m excited to show people the next special and ‘n excited to hopefully be able to get this television show based on my stand-up on the air. That would be kind of dope to get a chance for people to see more of who I am. So, yeah, I’m excited about that.

Naomi K. Bonman: You definitely stay busy and productive! That’s good though.

David A. Arnold: Mhmmmm! Got to feed these kids! (laughs)

Naomi K. Bonman: (laughs): So before the virus, you were headlining the Essence Festival’s comedy segment with Deon Cole, but as we know it got postponed to next year. But do you know if they’ll keep the same line-up? Can we except to see you there in 2021?

David A. Arnold: I don’t know if it’ll be the same line-up, but I love Deon Cole. Deon is a good friend of mine, so anytime that you get a chance to work with your friends is always dope. I don’t know if the line-up will be the same. Hopefully, when the time comes everybody’s schedule’s will line up and I’ll be available to do it. But I was doing that and I was doing TD Jakes’ A Time to Laugh tour that would’ve been starting as well. So it’s a lot of things that got postponed, so right now we’re just trying to get through this period. I’m using this time to do a lot of writing and to do a lot of research on my next stand-up special because that I can’t actually go out and perform and get it ready, but I am collecting information and getting the idea that I’m ready to tackle, so when it is time to go, I can go.

Naomi K. Bonman: So what is one fun fact that most probably do not know about David A. Arnold?

David A. Arnold: That I used to be a registered nurse and I worked as a nurse for many years while I was pursuing my stand-up comedy. I ran a family practice clinic in Culver city across the street from Sony Studios. I would work all day as a nurse, get off work, go to the comedy club and spend all night at the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, [and] Impov, trying to hone my stand-up skills until I got to a place where essentially the stand-up and the writing and producing actually started bringing me more work and took too much time that I had to step away from the nursing. So I served in the military then I worked in the medical field for 10 years after that.

Naomi K. Bonman: Interesting. What advice do you have for aspiring comedians, actors or writers that are striving for their big break?

David A. Arnold: Here’s my advice to anybody who’s striving for anything in the arts: One, it’s supposed to be hard; Two, every single obstacle that you encounter is put in the way for one reason, to weed out the weak and the people who don’t have what it takes to stand in there and keep fighting; And three, as long as you continue to strive to be what your voice is or whatever it is that you want to do, if you write, write; if it’s stand-up, do stand-up; if you act, act…You don’t need to wait for nobody. We live in a time in a world where you can shoot it, write it, and present it yourself. If you’re comedian, you can put stuff out there in the world. If you put something out there and there’s something to it, people will respond. 18 months ago I had 1,800 followers, then I decided to start putting my comedic voice on social media, not I have over 700,000 between Facebook and Instagram in literally less than two years. That’s just from me putting yup what I think is funny and people when they think that it’s funny they’re going to tell other people that this guy or girl is funny and that you should go watch them do whatever it is that they do. So that’s my advice, if you say that you want to do it, just do it. And just know that it’s going to be hard and it’s supposed to be.

Naomi K. Bonman: I love that advice! And how can people follow you?

David A. Arnold: On Instagram, it’s @thedavidaarnold or @davidaarnold across the board on Facebook and Twitter. You’ve got to use that ‘A’, if you put in David A. Arnold, you can find me everywhere. But if you don’t put that ‘A’, you’ll get the soundtrack composer from the James Bond movies. (laughs)

Naomi K. Bonman (laughs): Thank you David! And is there anything else you want to leave the people with?

David A. Arnold: If you haven’t seen Fat Ballerina, go to Netflix and check it out. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and please everybody keep your asses at the house so we can get out of here. The more we stay home and do what they tell us to do for a little while, the sooner we can go back out here in the streets and do what we were doing before.

Naomi K. Bonman: Thank you so much David!

David A. Arnold: I appreciate you1 Looking forward to reading and seeing this. Thank you so much!

Naomi K. Bonman: You’re welcome. Stay safe.

Pal Charter Academy (PCA) is now registering students for Virtual Summer School. PCA is a grade 6th to 12^th charter academy. Students may take up to three classes. Please call today at (909) 887-7002 to register your student. For other information and school updates, visit www.palcenter.org/summerschool.

Below are the high school graduates and valedictorians for the 2020 school year. Congratulations to all of our graduates. Our hearts go out to you during these difficult times.

Anderson School: Graduates: Undetermined at this time

Arroyo Valley High School: Valedictorians: Veronica Banuelos, Edward Dominic Castaneda, and Jesus Giselle Pantoja. Salutatorian: Natalie Luna. Graduates: 580*

Cajon High School: Valedictorians: Tomas Ascencion Flores, Randy Gerond Medley, Elysia Rios, Brad Joseph Bolluyt, Serenity Ngoc Chavez, Thu Anh Nguyen, Ryan Daniel Chapin, Trevor Allen Chapin, and Yulissa Guadalupe Sanchez. Salutatorians: Raziel Plata Serrato, Moremi Elize Olora, Saul Mercado, and Abigail Grace Willis. Graduates: 652*

Indian Springs High School: Valedictorian: Kyla Duhart. Salutatorian: Kacey Lam. Graduates: 376*

Inland Career Education Center (formerly San Bernardino Adult School): Graduates: 125*

Middle College High School: Valedictorians: Naeli Marie Mills and Adriana Toledo Calvillo. Salutatorians: Lester Cedeno, Antonia Lopez-Vega, and Samuel Rojo-Aguayo. Graduates: 62*

Pacific High School: Valedictorian: Valerie Gonzalez-Caloca. Salutatorian: Vanessa Gonzalez-Caloca. Graduates: 224*

San Andreas High School: Graduates: 220*

San Bernardino High School: Valedictorian: Remijia Plascencia. Salutatorians: Anthony Craddock and Jose Rosales-Torres. Graduates: 311*

San Gorgonio High School: Valedictorians: Matthew Jackson, Henry Luu, and Jeffry Umana. Salutatorians: Maia Garcia and Dennis Phan. Graduates: 400*

Sierra High School: Graduates: 200*

Approximately 3,150 San Bernardino City Unified School District students will receive their high school diplomas or GED certification this year. This does not include those graduating from vocational programs.

Side Note: Anderson serves students ages 12 to 22 with a variety of physical and intellectual challenges. Graduates receive a certificate of completion, not a high school diploma. Graduate counts are approximate at this time.

The Justice Department said Monday that federal prosecutors are weighing possible hate crime charges in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man gunned down after being pursued by two armed White men in a Georgia subdivision.

Arbery was fatally shot February 23 by a father and son who told police they chased him because they believed he was a burglar. They were arrested last week, more than two months later, on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault after video of the shooting appeared online.

Georgia has no hate crime law

Attorneys for Arbery’s parents and others, including Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and the Southern Poverty Law Center, have asked for a federal investigation. Georgia has no hate crime law allowing charges at the state level.

“We are assessing all of the evidence to determine whether federal hate crimes charges are appropriate,” Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement Monday.

Previously, a Justice Department spokesman had said the FBI is assisting in the investigation and the department would assist if a federal crime is uncovered.

Feds considering investigating local police

Kupec’s statement Monday also said the Justice Department was considering Carr’s request for federal authorities to investigate how local police and prosecutors handled the case. She said Carr has been asked to “forward to federal authorities any information that he has.”

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his 34-year-old son, Travis McMichael, are jailed on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault in Arbery’s slaying. Gregory McMichael is a former Glynn County police officer who later worked 20 years as an investigator for the local district attorney’s office. He retired a year ago.

The father and son told police they thought Arbery matched the appearance of a burglary suspect who they said had been recorded on a surveillance camera some time before, according to the Glynn County police report filed after the shooting.

Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper Jones, has said she thinks her 25-year-old son, a former high school football player, was just jogging in the neighborhood before he was killed.

Man who recorded video not charged

Meanwhile, a man identifying himself as the person who recorded the cellphone video of the shooting said he’s received death threats.

William “Roddie” Bryan is identified as a witness in the police report taken after Arbery’s shooting. He appears to be mentioned in a single sentence of the report, which says Gregory McMichael told an officer that “‘Roddy’ attempted to block (Arbery) which was unsuccessful.”

“I had nothing to do with it. I’m trying to get my life back to normal, and it’s been smeared for the last week,” Bryan told WJAX-TV in an interview that aired Monday.

“I was told I was a witness and I’m not sure what I am, other than receiving a bunch of threats.”

Bryan has not been charged in the case. The TV station reported Bryan would not discuss his involvement in the events that led to Arbery’s death.

Outside prosecutors were appointed to handle the case. But the McMichaels weren’t arrested until last week. After video of the shooting leaked online Tuesday, the lead prosecutor on the case asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the shooting. The McMichaels were arrested Thursday.

It was not known Monday whether the McMichaels had attorneys to represent them. They had no lawyers at their first court appearance Friday.

The leaked video shows a Black man running at a jogging pace. The truck is stopped in the road ahead of him, with one of the White men standing in the pickup’s bed and the other beside the open driver’s side door.

The running man attempts to pass the pickup on the passenger side, moving just beyond the truck, briefly outside the camera’s view. A gunshot sounds, and the video shows the running man grappling with a man over what appears to be a shotgun or rifle. A second shot can be heard, and the running man can be seen punching the other man. A third shot is fired at point-blank range. The running man staggers a few feet and falls face down.

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace J Allen IV

It will probably be safe to group and gather at work when City Councils, County Supervisors, School Boards, State Legislatures and Congress members begin meeting face to face. When the Courts open up the courts. When the New York Stock Exchange opens the floor for trading. When the NBA, MLB and NFL team owners meet in the same room to negotiate with their respective Players Union representatives. When the medical and scientific experts are comfortable meeting with the public in person to discuss COVID-19. Until then, please continue to wash your hands, keep your distance, wear a mask, and evolve into the healthy lifestyle that will build your immune system and help you fight off the virus! 

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed “architect of rock ‘n’ roll” whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died Saturday. He was 87.

Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard’s, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. His son, Danny Jones Penniman, also confirmed his father’s death, which was first reported by Rolling Stone.

Danny Jones Penniman said his father had cancer.

Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock’n’roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the music charts, joining Chuck Berry and Fats Domino in bringing what was once called “race music” into the mainstream.

Richard’s hyperkinetic piano playing, coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo, made him an implausible sensation — a gay, black man celebrated across America during the buttoned-down Eisenhower era.

He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie.

Wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom

In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior and looks – mascara-lined eyes, pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits.

“Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. “Little Richard was great on every record.”

It was 1956 when his classic “Tutti Frutti” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40, exploding from radios and off turntables across the country. It was highlighted by Richard’s memorable call of “wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.”

A string of hits followed, providing the foundation of rock music: “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly.” More than 40 years after the latter charted, Bruce Springsteen was still performing “Good Golly Miss Molly” live.

The Beatles’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard’s signature yelps — perhaps most notably in the “Wooooo!” from the hit “She Loves You.” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard’s “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” on the 1975 “Rock and Roll” album.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley, Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke and others.

“It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend and fellow rocker Little Richard,” said Lewis, 84, in a statement provided by his publicist.

“He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent and his friendship! He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly. God bless his family and fans.”

Few were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard’s seminal role than Richard himself. The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis, provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney.

“I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll!” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 Grammy Awards as the crowd rose in a standing ovation. “I am the originator!”

One of 12 children in Macon, Ga.

Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, during the Great Depression, one of 12 children. He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity: his right leg was shorter than his left.

The family was religious, and Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots. The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘n’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career.

Penniman was performing with bands by the age of 14, but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation. His father beat the boy and derided him as “half a son.”

Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam, occasionally appearing in drag.

In late 1955, Little Richard recorded the bawdy “Tutti Frutti,” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter. It went on to sell 1 million records over the next year.

When Little Richard’s hit was banned by many white-owned radio stations, white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley did cover versions that topped the charts.

Fired Jimi Hendrix

Little Richard went Hollywood with an appearance in “Don’t Knock the Rock.” But his wild lifestyle remained at odds with his faith, and a conflicted Richard quit the business in 1957 to enroll in a theological school and get married.

Richard remained on the charts when his label released previously recorded material. And he recorded a gospel record, returning to his roots.

A 1962 arrest for a sexual encounter with a man in a bus station restroom led to his divorce and return to performing.

He mounted three tours of England between 1962 and 1964, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones serving as opening acts. Back in the States, he put together a band that included guitarist Jimi Hendrix — and later fired Hendrix when he was late for a bus.

In 1968, Richard hit Las Vegas and relaunched his career. Within two years, he had another hit single and made the cover of Rolling Stone.

Cocaine and recovery

By the mid-1970s, Richard was battling a $1,000-a-day cocaine problem and once again abandoned his musical career. He returned to religion, selling Bibles and renouncing homosexuality. For more than a decade, he vanished.

“If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody,” Richard said.

But he returned, in 1986, in spectacular fashion. Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and appeared in the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.”

A Little Richard song from the soundtrack, “Great Gosh A’Mighty,” even put him back on the charts for the first time in more than 15 years.

Little Richard was back to stay, enjoying another dose of celebrity that he fully embraced.

Macon, Georgia, named a street after its favorite son. And Little Richard was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In August 2002, he announced his retirement from live performing. But he continued to appear frequently on television, including a humorous appearance on a 2006 commercial for GEICO insurance.

Richard had hip surgery in November 2009 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and asked fans at the time to pray for him. He lived in the Nashville area at the time.
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Former Associated Press Writer Larry McShane contributed to this report

“L.A. County is continuing its progress on the road to recovery, with planned reopening of beaches for active recreation and an expansion of permitted retail activities coming tomorrow. While the Safer at Home orders will remain in place over the next few months, restrictions will be gradually relaxed under our 5-stage Roadmap to Recovery, while making sure we are keeping our communities as safe as possible during this pandemic,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

“We are being guided by science and data that will safely move us forward along the road to recovery in a measured way—one that allows us to ensure that effective distancing and infection control measures are in place. We’re counting on the public’s continued compliance with the orders to enable us to relax restrictions, and we are committed to making sure that L.A. County is in the best position to provide its 10 million residents with the highest level of wellness possible as we progressively get back to normal.”

The services are meant to help vulnerable seniors fight food insecurity during COVID-19 pandemic

From quick meals that can be picked up to food dropped off at homes, Riverside County is offering several free food options to disabled and vulnerable adults as stay-at-home orders continue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adults who have a disability or are over age 60 can contact Riverside County Office on Aging, which offers food delivery for critical emergencies, two weeks supply of pantry and essential items, home-delivered meals, and Grab-and-Go meal packages at community center locations.

“We have a number of programs, depending on our callers’ needs and nutritional risk. We will tailor enrollment to any one or more of these important nutrition programs,” said Gary Robbins, Deputy Director for Programs and Operations with Office on Aging. “We’re averaging almost 1,200 calls a day at this point, and our requests for food have tripled. I’d encourage folks who want to find out more to visit the Office on Aging website or send us an email.”

Seniors or disabled adults can call 800-510-2020 or visit rcAging.org to determine their need for any one of the following service options:

• Grab-and-Go Meals: Up to seven to 14 days of cooked and frozen meals ready for pick up
• Courtesy Pantry: Two weeks supply of food delivered within five to seven days
• Home-Delivered Meals: Up to seven to 14 days of delivered food with no contact for vulnerable adults
• Emergency Meals:  Up to three days of immediate food delivered to fragile adults and seniors

Details on Office on Aging’s program can be found at rcAging.org. Riverside County has also released a map showing where senior meals, school meals and food pantries are available.

To meet the growing need, the state of California is also launching a restaurant meal delivery program specifically for seniors who don’t qualify for other food assistance programs.

“I am very proud of the Riverside County Office on Aging, which has been leading a number of innovative programs and will soon have this new effort up and running to further support Riverside County’s senior population,” said Board Chair V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor. “This is a great program because it enhances food security and the senior safety net that provide service and dignity that all senior citizens in our community deserve. This program has many wins for our communities, it will help our seniors, our restaurants and taxi industry. We encourage any senior in need and any restaurant in our community that wishes to partner in this program to contact us.”

Office on Aging wants restaurants, especially those who deliver, to fill out a contact form or email rcaging@rivco.org if they want to participate in the program.

Once implemented, seniors will be able to select from preapproved restaurants, who will deliver a maximum of three meals a day to their homes.  More details on the newly announced statewide program can be found here or at rcAging.org.