Tag Archives: COVID19

On Wednesday, April 22, the Joint Center hosted an online briefing with Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor Bobby Scott (D-VA) on education and workforce priorities for Black communities in future stimulus legislation. The conference explored the exacerbated disparities faced by Black communities and the need for a stimulus package that advances equity for Black workers, businesses, and student success.

The expert respondents included:

• The Education Trust President and CEO & Former Secretary of Education John King

• National Urban League Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy and Executive Director of the Washington Bureau Clint Odom

• National Education Association Vice President Becky Pringle

• National Black Worker Center Project Executive Director Tanya Wallace-Gobern

• Joint Center Vice President Jessica Fulton (moderator)

Read their summary of the briefing here.

Stay up-to-date on the Joint Center’s work on COVID-19 and Black communities here.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Rep. Pete Aguilar announced over $47 million in federal funding to support Inland Empire colleges and students during the coronavirus crisis. The funding, which was appropriated by the CARES Act, provides $26,243,781 for California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), $6,732,563 for San Bernardino Valley Community College, $3,388,020 for University of Redlands, and $11,446,484 for Chaffey College. The CARES Act requires that the at least 50 percent of all funds go toward direct relief for students in the form of tuition assistance, financial aid, meal programs and other student services.

“The Inland Empire’s students, colleges and universities have always been points of pride in our community. This funding will help these institutions keep their doors open and continue serving students during this difficult time. It will also help students and their families navigate the financial hardships created by this crisis. I was proud to help pass the CARES Act to provide these resources to our community, and I’ll continue to advocate for the Inland Empire as Congress debates next steps,” said Rep. Aguilar.

“This is wonderful news that will offer a welcome relief to our students and their families in the face of the threat of the coronavirus,” said CSUSB President Tomás Morales. “The funding will help our students live and pay for their essential needs, while keeping them attending CSUSB, as they deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for their support.”

“Our students will be our future scientists, doctors, nurses, and first responders, and they’re at home right now, eager to learn and fulfill their potential,” says San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees Chair, Dr. Anne Viricel. “We applaud the urgent action and bipartisan leadership of Congressman Aguilar, and our Inland Empire delegation, in passing the CARES Act to protect the well-being and future of our students, our families, and our communities,” said Dr. Anne Viricel, Chair of the SBCCD Board of Trustees.

“While the full extent of the financial disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown, passage of the CARES Act is an important step in sustaining the capacity of our nation’s colleges and universities to provide higher education,” stated University of Redlands President Ralph W. Kuncl. “This critical funding will allow us to respond to the unprecedented financial and operational challenges of the pandemic, as we work to continue meeting the needs of our students, who represent the country’s future workforce.”

“Nearly 70 percent of our students receive financial assistance as they pursue their academic goals at Chaffey College. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our students greatly as many have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families. The college is still determining a methodology for funding allocation, however, we believe the funding should be distributed to our students most in need, particularly in the areas of technology and basic needs. The college’s Panther Care Program, which is designed to help our students who are food and housing insecure, will have an integral role in helping us determine the best way to distribute this funding,” said Dr. Henry Shannon, Superintendent and President of Chaffey College.

Rep. Aguilar serves as a Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic Caucus and as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funds.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—-Omnitrans will further reduce transit service on Monday, April 13 and has implemented additional safety procedures in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Omnitrans has been designated an essential service, and we are committed to providing that service while protecting the safety of our employees and customers,” said Interim CEO/General Manager Erin Rogers. “As we continue to closely monitor this health emergency, the agency will make adjustments as needed to ensure that we achieve both of those goals.”

Under the new reduced service plan, detailed below, six routes will be eliminated, service frequency or trips will be reduced on four routes, and two routes will be operated with smaller minibuses. This plan is in addition to Omnitrans’ initial service reduction, which saw routes that regularly operate every 15 minutes operate every 30 minutes, and routes that typically operate every 30 minutes operate every hour. Since the inception of COVID-19 and the state of California “Stay at Home” order, Omnitrans ridership has decreased by approximately 65 percent.

Since last month, the agency has asked customers to board and exit buses through the rear doors to encourage social distancing and has stopped collecting fares (customers with disabilities continue to board via the front doors of the bus). Additionally, the agency has implemented a policy of 20 customers maximum per bus and requires face masks onboard in conjunction with the San Bernardino County health order mandating face coverings when leaving home.

Route	Areas Served	Change	Reason/Explanation
5	San Bernardino	Changed to 45-minute frequency	This schedule is being changed in conjunction with Route 7’s cancellation.
7	San Bernardino	Permanently Eliminated	This route was scheduled to be eliminated in September and is being implemented early due to low ridership and CSUSB closure.
12	San Bernardino, Rialto, Fontana, Muscoy	Use of smaller vehicles operated by contractor	Schedule and route will NOT change, Route will be operated with smaller Access vehicles due to low ridership.
20	Fontana, Unincorporated County	Permanently Eliminated	This route was scheduled to be eliminated in September and is being implemented early due to low ridership and Fontana HS closure.
29	Fontana Bloomington	Use of smaller vehicles operated by contractor	Schedule and route will NOT change, Route will be operated with smaller Access vehicles due to low ridership.
67	Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga	TEMPORARILY Eliminated	This route will be temporarily eliminated due to low ridership and school closures along the route.
80	Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario	TEMPORARILY Eliminated	This route will be temporarily eliminated due to low ridership, school closures, and decreased hotel and airport activity along the route.
81	Chino, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga	Weekday short trips to Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center eliminated.	This short trip is being eliminated due to low ridership.
290	San Bernardino, Colton, Ontario, Montclair	TEMPORARILY Eliminated	Low ridership. This freeway express route has local route alternatives.
308 309 310	Yucaipa	308 Permanently Eliminated. 309/310 frequency reduced to 60 minutes	Route 308 was scheduled to be eliminated in September and is being implemented early due to low ridership. Routes 309/310 service frequency is being reduced due to low ridership.
365	Chino Hills	Saturday service 6 days/week; Sunday service on Sundays.	Route 365 service is being reduced to eliminate school trips due to closures; Sunday service will continue.

California reports the state’s first COVID-19 prisoner death; officials remain slow to act as the coronavirus threatens to ravage California’s incarcerated population

CALIFORNIA, U.S.—- Families of incarcerated people and criminal justice advocates condemned the failure of state officials to act urgently in order to protect people in prisons, one of the populations most vulnerable to severe illness and death caused by the coronavirus. On Sunday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported its first COVID-19 related death of an incarcerated person in custody. 

“We know what’s going to happen,” said Cyrus Dunham, an organizer with California Coalition for Women Prisoners. “In Michigan, someone weeks away from being released from prison contracted the virus and died. One day ago, 73% of people incarcerated in an Ohio state prison tested positive for COVID-19. We only have to look at the news reports from other states. This is not a surprise. This is an emergency. Gov. Newsom has two options: prevent more tragedy now, or regret it later.”

Community members and families of incarcerated people across the country have been demanding mass clemencies for more than three weeks in response to the pandemic. The media campaigns––#ClemencyCoast2Coast and #LetThemGo––trended on Twitter with tens of thousands of posts and shares, all demanding that state Governors use their vast executive power to release people from prisons, returning older and medically vulnerable people who carry the greatest risk of death from COVID-19 back to their communities.

Taking the lead from community members and advocates, recognizable names from the entertainment industries quickly embraced the movement on social media, including Orange Is the New Black author Piper Kerman, Academy Award Winner Joaqin Phoenix, musicians Kim Gordon, The Tune-Yards and actor Vella Lovell. 

As of April 21st, at 5:40pm, 122 incarcerated people in CDCR custody and 89 staff members had tested positive for COVID-19. The number of reported positive cases of coronavirus is rising daily. Multiple sources report at least two COVID-19 prisoner deaths at California Federal Prisons, and that COVID-19 safety precautions are being inconsistently applied at all institutions. 

State prisons remain overcrowded, operating at approximately 129% capacity. Gov. Newsom recently expedited the release of 3,500 people charged with non-violent offenses who were already found suitable for parole. Advocates say the biggest obstacle to mass clemency efforts, which have historical precedent, has been Gov. Newsom’s reluctance to consider people for release who have been convicted of violent offenses as a direct response to the coronavirus. Academics, criminal justice experts and community organizers maintain that if Gov. Newsom fails to consider people convicted of serious offenses for release, enough lives will not be saved.  

“There was already a crisis of care in California prisons,” said Brian Kaneda, Los Angeles Coordinator for Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), a coalition of more than 80 organizations dedicated to reducing the number of people in prisons and jails across the state. CURB has co-led demands that Governor Newsom release at least 50,000 aging and medically vulnerable people from prison––or around 40% of the total CDCR prison population––during the first stage of mass clemencies.

“Mass clemencies are a critical public health intervention that will save the lives of incarcerated people, prison staff, and their communities. Our recommendations are evidence-based. More deaths are coming,” said Mr. Kaneda. “The state has a legal and moral responsibility to protect people in its custody. Gov. Newsom has the power to save a lot of lives and show that he intends to be the Governor for all Californians during this unprecedented time.”

Tom Kulinski is far too humble a man to see himself as a hero. He just loves his job – a job that’s never been quite as important as it is during this time of crisis.

As a maintenance supervisor for National Community Renaissance (National CORE), Kulinski is a key member of the National CORE team helping to meet the housing needs of thousands of senior citizens, working families and individuals with special needs. For many of them, the world has never been a scarier place than during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

It is times like these when heroes step up in a big way. Especially, it seems, even reluctant heroes like Kulinski, who throughout this crisis has been a lifeline for the communities and residents whose buildings and living units he helps maintain. Whether it’s loading up his truck and delivering food to seniors on a Saturday or dropping off activity books for hundreds of children isolated at home, or simply being a friend to a resident who is frightened and alone, Kulinski works tirelessly to provide comfort to those who need him.

“It is that human connection and the ability to provide stability and security. I tell my kids, not everyone comes home to food on the table. Not everyone comes home to a home,” he says. “We serve so many residents, and whatever I can do to help, I’ll do it – knowing that I’m making a difference.”

Kulinski, 46, has worked at National CORE pretty much all of his adult life. He started as a security guard more than 26 years ago, but was quickly able to put his handyman skills to good use as a resident service technician (RST). 

“National CORE was my third job, and once I found it, I was here to stay,” he says.

Working for a nonprofit organization, and to do so for as many years as Kulinski has, requires a special kind of world view and commitment to mission – in the case of National CORE and the Hope through Housing Foundation, to transform lives and communities through affordable housing and life-enhancing social services.

“National CORE and Hope through Housing have always done amazing things for residents. Helping senior citizens. Helping kids. When this epidemic hit, we knew we had to do even more,” Kulinski said.

One recent Saturday morning, he got a phone call that a shipment of free food was available and needed to be picked up that day. Kulinski got in his truck, picked up the food and delivered it to residents. For many of the seniors, seeing his friendly face at the door – albeit at the appropriate six feet of social distancing – was more important than the food itself.

“A lot of seniors don’t have families nearby, and they’re looking for someone to talk to,” Kulinski said.

They’re also eager to share the generosity shown them – turning down extra food, such as bread, in order to give it to someone else.

Kulinski’s compassion and ability to connect with the residents he services is part of who he is. The father of four is happy to serve as a male role model to a young resident in need, and to make sure the seniors and families he has come to know as family can call on him at any time.

Heroes, it seems, don’t work on the clock.

“It’s been like tons, or gallons of alcohol being thrown on the open wounds of inequality and racism in this country. And as we think about how to recover, we’re going to have to think about how to make sure that we don’t go back to where we were before,” said Angela Glover Blackwell, an African-American author and policy specialist based in Oakland.

Blackwell is the founder and president of the non-profit PolicyLink, a research institute and social action organization that advances racial and economic equity, according to the group’s website.

“It was unacceptable then and it will be unacceptable going forward,” Blackwell continued, pointing out the “painful” economic and health disparities the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare across the United States and here in California.

She was speaking Friday during Gov. Gavin Newsom’s daily COVID-19 press conference in Sacramento. During the briefing, the governor announced that he has appointed Blackwell and 79 other prominent Californians to the state Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.

The governor said he is charging the diverse group of social, political and economic leaders to analyze every sector of the state economy and put together a road map to economic recovery. Newsom says he expects the task force to come up with “short-term, medium-term and long-term ideas” to put California on track to once again attain the level of economic prosperity the state had reached before the pandemic: 21 consecutive months of job growth; a $20 billion budget surplus in 2019; and 20 billion more stacked away in the state reserves.

“I have asked and tasked some of the best and brightest minds that we could source —  a disproportionate number, almost exclusively, reside right here in the state of California – some of the most well-known business leaders in the world. The great social justice lawyers reside here in the state of California. Tribal leaders. Health care leaders. Small business leaders.”

Tom Steyer, the billionaire businessman, civic leader, and former US presidential candidate will co-chair the task force along with Gov. Newsom’s Chief of Staff Ann O’Leary.

Other African-American task force members include Gregory A. Adams, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., and hospitals; Willie Adams, President, International Longshore and Warehouse Union; E. Toby Boyd: President, California Teachers Association; Stacy Brown-Philpot: CEO, TaskRabbit; Dr. Robert Ross: President and CEO, The California Endowment; among others. See the full list of members.

The impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic in California has been deep and far-reaching, hitting the finances, health, and way of life of people across class, race, and geographical lines, but especially so among African Americans and other people of color.

At press time,  the coronavirus had claimed the lives of more than one thousand Californians, and more than 28,000 more across the state had been infected by the deadly virus – with the largest concentration, more than 11,000 people, diagnosed in Los Angeles County alone.

Based on racial data the state has collected so far on mortality rates,  a disproportionate number of Black Californians have died from COVID-19: About 12 percent in a state where African Americans account for 6 percent of the total population of nearly 40 million people.

About 95 people died of COVID-19 Thursday, the deadliest day since the onset of the pandemic, and a day before the governor announced his economic recovery task force appointments.

Last week, the governor also announced that the state is officially in a “pandemic-induced recession.”

“This pandemic has forced millions of Californians out of jobs – with the most vulnerable hit the hardest,” he said. “We will use a gradual, science-based and data-driven framework to guide our re-opening timing while planning our economic recovery.”

More than 3.1 million Californians have filed for unemployment insurance since March 12, and the state unemployment rate has spiked to 5.3% from under 3% just two months ago. Before the onset of the pandemic, about 2,500 people applied weekly, on average, for unemployment insurance. Over the last few weeks, that weekly average has jumped to more than 200,000. 

“This is an amazing moment despite all the suffering,” Blackwell said. “The silver lining could be to finally understand that we cannot go forward as a nation divided as we have been between haves and have nots.”

Other members the governor appointed to the task force are California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Los Angeles), Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), Assembly Minority Leader Marie Waldron (R-Escondido), former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Walt Disney Company Executive Chairman Bob Iger, former head of the Small Business Administration Aida Álvarez and dozens of other Californians from sectors, including business, labor, health care, academia and philanthropy.

Gov. Newsom also appointed the state’s four living former governors as honorary members on the task force. They are Hon. Jerry Brown, Hon. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hon. Gray Davis and Hon. Pete Wilson.

“We need to demonstrate for the nation that it is possible to have a recovery that is transformative, imaginative and radical,” Blackwell emphasized.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—- The NAACP, in conjunction with BET, will host part two of their four-part virtual town hall series, “Unmasked: COVID-19” on Wednesday, April 15, at 8 PM ET/ 5 PM PT. The hour-long call will focus on naming and addressing the real trauma communities are experiencing at this moment. Panelists will also touch on the severe impact this pandemic has had on the prison and incarcerated population throughout the country. 

Callers can participate via interactive toll-free conference call that will stream LIVE on the NAACP’s website at https://naacp.org/call-to-action-program/. To join via phone, dial (866) 757-0756 and to join the conversation on social media follow @NAACP and @BET. 

“Living in this new reality, we not only have to think about how we interact with each other, but we must give special care to our mind, body and soul,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP. “The dynamic speakers in our second virtual town hall will provide in-depth information on how to cope during times of uncertainty.”  

Participants on the call will have the opportunity to hear remarks from Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; Iylana Vanzant, host and executive producer of the award-winning show, Iyanla: Fix My Life; Benny Napoleon, sheriff of Wayne County, Mich.; and Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association.

Each speaker will offer words of encouragement and actions our communities can take to contribute to their well-being during this challenging time.

WHAT: Unmasked: COVID-19 (Part 2)

WHERE: Participant Dial-in: (866) 757 0756

WHEN: Wednesday, April 15, 2020, @  8 PM ET/ 5 PM PT

WHO

Ed Gordon, Journalist

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP

Iyanla Vanzant, Host and Executive Producer, Iyanla: Fix My Life

Benny Napoleon, Sheriff, Wayne County, Michigan

Dr. Patrice Harris, President, American Medical Association