School District Police officers reach out to community members during National Night Out in August 2018.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—-SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Paakuma’ K–8 School hosted an event for school staff, parents, and community members to share coffee and conversation with San Bernardino City Unified School District Police officers this past on Wednesday, October 3. Starbucks and Krispy Kreme doughnuts co-sponsored the event.

The October 3 event was the first in a series of community outreach meetings School District Police plan to hold at various SBCUSD schools.

“There are no agendas and no speeches,” said Sgt. John Guttierez. “It’s just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the District Police officers in your school community.”

By Aubry Stone, California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—- One of the great advantages of Proposition 64 – the 2016 ballot initiative that legalized adult use cannabis – was the idea that it could start to address the disproportionately negative impact of marijuana arrests among communities of color. This disparity is well documented. Just a few years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union reported that African Americans were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than whites, even though use of the drug was roughly equal among both populations.

Prop 64 not only promised to reduce or expunge certain past convictions, it also presented employment opportunities in the newly legalized cannabis industry as a gateway to the middle class for many underserved communities.

As the head of a statewide organization that supports many minority-owned cannabis businesses, I know firsthand that communities of color are not seeing the promised opportunities of this new marketplace being realized.

EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— FONTANA, CA—Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), local officials and business representatives today celebrated the opening of a new public compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station located at 16231 Valley Boulevard in Fontana. The ceremony was held during National Clean Energy Week, which was first conceived in 2017 with the goal of advancing support of our nation’s energy sector through new methods of market development, policy change, and technological innovation. The new station was designed to serve the needs of the local and regional trucking industry and is the largest SoCalGas CNG fueling station constructed to date. SoCalGas also recently announced it will soon begin using renewable natural gas for the first time at the 25 utility-owned natural gas vehicle fueling stations across its service territory, as well as at six fueling stations in the San Diego area. Photos are available here.

“The latest generation of natural gas trucks, fueled with renewable natural gas virtually eliminate air pollution and emissions linked to climate change,” said Rodger Schwecke, senior vice president of gas transmission, storage and engineering for SoCalGas. “By giving truck drivers and fleet operators more locations to fuel up, we can put more of these trucks on the road and deliver an immediate benefit to communities, especially those along our busy freeways.”

“Fontana is proud to welcome our first compressed natural gas station to the city,” said City of Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. “As one of the most important regional hubs for the U.S. trucking industry, having this CNG fueling station in Fontana will help us reduce our carbon footprint one truck at a time. We want to thank our partners at Southern California Gas Company for bringing this valuable resource to our community.”

The new CNG station extends the network of CNG stations across a key regional goods movement corridor and will provide owners and operators of natural gas-fueled trucks and other vehicles with a new, convenient place to fuel. The location, which is just off Interstate 10 (I-10) in the Inland Empire, was selected to serve a major logistics transportation corridor. More than 20,000 trucks travel along the freeway each day.

The transportation sector is responsible for 41 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 80 percent of smog forming pollution. The latest heavy-duty natural gas engines can cut smog-forming emissions by more than 90 percent compared to the cleanest heavy-duty diesel trucks on the road today. When these trucks are fueled with renewable natural gas (RNG), greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by at least 80 percent.

SoCalGas has worked with fleet owners to secure millions of dollars in incentive funding for the replacement of diesel trucks with cleaner, new near-zero natural gas trucks. Each new natural gas truck that replaces a traditional diesel truck is the equivalent of taking 57 passenger cars off the road.

Renewable natural gas is produced from the methane generated in landfills, wastewater treatment plants, food processing and dairies and depending on its source, can be low-carbon or in some cases, even carbon-negative. It can be used to fuel trucks and buses, to generate electricity, to heat homes and businesses, and to cook.

Capturing the methane from these waste sources and using it for fuel has two benefits: It keeps methane, a greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere and contributing to climate change, and it reduces the use of traditionally-sourced natural gas.

Already, close to 70 percent of natural gas fleets in California are fueled with renewable natural gas.

The Fontana location is the 13th public SoCalGas-operated CNG fueling station to open, and there are 3 more currently under construction – one in Pacoima, one in Bakersfield and one in Ramona.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) Board of Education started its meetings for the year on Tuesday, October 2. Meetings are now held every first and third Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the Indian Springs High School MU Room.

The Board has been holding its meetings at Indian Springs High School (ISHS) since renovations began on the Board of Education building earlier this year. The Board held its September 18, 2018, Board meeting in the new ISHS Performing Arts Center, following the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Board meetings will continue to be held in the ISHS MU Room until the Board of Education building remodel is complete. Indian Springs High School is located at 650 North Del Rosa Drive in San Bernardino.

If you plan to attend Board of Education meetings and require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the SBCUSD Affirmative Action Office at (909) 381-1122 or mike.medina@sbcusd.com at least 10 business days before the meeting.

By Lue Dowdy

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— Breast Cancer Survivor, Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers is What It Do!

What up IE and everybody! As we all know October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

Last year I did a call out for models. I was so moved when Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers reached out to me to be featured in my column. She currently resides in San Bernardino, California but was born and raised in Merced, California.

Not allowing her circumstances to get the best of her, she decided to take charge and bring awareness to younger women about the importance of regular checkups. Quaneisha linked up with photographer, David Silvermoon and made magic in the studio. She wanted to show the world that it’s okay and you’re not alone.

This beautiful woman is truly an inspiration. Education is vital not just for women, but for men as well. It’s important to get checkups regularly. Mammograms are needed to detect early signs of breast cancer. Mammograms can spot breast cancer before a lump can be felt. Please take care of your health and get tested.

Until next week L’s!

More about Queen Quaneisha La-Faye Beavers:

Her hobbies include camping with her children, horseback riding and event planning. She currently works in the Medical Field, and her measurements are a 38 bust, 40 waist and hip 40. You can follow her on Instagram @pumpkin_pie31.

Inequality & Outsourcing Spur Continued Unrest at University of California

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA— Stalled labor negotiations between the University of California and its largest employee union, AFSCME Local 3299, reached a boiling point at Wednesday’s UC Board of Regents meeting when union leaders publicly announced that their members will be voting on whether to go on strike for a second time this year.

The forthcoming vote follows a 3-day walkout by 53,000 UC workers last May over the University’s outsourcing practices, which research shows is driving growing income, gender, and racial inequality within California’s 3rd largest employer.

“UC’s employment data shows that women are getting paid far less to start than men and that Black workers are vanishing,” said AFSCME Local 3299 President Kathryn Lybarger. “It’s because the University has stopped investing in career ladders and outsourced good middle-class jobs to low-wage contract companies that pay workers dirt.”

At issue for UC workers is the University’s practice of outsourcing career positions to independent contracting companies that pay workers less. In fact, data shows that the staffing ratio at UC San Francisco has been as high as 1 contractor to every 6 directly employed workers. UC workers say that the practice has the effect of taking jobs that once paid living wages with full benefits and turning them into low-wage contractor positions with few benefits and a higher risk of abuse. In the past, UC contract companies have been found to arbitrarily slash worker pay and pay full-time workers under multiple names in order to skirt overtime rules.

Research also shows that AFSCME Local 3299 represents the most diverse workforce segments at UC—resembling the demographic makeup of California as a whole more than any other workforce segment at the University. As such, workers argue that outsourcing has the effect of destroying career pathways for people of color and trapping them into low-wage positions. UC Davis Medical Center has even gone so far as to deny outsourced contract workers career Patient Care Technical Unit positions when they apply, despite the fact that the “temporary” terms of their contracts have been extended multiple years, in some cases.

“Outsourcing is pioneering a future of more inequality,” said Rosalyn Williams, an MRI Technologist at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center who spoke during public comment on Wednesday. “We will not allow UC to normalize a reality where darker skin means lower pay.”

UC’s Patient Care Technical Unit will be voting on October 9th and 10th to authorize a strike while its Service Unit workers will be voting on whether to join a strike in solidarity.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— FONTANA, CA— About 1,500 middle and high school students, including about 850 from San Bernardino County, will take part in the annual Manufacturing Day Expo at the Industrial Technical Learning Center (InTech) in Fontana on Friday, October 5.

Students will have the opportunity to meet with local manufacturers and participate in hands-on activities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. There also will be tours of the InTech facilities.

Participating school districts from San Bernardino County include Chaffey Joint Union High School District, Chino Valley Unified, Colton Joint Unified, Fontana Unified, Victor Valley Union High and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified.

The event is organized and sponsored by Chaffey College’s Economic Development Department, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Alliance for Education and the California Community College Chancellor’s Doing What Matters Campaign.

For more information about the event, visit www.mfgday.com.

By Lou Coleman-Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— I want you to know that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be constantly aware that the devil is out to destroy us. Revelation tells us Satan has declared all-out war on God’s saints. [Revelation 12:12]. While many Christians slumber at this midnight hour, just as Jesus predicted, the devil is working ferociously, making preparation for war. He is keenly aware of the short time he has to accomplish his evil purposes, so he gives his eyes no rest. That’s why Peter gives us this warning: Be sober, be diligent, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour [1 Peter 5:8].

Listen, the devil knows he has only a short time left to work on you, and he’s going to try everything he can to keep you from answering God’s call! The gospel of Luke tells us of a father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus. Christ told the father, Bring thy son hither. And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and seized him [Luke 9:41-42].

This young man was coming to Christ about to be set free, translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. The devil saw he was about to lose another victim. So, in a rage, he threw the young man to the ground in one last, violent attack. He wanted to kill him and take his soul before Jesus could deliver him!

Satan will try to do the same thing to you today. The moment you move toward Christ, he’ll attempt one last devouring attack. But let me remind you: The instant you move toward Jesus, the devil is rendered helpless. He can’t stop anyone who’s headed to Christ! He couldn’t keep the demon-possessed young man from reaching Jesus.

You can be free today. You can say to Satan, when I finish reading this message, I’m going to be a free person. Jesus is my Savior and he’s going to deliver me. Yes, I tell you, if you want to send Hell into a panic…. Give your life to Jesus.  You see from the moment the devil hears that knock on the door of your heart, until the time you open and receive Christ, all of Hell goes into a panic! Go ahead and make Hell tremble! Line up with God’s Word and will for your life. Let the Anointing of Jesus go forth from within you. All of Hell will tremble. And you will never be quite the same again. Be like Peter, one day that rock of a man struck fear in Satan’s kingdom! Why want you strike fear in Satan’s kingdom and give your life to Christ today…..Whatcha say?

And to those who are reading this- We must realize God has given us weapons to employ in the battle. We don’t have to stand by helplessly when our friends and loved ones are threatened or taken captive by the enemy. No, we are equipped to tear down the gates of Hell and bring them out. Jude tells us to “convince some who doubt; save some by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” [Jude 22, 23, KJV]

Understand it is our job to do the snatching. Christ has shed His blood and He intercedes on our behalf incessantly. Our part is to pick up our weapons and go out against the powers of darkness and drive them off the land. Christ bought us with His own blood — we belong to Him. And so, by the same token, do all men. John said that Jesus “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” [I John 2.2] No person is exempt from Christ’s work of salvation. What remains is for us to work with God — to fight the good fight that loosens Satan’s hold on lost men and women and compels them to come into the banquet hall.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. [1 John 3:8]

Funds will be used to help alleviate some emotional and financial burdens for patients 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—-SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Stater Bros. Charities and the Inland Women Fighting Cancer presented a check for $125,000 to Loma Linda University Cancer Center on August 21. The funds were a portion of those raised at the 10th annual Believe Walk in October 2017.

Mark Reeves, MD, PhD, director of the Cancer Center, said the donation will be used to support the psycho-oncology program, which assists with services not typically covered by insurance such as psychologists, spiritual chaplains, financial guidance, dieticians, and wig banks.

During the check presentation at the Stater Bros. corporate headquarters, Reeves said these services can make a difference for patients — and their families — going through cancer treatment, which can be an emotional and financial process.

“Patients who have benefited from the program have told me how important it is to be able to make it through difficult treatments,” Reeves said. “These services are impactful and mean everything to our patients, and I thank the Inland Women Fighting Cancer and Stater Bros. Charities for supporting these efforts.”

President and CEO of Stater Bros. Peter Van Helden said any day that they can give back to the community is a great day.

“We want to give back to the communities where our customers and employees live and work,” Van Helden said. “It has been over 10 years since the Believe Walk was formed, and we are proud to say we have given millions of dollars to help those in the community battling cancer.”

Van Helden says the first walk had 1,500 walkers in 2008. The Believe walk was created through the partnership of the Inland Women Fighting Cancer founding members Nancy Varner, Cathy Stockton and Annie Sellas and Stater Bros. Charities. The walk has now grown exponentially to approximately 10,000 participants. Since its inception, the partnership between Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer has donated over  $4.6 million dollars to support programs and services for cancer patients in the Inland Empire.

The11th Annual Believe Walk will take place in Redlands, Sunday, October 7.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—- ONTARIO, CA—- U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) recently joined with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, 911 dispatchers from the Fontana Police Department, and representatives from the San Bernardino and Riverside California Highway Patrol to visit the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Metropolitan Communications Dispatch Center. During the visit, Torres and Rosenworcel renewed their calls for the reclassification of public safety telecommunicators as a “Protective Service Occupation” in the final Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standard Occupational Classification. Last year, OMB rejected the suggestion to reclassify the occupation, hindering the ability of dispatchers to access improved resources and benefits despite the extensive skills and training required by the profession.

Torres meets with Inland Empire dispatchers and representatives from the California Highway Patrol.

“As the only former dispatcher in Congress, I know that this job is about so much more than just picking up a telephone and sending an ambulance. Public safety telecommunicators are the first line of defense when someone is in need of help, and they deserve to be recognized as integral members of first responder teams,” said Torres. “Hearing firsthand from local dispatchers who are on the frontlines of everyday emergencies was incredibly invaluable. Commissioner Rosenworcel has been a key partner in calling for the reclassification of this occupation, and I look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure that dispatchers across the nation get the training and tools they need to handle the changing threats our communities face.”

“When the unthinkable occurs, 911 dispatchers are the very first point of contact. They direct resources, keep people calm, collect critical data, and help manage emergency situations,” said Rosenworcel. “It was an honor to join Congresswoman Torres, who knows firsthand the great lengths dispatchers go to for their communities, to tour the Los Angeles 911 call center and hear directly from those who answer our calls when we need it most. I look forward to working together to ensure that 911 dispatchers are reclassified from clerical workers to the emergency professionals that they are.”

Prior to her time in Congress, Torres spent more than 17 years working as a 911 dispatcher. She is a member of the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, and last year, she introduced the Next Generation (NG) 9-1-1 Act of 2017 to strengthen federal efforts to help state and local governments to transition to NG9-1-1 technology by providing new federal funding, technical assistance, and training, while ensuring 911 is kept under state and local control. Torres has also led calls to classify dispatchers as “Emergency Protective Service” personnel like other member of the first responder community.

Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel believes that the future belongs to the connected. She works to promote greater opportunity, accessibility, and affordability in our communications services, including making sure our first responders have the tools they need to be successful. That’s why Commissioner Rosenworcel has been a leading voice in the creation and implementation of FirstNet, a new public safety network to help police, firefighters and emergency professionals communicate and keep us safe. Like Congresswoman Torres, Rosenworcel has advocated for 911 dispatchers to be reclassified as emergency professionals, and not clerical workers, as they are currently deemed by the federal government.