Robert K. Ross

By Anna Gorman

As Republicans seek to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, advocacy organizations around the nation are strategizing on how best to respond. Do they defend the law at all costs? Do they take part in the repeal conversation so they can help design an alternative?

Already, numerous groups are mobilizing patients and health care advocates to raise awareness of the impact of a repeal. Families USA, for example, launched an initiative called “Protect Our Care” and is encouraging consumers to share their stories through social media. Opponents of repeal staged protests around the country last Sunday.

The California Endowment, a private health foundation in Los Angeles, was among the state’s biggest backers of the Affordable Care Act, spending tens of millions of dollars on outreach and awareness. Robert K. Ross, the foundation’s president and CEO, was one of the founding board members of the state’s health insurance exchange, Covered California.

The endowment last month announced it would invest $25 million in “Fight4All,” an initiative to help preserve health and safety programs throughout the state. We spoke to Ross about the potential impact of a repeal as well as about the organization’s plans for the future. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: What are your biggest concerns about the new administration’s health care plans? 

When I was in the 6th grade, I got in a schoolyard fight. I thought we were having an argument and then I was in a fight. I have that same feeling right now. We have now shifted from a debate to a real fight. The stakes are exceedingly high.

The last three to four years of progress represent the closest we have ever come to a vision of universal health coverage. We have gone from 7 million uninsured pre-Obamacare in California to 3.5 million. The very thought of losing that progress is somewhere between nauseating and mind-blowing.

There are three things that we are worried about specifically. The first is the subsidies and the federal dollar support for that. The second is the support for Medicaid expansion. And the third is the very thoughtful, well-intended reform provisions — beyond coverage — that Obamacare represented: quality improvements, prevention investments and the shift from emphasis on volume of services to value of services.

The state of California has leveraged nearly $20 billion in federal support to expand health coverage, and so the thought of losing that is really quite painful. That’s a lot of money, which will be exceedingly difficult to backfill.

Q: What is the strategy moving forward?

We are fighting on two fronts. One is to fight to preserve as many provisions of Obamacare as we can. At the very same time, we want to slow down the process enough for a thoughtful “replace” part of “repeal and replace.”

We know that President-elect [Donald] Trump will have a much harder time than he ever considered or envisioned in the “replace” part of Obamacare. It is simply not that easy. Some of the most skilled politicians in the world have failed on health reform. If it is going to be attempted, it needs to be done carefully and thoughtfully.

The strategy is to support the many, many advocacy organizations we have supported over the years in extolling the real virtues and benefits of Obamacare and the success of the exchanges, particularly of the California exchange. California’s experience is a real model for the nation. We have been able to control premium increases better than other places.

We can lift up the successes of the California exchange and other exchanges through advocacy, through voices and through coming to the defense of Obamacare. We are supporting organizations, like Health Access, Families USA, Insure the Uninsured Project and other advocacy organizations and strengthening their capacity to bring the fight forward.

That is number one. Number two is how do we manage on a parallel track to help get the right kind of people and the right kind of voices and the right kind of ideas in the repeal and replace conversation and debate?

Q: What could California do to maintain the provisions of health reform even if the Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act?

As you can imagine, a whirlwind of conversations [about options] is already unfolding. I will put them in three categories. The first category is let’s just preserve the progress we have made through Medicaid expansion and look to replace the anticipated loss of any federal dollars with state dollars or other revenue sources. Sources of those dollars could be the state general fund, a new tax, anything from soda taxes to marijuana taxes.

The second is that we are free to do something different. You still have the financing issues to deal with, but you are not really building on what Obamacare has done. You are basically tearing that down and starting with something completely different.

The third category is something in between those two. You preserve an aspect or two of Obamacare and build off of it. So that might be keeping the exchange and putting everything under it — Medicaid, Medicare and more of the individual market. In a sense, you are building from what Obamacare gave you and saying you can go even further.

Our mission is to expand coverage and improve health for all. We are ready to invest in those ideas and make sure there is a healthy marketplace of ideas of what to do next in California.

Q: In the short-term, if the federal government takes away the money, does the exchange shut down? Do people who gained coverage through the Medicaid expansion lose it?

If they just take away the money without a replacement scenario, then we are back to seven million uninsured in California and in relatively short order. That is absent the state of California coming to the rescue with some general fund dollars.

What we have in our favor against that is that you have midterm elections in two years and the GOP Congress would have to explain to their constituents how they gleefully eviscerated Obamacare and didn’t replace it with anything and now those constituents don’t have health coverage. I think the politics would mitigate against that worst case scenario.

Q: What is the goal of the Fight4All initiative?

Our board approved a reallocation of $25 million over three years for a fight fund. All of that is not just for health coverage. Some of it is for immigration response and support. We know that deportation and treating immigrants badly is bad for their health. Some of it is for other safety net programs that may be at risk.

While the results of the election were jolting and jarring for many of us, we have to rediscover tenacity and audacity. If that means putting forward ideas for an entirely new health care framework for the state of California, then fine. If it means building off of what we have, fine.

We just can’t afford to be in a position of shying away and being polite. A fight is always a wake up call. I don’t know that I can think of a better wake up call for advocates for health for all than what just happened in this election.

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

agorman@kff.org | @AnnaGorman

Earlier this week, the 89th Oscars nominations were announced and A24’s Moonlight received the following 8 nods: Best Supporting Actor – Mahershala Ali, Cinematography – James Laxton, Best Original Score – Nicholas Britell, Best Adapted Screenplay – Barry Jenkins and Tarell McCraney, Best Supporting Actress – Naomie Harris, Film Editing – Joi McMillon & Nat Sanders, Best Directing – Barry Jenkins, and Best Picture – Moonlight.

These nominations make Moonlight co-editor Joi McMillon the first African-American woman to be recognized by the Academy for editing, and director Barry Jenkins as only the fourth black director to be nominated for a “Best Director” Oscar (John Singleton, Lee Daniels and Steve McQueen were prior nominees). This is McMillon’s first feature film editing credit and Jenkins’ second feature film.

RIVERSIDE, CA- On Saturday night, January 28, 2017, twenty-eight year old professional boxer Mikey Garcia (Moreno Valley, CA by way of Oxnard, CA/pro record: 35-0-0, with 29 KOs) returns to the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, against WBC Lightweight Champion, Dejan Zlaticanin (Podgorica, Montenegro/pro record: 22-0-0, with 15 KOs). Garcia-Zlaticanin is scheduled for twelve rounds in the lightweight division as the co-main event on the SHOWTIME televised fight card. In the main event, Carl Frampton will defend his WBA Super World Featherweight Title in a rematch with Leo Santa Cruz.

Garcia, a former two-time WBO world champion in the featherweight and super featherweight divisions, trains in Riverside at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. He last fought on July 30, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, against former WBC World Featherweight Champion, Elio Rojas. In that Showtime televised fight, Garcia knocked Rojas down four times, before referee Eddie Claudio called an end to the fight at 2:02 of Round 5. Following that win, Garcia’s record improved to 35-0, with 29 KOs, while Rojas’ record dropped to 24-3, with 14 KOs.

Garcia shared his thoughts about his upcoming fight against Zlaticanin. He said, “I’m very happy and excited for my next fight. I know that Dejan Zlaticanin is a strong, undefeated southpaw, which will make for a great fight. I’m thankful of being afforded another opportunity to show my skills. I’m ready to take on the very best in boxing, and Zlaticanin is one of the best lightweights in the sport. I want to prove that I’m better than I was before, and that I’m willing to fight anyone. The time off from boxing made me stronger and more competitive than ever.  

Fighting at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be a great way to start the new year. I’m looking forward to performing under the bright lights on a very big stage. The last time I fought in Las Vegas was four years ago, and all my family, friends and fans traveled there for the fight. I expect the same to happen this time around. Thank you Stephen Espinoza, Lou DiBella, Al Haymon and Team Zlaticanin for making the fight a reality. January 28 will be the beginning of a great year for Team Mikey Garcia. Please know that I’m very appreciative of all my supporters and the best is yet to come.”

Written by Wallace Allen IV

Last January, Dorothy Pryor-Rose passed on to be with the Lord. We all recognized her as “Mommy Helen” because she was the face of “Mommy Helen’s Bakery” in San Bernardino. The Bakery is still going strong! Dorothy’s daughters, Tedra and Kesha, have dedicated themselves to maintaining their mother’s high standards and successful recipes. The following letter is their salute to their mom, our Mommy Helen. I think that I am going to 1440 South “E” Street and “remember” her the way she would want us to… I am going to buy a potato pie!

Dear Mom, Wow we can’t believe that it’s been a year since you have been gone. Your Legacy is continuing and the bakery is thriving. We miss your words of encourage and unwavering faith. When everything feels overwhelming we remember to keep the faith just like you taught us. Although we miss you and at times your absence becomes overwhelming, we know we have to continue your vision.  We promise to continue to make sure that your vision comes to pass.  Mom, you’ll always continue to be in our hearts. Until we meet again.  Love your daughters.

Publisher and Co-Publisher of the Westside Story Newspaper, Wallace IV and Josephine Allen

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- On Friday, February 3, the San Bernardino Culture Foundation will be crowning the 2017 Senior King and Queen whom is the Publisher of the Westside Story Newspaper, Wallace Allen IV, and Co-Publisher Josephine Allen. The month of February also marks the paper’s 30^th anniversary.

The crowning will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the San Bernardino City Unified School District Community Room located at 777 North F Street in San Bernardino. There will also be special outgoing remarks from the 2016 Senior King and Queen, George and Helen Rawls, followed by an invitation from the Black Chamber of Commerce.

To RSVP, please contact Margaret Hill at margarethill3361@gmail.com. This event is co-sponsored by Dr. Dale Marsden, Superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

By Lue Dowdy

New Pilot Show Alert coming to the I.E. is WHAT IT DO! Be on the lookout for my new Entertainment/talk show “E.A.A.G.”!

LUE Productions is an entertainment/management company based out of the Inland Empire. The production companies main focus for the show is to highlight and launch unique talent within the I.E. and surrounding cities. The 1-hour show will consist of talented handpicked individuals hailing from different parts of Southern California.

During the hour, participants will be able to enjoy a comical skit, model walks, audience engagement, interviews with the featured talent, and dope performances. Updates on current events in the entertainment world will be addressed, along with free promotional items for our audience participants. Participants will be able to get an up and close look at AMAZING TALENT while being a part of something GREAT.

The pilot show will be filmed by ILondon Fog and shopped around once the first season is completed. You can come out and make a special appearance as one of our audience members.

For more information, please visit our Facebook page or follow us on Instagram and Twitter under @LUEProductions.

            Never be afraid to soar to higher heights. Until next week L’z!

By Naomi K. Bonman

LOS ANGELES, CA- On Saturday, January 21 in Downtown Los Angeles, women from all over the Southern California region came together to march for one prime reason—unity and equality.

Women fought for their rights of equality in the past and felt the need to do it again after the inauguration of the 45^th President Donald Trump took place on Friday, January 21. Prior to Trump taking oath as the nation’s president, he had made countless racist and sexist remarks against minorities and women.

Prior to the march, President Trump altered the White House website with the removal of the LGBT rights. The Civil Rights page has also been replaced with a protecting our law enforcement page. The site is now only available in English and can no longer be accessed in Spanish. These are just a few events that prompted the Womens’ March across the Nation.

The mission of the Women’s March is for women to stand together in solidarity for the protection of women’s rights, safety, health, and their families by recognizing that their vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of the country.

As seen in marches from city to city, the Women’s March brought diversity within all ethnic backgrounds, as well as from the male gender. Everyone came together in the spirit of democracy and to honor the champions if human rights, dignity, and justice of past times.

The march was the first step towards unifying the community, forming new relationships, and creating change from the grassroots level up. Women’s March works peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

To keep up with Women’s March LA, follow them on Instagram @womensmarchla.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You really do need to soberly reflect on this question… What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?  [Matthew 16:26]…. I tell you, you can be like [Baby D – I’m Bout Money] if you want too… “Chasing for that paper…. Die for the cheddar …” Echoing “Money Money Money” [feat. Diddy & Fabolous] [Diddy:] Wake up in the morning take a money shower now I’m smelling like money got the money and the power….” [Fabolous:]…..Married to the money….Faithful to the millions….Got my money up….Safe as in the ceiling….” I tell you, the nature of man is a fool!  I can just image the rich man in Hades [Luke 16:22-24] screaming NOOOOOOOOO! You got it all wrong….. NOOOOOOOOO! One’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions” [Luke 12:15] it is in God.  It is your heart and soul that makes you valuable not stuff.  Joy, happiness, and fulfillment are found in the invisible things of life: love, hope, peace, and relationships….. NOOOOOOOOOO! Don’t do it! Don’t trade your most valuable possession [your soul] for the trinkets of this world… It’s not worth it I tell you… 

You see, I am the rich man in [Luke 16:19-31] who dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At my gate was a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from my table…  Then the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. I also died and was buried. In Hell, I looked up one day and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  I called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’  “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony…” NOOOOOOOOO! Don’t do it! Don’t trade your soul for the trinkets of this world. Hell is for eternity! Hell is real!

You know [Martin Luther King Jr.,] said in a sermon that the rich man was a fool because he permitted the ends for which he lived to become confused with the means by which he lived…. Don’t let that be said about you. To spend the days, months, and years of your life in a quest for riches, possessions, and prominence will only leave you disappointed. Jesus warned us about this when He said “Do not store up for yourselves treasurers on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [Matthew 6: 19-20].  Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn from this story is that when death comes knocking on your door there is only one thing that will matter: your relationship with Jesus Christ. “What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?” (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36]. Don’t do it!  Don’t trade your most valuable possession [your soul] for the trinkets of this world. Sounding the Warning!

“Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” [Deuteronomy 30:19]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced details surrounding the swearing-in of President-elect Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2017.

President-elect Donald J. Trump will be sworn-in on January 20, 2017 using his Bible, as well as the same Bible that President Lincoln used at his first inauguration. The oath of office will be administered by the Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.

“In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln appealed to the ‘better angels of our nature,’” said PIC Chairman Tom Barrack. “As he takes the same oath of office 156 years later, President-elect Trump is humbled to place his hand on Bibles that hold special meaning both to his family and to our country.”

President-elect Trump’s Bible was presented to him by his mother upon his graduation of Sunday Church Primary School at First Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, New York, on Children’s Day, June 12, 1955. The Bible is a revised standard version published by Thomas Nelson and Sons in New York in 1953 and is embossed with his name on the lower portion of the front cover. The inside cover is signed by church officials and is inscribed with his name and the details of when it was presented.
 
The Lincoln Bible was purchased for the first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln by William Thomas Carroll, Clerk of the Supreme Court. The Bible is bound in burgundy velvet with a gold-washed white metal rim along the edges of the covers. It is part of the collections of the Library of Congress and has been used at three inaugurals: 1861, 2009, and 2013.

Earlier this week, Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) released the following statement announcing that she plans to attend the 58^th Inaugural Ceremony for Donald J. Trump.

“After serious consideration, I have decided to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump.  As an immigrant and a woman who represents a largely Mexican-American constituency, I am the embodiment of everything Trump has demonized and demeaned.  And on January 20^th, I will stand over his shoulder, just as I will during the next four years, to remind him that I and people like me deserve a seat at the table, and we will watch his every move.  We will hold him accountable.  We will not silently step aside and be ignored.  We will show up, and we will make our voices heard. 

“That day will be uncomfortable, even painful, but I believe that as a Member of Congress, it is my duty to witness the peaceful transition of power that is the hallmark of our democracy. Let us not forget that Republicans attended President Obama’s inaugurations and still managed to oppose him at every turn.  This is why the very next day, I will march with thousands of men, women, and children to show Donald Trump that women are what make America great.  We will send a clear message to him, and the world, that we won’t back down from the fight for justice, inclusiveness, and dignity for all. 

“I will never stop voicing my opposition to policies that divide and destroy this country, but I have always believed that to make a difference, you have to show up.  And that is exactly what I intend to do.”