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(EMPIRE NES NETWORK—ENN)— U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) recently congratulated seven area high school students accepted to the U.S. military service academies. The students were nominated by a panel of judges with military backgrounds. Following a rigorous application and interview process, the judges made their recommendations to the respective service academies for final approval.

“Attending the nation’s military service academies is an incredible honor, and it’s one of my greatest privileges as a Member of Congress to nominate the best candidates the 35th district has to offer,”said Torres. “Students who graduate from these distinguished institutions don’t just leave with a degree in their hands, they also gain the skills, maturity, and connections to embark on a successful career in service to this country.”

The following are this year’s nominees, their city of residence, and the academy to which they have been accepted:

United States Naval Academy

·         Ryan Alexus, Pomona

·         Justin Chu, Pomona

·         Joshua Reyes, Ontario

United States Naval Academy Prep School

• Jessica Felix, Ontario

Air Force Academy

• Ryan Torres, Chino

United States Military Academy (West Point)

• Alexander Ramos, Chino

• Jacob Turner, Chino

Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: U.S. Military Academy (USMA), West Point, NY; the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), Annapolis, MD; the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, CO; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA), New London, CT, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment. 

This year’s class of students collectively received the equivalent of $3.5 million in scholarships to attend the military academies, or $500,000 per student. In addition to a free college education, the honor of attending a service academy comes with the obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. Congresswoman Torres will nominate, through a competitive process, one individual for each vacant academy slot allotted to the 35^th district.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— How did Kimberly Ellis, an African-American, progressive Democrat and Bay Area grassroots activist, lose her second bid for chair of the California Democratic Party (CDP)?

During her last run for the job in 2017, Eric Bauman, who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations last November, only beat Ellis by a razor thin margin of 62 votes. Her near-win two years ago emboldened her supporters – their candidate could become the first Black woman to serve in the state party’s executive role in more than 30 years.

Depending on who’s responding, each answer to the question about Ellis’ loss falls somewhere between deepening fault lines of race, gender and politics that seem to be testing the strength of the Democratic Party, foreshadowing divisions that could open up even more as the party moves toward the 2020 election primary season.

Echoes of the Bernie vs. Biden rift between grassroots progressives and establishment Democrats and rumblings about the persistent marginalization of women voters and candidates all seemed to be playing out locally in the politics leading up to this year’s CDP elections.

Many African-American Democrats attending the convention, especially the women who voted for and supported Ellis, say their frustration with the party’s leadership’s routine neglect of African-American issues and candidates is reaching its peak.

“Kimberly Ellis’ campaign gave us all insight into the inner working of CDP and its voting bodies,” said K. Patrice Williams, an African-American woman and delegate from Solano County. “A world of special elections, held in January during off years on weekends between 10 and 1 PM, of which Black and Brown voters were not aware. We have now received a painful lesson in the world of super-delegates. State and federal elected officials that refused to vote for the most qualified, solutions-focused candidate who happened to be an intelligent, dynamic Black Woman.”

The CDP held the vote for chair this past weekend during the state party annual convention themed “Blue Wave Rolling” at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

More than 3,000 delegates voted Saturday night. Of that number, about 57 percent cast their ballots for the winning candidate, Rusty Hicks, a prominent union leader from Los Angeles, backed by a majority of elected officials, most of the state’s organized labor groups and several influential party insiders.

Ellis, who secured the support of the Bernie Sanders-affiliated “Our Revolution,” other progressive and moderate Democratic groups, and a cross-section of African-American and other women voters, lost to Hicks by at least 25 percentage points. About 36 percent of delegates voted for her.

The remaining votes were spread among five other candidates who contested, including current state party vice chairman, Daraka Larimore-Hall. About six percent of the delegates voted for him.

The CDP held its annual convention this year in the midst of a firestorm of racial discrimination and sexual harassment allegations that have unsettled the party and resulted in a leadership crisis since former chair, Bauman’s resignation last year. In April, Tina McKinnor, an African-American woman and former operations director of the CDP, cited several incidents of alleged racial discrimination in a lawsuit she filed against the organization. Two men, John Vigna, former communications director, and a party activist, Spencer Dayton, have also filed separate lawsuits against the CDP, claiming former chair, Bauman sexually assaulted them.

For some of the Black women Democrats who supported Ellis, her loss is as a stinging reminder. Although their ballots often represent the deciding vote in critical national and local elections, Black women candidates typically have had a harder time attracting broad enough support from other voting blocs to win statewide races.

“If I, as a young Black woman in this party, can’t see myself in leadership, then what’s the point?” Dallas Fowler, an African-American woman and a delegate from Los Angeles told the LA Times. “This is a majority-minority state, and until our party really shows up and puts our money and our time and our muscle behind these communities to ensure that we have adequate representation, we’re not going to see that.”

The CDP is also facing an internal uprising, according to some of its more left-leaning members, because they sense the state party priorities increasingly reflect the wish lists of big donors and corporations rather than the interests of members, who do the ground work to elect Democratic candidates during elections and who fight for Party ideals everyday.

“We say that we support campaign finance reform,” said Ellis, who stresses that she did not accept any corporate donations for her campaign. “I think it’s a fair question for us to ask, what are we doing as a state party to advance that value?”

Ellis, whose Facebook bio reads “Disrputor-In-Chief @Unbought-Unbossed” also touts herself as an independent advocate for the average Democrat, including young people, women, minorities and other groups who feel left out by the party’s establishment.

In his acceptance speech, Hicks, current president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said his plans as CDP chair include a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment, an effort to unite various factions of the party – including progressive Democrats, who supported Ellis – and preparation for the Democratic primary in March and national elections in November.

“We should embrace the passion that comes into the party, and also remember what our party is singularly focused on – and that’s seeing a change in the White House in 2020,” he said.

Ellis congratulated Hicks and thanked her supporters and the delegates who voted for her in a statement she shared the morning after the election.

“Party politics is always going to be tough and often disappointing,” she said. “But great change is never easy. So many delegates put a tremendous amount on the line in the face of extraordinary pressure. Certainly, there are challenges for us ahead, and I hope our new chair can bring harmony to our party during these difficult times.”

For Ellis’ supporters, their fight for equity and recognition in the CDP is just beginning.

“I’m offended, hurt and ready to mobilize our voting power,” said Williams.

By California Black Media Staff

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Here’s an update on five pieces of California state legislation that could have impact on the conduct of your local police and the way you live. –  from how (and how much) you get paid, to the school you select for your children and where you reside (or invest) in rental property.   

AB 392

The California Act to Save Lives may soon be law. After police groups dropped their opposition to the bill authored by Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) last week, a majority of lawmakers came out to support it. If passed, the bill will change the standards for police use of force in California and hold officers more accountable if a suspect is shot. It would also be one of the toughest laws in the country intended to discourage the use of lethal force by police. Weber, who is also chair of the legislative Black Caucus, introduced the bill after police officers shot and killed Stephon Alonzo Clark, a 22-year-old African American man, in the backyard of his grandparents home in Sacramento. With the new changes to the language in the law, the bill stands a fair chance of passing the Senate and making it to the governor’s desk for his signature. Black Lives Matter and some family members of victims dropped their support after Weber made the changes to the language. They say the amended legislation isn’t as strong or specific enough, and is open to interpretation by the courts.  Other family members of victims have maintained their support, saying they understand negotiation is part of the legislative process. “I kept saying I wanted a bill that would make it safe behind and in front of the badge,” said Weber, thanking her colleagues and supporters after the bill passed in the Assembly.

AB 5 – Worker Status: Employees and Freelancers

Wednesday last week, the state Assembly voted 59-15 to pass AB 5. If signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the legislation will make if tougher for companies to enter contracts with freelancers and could affect hundreds of thousands of “gig economy” workers across the state, including nail technicians, Uber drivers, Amazon delivery workers and even exotic dancers. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) introduced the legislation, also known as the “Dynamex Bill” or the “Employee Misclassification bill.” By writing into law specific rules and penalties, AB 5 builds on a California Supreme Court 2018 decision that instructed business to apply an “ABC” test to determine whether a worker is a freelancer or employee. For a worker to be classified as a freelancer, employees would have to prove that the worker is (A) not under the contracting company’s control, (B) is doing work that is not central to the company’s business, and (C) has an independent business providing a service. If workers don’t meet those requirements, companies would have to provide all the required pay and benefits under California law like overtime pay, minimum wage, workers compensation, employee insurance, paid parental leave and healthcare subsidies. Leaders from various industries throughout the state are lobbying Lawmakers in Sacramento to retain the ability to hire certain kinds of freelancers that are critical for their particular trade or businesses. The bill has now moved to the Senate for review.

SB 756 – Charter School Moratorium

Last week, Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) sidelined her own charter school Bill, SB 756. Her proposal called for a 5-year moratorium on charter schools. By temporarily halting the legislation and moving it to an “inactive file,” she has a chance to re-introduce it next year. For the last few months, hundreds of Black parents of charter school students have been campaigning against several charter school laws that were making their way through the state legislature. Together, the proposals sought to slow the growth, take away legal rights and restrict the operations of the independently run, taxpayer funded public schools in the state. Last month, the Assembly passed two of the bills, AB 1505 and AB 1507. The Senate is expected to review and vote on the bills shortly. The California branches of both the National Urban League and the National Action Network opposed the package of bills, including Durazo’s, saying they are attempts to take away education options for Black families who live in neighborhoods where traditional public schools have failed their children for more than 30 years now.   In California, about 80 percent of Black students score below the state standard in math and 68 percent fail to meet the English Language Arts requirements. The state chapter of the NAACP supported the bills, arguing that charter schools take away resources from district-run public schools and that they may lead to the re-segregation of public education in America.  In California, about 50,000 African-American students attend charter schools. That’s about 8 percent of the total Black student population enrolled in public schools.  Gov. Gavin Newsom has commissioned a task force to investigate the impact charter schools have on public education in California. If Sen. Durazo re-introduces the bill, hopefully by then California voters will have access to the findings of the governor’s study to make a more informed decision on whether or not to support SB 756.

AB 1506 – Charter School Cap

Like Sen. Durazo’s charter school bill in the Senate, a similar proposal in the Assembly, AB 1506, called for a moratorium on charter schools in the state. Both the state NAACP and the California Teachers Association supported the legislation introduced by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who is African-American and a member of the Assembly Education Committee and the Legislative Black Caucus. The National Action Network and the National Urban League wrote an open letter to Gov. Newsom opposing the bill.  Last week, a day after Durazo sidelined her bill, McCarty decided to hold his from a floor vote, although it had already been approved by the Education Committee earlier this year. Responding to McCarty’s decision to shelve AB 1506 for now,  Myrna Castrejón, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association issued a statement. “Charter public school families’ voices were heard loud and clear by Sacramento politicians,” she said.  “We cannot and will not accept legislation that limits access to great public schools.”

AB 1482 – Rent Cap

Wednesday evening last week, the Assembly passed AB 1482, a statewide rent cap bill, with a 43-28 vote. Introduced by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco), the bill prohibits landlords from raising rents above 7 percent per year, plus annual cost of living increases. Selling the legislation to his colleagues in the Assembly, Chiu talked about the high cost of living in California and urged legislators to take action to protect people who are often a rent hike away from eviction. “They are our neighbors,” he said. “They are our co-workers. They are our brothers and sisters. They are our grandparents.” Since introducing the bill, Chiu has made several changes to it in negotiations with landlord and realtor groups to gain their support. The rent cap, which sets itself to expire in 2023, covers single family homes and condos – even in areas with existing local rent control laws. It exempts landlords with no more than 10 single family homes and properties that are under 10 years old. AB 1482 is expected to undergo more amendments in the Senate.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— San Bernardino’s Westside Action Group (WAG) presented the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House with a $1,000.00 check.

“This, our third annual donation to the Ronald McDonald House, comes from WAG’s Frank Stallsworth Benevolent Fund. This donation is part of our effort to support those elements that give back to our community… And the I. E. Ronald McDonald House certainly fits that category.” Said Joe Mays, WAG Treasurer!

Since opening on September 11, 1996, the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House has served more than 18,000 families. The House supports up to 54 families each night. Room requests are sent from the social workers at the hospital. Requests are reviewed on a daily basis based on diagnosis and distance.

Each family is considered on a case by case basis based on room availability. A contribution of $12
per night is requested to stay at the Inland Empire Ronald McDonald House. However, no family has ever been turned away due to inability to
pay. The House is able to support many families through the backing of local community partners.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO – A total of 65 recipients of scholarships from the four-county region representing Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) schools will be recognized during a ceremony on April 30 in San Bernardino.

The students who represent schools and districts from Riverside, Inyo, Mono and San Bernardino counties (RIMS) will be recognized during an event at the Professional Development Center building for the San Bernardino City Unified School District.

Among the honorees are 41 students from San Bernardino County high schools. Students being honored by their schools and districts include:

Apple Valley Unified: Kayla Spruill, Apple Valley High;

Chaffey Joint Union: Victoria Aispuro, Ontario High; Evelin Avila, Chaffey High; Ariana Hernandez, Colony High; and Steicy Melendez, Montclair High;

Colton Joint Unified: Filimon Fregoso, Grand Terrace High; Daisy Martinez, Colton High; and Mauricio Valtierra Munoz, Bloomington High;

Fontana Unified: Rogelio Aguilar Lopez, Giovanny Flores Ceniceros, Marlen Garcia, Andres Larios and Itzhary Tamayo, Fontana High; Andrea Rodriguez and Nelly Velasquez, Summit High;

Hesperia Unified: Marilin Ayon and Brian Mojica, Hesperia High; Daniel Black and Martha Marquez, Sultana High; Cheri Long and Laura Morales, Oak Hills High;

Redlands Unified: Matthew Meyer and Nicasio Romero, Redlands East Valley High; and Joshua Venegas, Citrus Valley High;

Rialto Unified: David Gonzalez, Carter High; Simranpreet Kaur, Eisenhower High; and Ashley Morales, Rialto High;

San Bernardino City Unified: Paloma Alvarez, Pacific High; Ryan Chung, San Gorgonio High; Sofia Dominguez, San Bernardino High; Andrew Hernandez, Margarito Moedano, Destiny Serrato and Wang-Meng Yang, Indian Springs High; Luisita Munoz, Arroyo Valley High; Daysi Ramirez, Cajon High; and Samantha Spencer, Middle College High;

Upland Unified: Inia Brooks, Upland High;

Victor Valley Union: Jacqueline Cortez, Victor Valley High; George Pineda, Cobalt Institute of Math and Science; and Amber Van De Walle, Silverado High.

Los Angeles area residents owe nearly $51 billion in student loan debt, according to a recent study by Experian

Appropriations bill increases funding for federal student aid programs by $492 million  

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Recently, U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (CA-35) announced that the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Related Agencies Appropriations Bill contains her priorities to provide Inland Empire students with financial support to pursue higher education. A 2018 study by Experian found that California student debt has more than doubled over the last 10 years. The legislation increases funding for federal student financial assistance programs by $492 million for a total of $24.9 billion. Federal student financial assistance programs like grants do not need to be repaid, while work-study programs allow students to earn money to help pay for school.

“We cannot allow high costs and a crippling student loan crisis to keep the dream of a college education out of reach for Inland Empire students. Federal student financial assistance programs make it possible for low-income and first-generation students, not just a privileged few, to pay for college without being buried under debt that they’ll have to repay for the rest of their lives,” said Torres. “This increased funding will lessen the financial burden on students, allowing them to focus on their studies and preparing for a career.”

Specifically, the legislation increases:

• The maximum award for Pell Grants to $6,345, an increase of $150, to help keep pace with inflation.

• The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program by $188 million for a total of $1 billion. The President had proposed eliminating this program.

• Federal Work Study by $304 million for a total of $1.4 billion.

Torres has long been a strong supporter of federal student financial aid programs. She is a cosponsor of H.R.2084, Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act, which would make qualified students eligible to receive more than one Pell Grant in an award year.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Black civil rights groups in California are knuckled up in a battle of principles as the state Assembly and Senate prepare to vote on a set of three charter school bills this week.

The state chapters of the National Urban League (NUL) and the National Action Network (NAN) have teamed up to oppose the bills. They say the proposals amount to a “step backward” for African-American charter school parents and their children.

While the California chapter of the NAACP has publicly expressed its support for all three pieces of legislation; two of them in the Assembly – AB 1505 and AB 1506 – and one in the Senate, SB 756.

Members of the California chapter of the NAACP, the  nation’s oldest civil rights organization, came to the State Capitol Monday to lobby the legislature on several issues, including the charter school bills.

If passed, the laws would put a moratorium on authorizing any new charter schools in the state for the next five years. Critics of the law say they would also significantly restrict the operations and roll back some legal rights the taxpayer-funded independent public schools currently have.

“I ask my friends at the NAACP, ‘did you see the numbers?’” Dr. Tecoy Porter, president of the Sacramento chapter of the NAN, told California Black Media.

For both the NUL and the NAN, they say, their difference of opinion with the NAACP boils down to one fact: Black students across California are failing in the state’s district public schools at rates that should cause national concern.

Advocates say many of the schools on the frontline that have begun to help Black students improve their literacy, score higher on state standardized tests, and prepare for college and jobs, are charter schools.

“African-American children are not doing well in California public schools. There is a severe and persistent Black achievement gap throughout the state of California in both English Language arts and math,” the NAN and the NUL wrote in an open letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, which the organizations shared with California Black Media.

“Seven out of eight African-American public school students are enrolled in district run schools,” the letter to the governor continued. “Many African-American parents respond to this failure by choosing to send their kids to public charter schools.”

This week, local leaders of both the NAN and the NUL are requesting a meeting with Gov. Newsom to share their concerns about the bills.

In California, about 80 percent of Black students score below the state standard in math and 68 percent fail to meet the English Language Arts requirement. African-American children are also next to the lowest performing sub-group in the state, scoring only above students with disabilities.

Last week, the Assembly passed another charter school bill, AB 1507. It required charter schools to be physically located in the boundaries of the school district that licenses it. Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), who is African American and a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), sponsored that bill, along with the other two bills his colleagues will hear this week.

Other sponsors of the charter school bills are Assemblymembers Patrick O’Donnell (D-Los Angeles) and Christy Smith (D-Santa Clarita).

Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) sponsored the Senate bill.

O’Donnell, who is chair of the Assembly Education committee, shelved another bill Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the CLBC, introduced. That bill would have designated lowest performing subgroup students a high risk category under California’s Local Control Funding Formula.

“Historically, the NAACP has been in strong support of public education and has denounced movements toward privatization,” the California chapter of the NAACP wrote in that statement. “Considering this, we are concerned that charter schools in California are increasingly causing the underfunding of neighborhood schools.”

Julian Heilig-Vasquez, Education Chair of the California NAACP, argues that increased independent and private control of charter schools will lead to the resegregation of America’s public schools and

“The California NAACP and other community-based activists have called upon education reforms to refocus on inequities rather than privatization and private control of education,” he says.

Porter says he understands that the NAACP stated its opposition to charter schools long before these bills became an issue in California. But the arguments they are using to support their stance, have not evolved and are mostly out-of-touch with the needs of the majority of African-American families across the state.

“How are they promoting segregation when they make up less than 5 percent of all public schools in the state?” Asked Porter. “Also, by law, charter schools have to be judged on their performance every five years. District-run public schools can go on failing forever.”

He said since Gov. Newsom signed SB 126 earlier this year, the state now requires charter schools to be more accountable and transparent in their operations.

On Wednesday, May 22, the California Teachers Association (CTA), one of the largest unions in the state, is holding a rally in Sacramento on the steps of the State Capitol in support of the bills. They say, the event is being held “to fix the broken laws that govern charter schools.”

But NAN and the NUL disagree with the NAACP and the CTA. Porter says many Black families who live in communities where traditional public schools have failed their children for decades don’t have the means to get up and move to a better school district or enroll their kids in private schools.

Porter says he is thankful that he had a choice. His son, who attended a mix of private, public charter and traditional public schools is graduating from high school this year. He has accepted a full ride to Harvey Mudd college in Claremont.

“I had a choice. I want all parents in California to have choices of where they can send their children to school for the best education for them,” he says. “I know there are some bad apples who have abused the charter school system, but its Black and Brown kids that end up getting the short end of the stick. They deserve better.” 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Makeup artists, hair stylists and photographers flocked to Jensen Alvarado Ranch and Museum in Riverside earlier this month. They were among roughly 40 volunteers who helped create senior portraits for foster children preparing to graduate high school in May.  

“It’s amazing,” said 18-year-old Melissa Sauceda, a senior at Rancho Verde High School. “All of us don’t have the support and money to do it ourselves. We don’t have our parents so just to have volunteers to do it for free is just a great feeling.” The event, known as ‘High School Senior Portrait Day,” started five years ago with a dozen students. This year 60 kids signed up. DPSS Children’s Services Regional Manager Michelle Wohl said returning caretakers who bring students from all over Riverside County helped the event grow.

“This year DPSS signed a contract with Riverside County Regional Parks. With help from park rangers and Jensen Alvarado Ranch and Museum, foster youth teamed up with volunteers to spend the entire day preparing for senior pictures.

“It really gives us the opportunity to talk with the community about the awesome things that happen in child welfare,” Wohl said.

The foster youth ranged from age 17 to 20 and came from several school districts and communities across Riverside County, including Moreno Valley, Indio, Perris and Beaumont.

By Naomi K. Bonman

This has been an active year for the African-American community, as far as street dedications are concerned. From Nipsey Hussle Square to ‘Ruby Dee Place’ and ‘Ossie Davis Way’, and now Obama Boulevard, this is a positive vibe that appears to be gaining momentum as Los Angeles named a 3.5-mile stretch of road after former President Barack Obama.

After a successful fundraising campaign by Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard co-founder, Thandiwe Abdullah, Obama Boulevard finally became reality on Saturday, May 4 during a block party festival in the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw neighborhood. During the festival the renaming of Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard took place.

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(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— PAL Charter Academy is a small High school located in San Bernadino, California. PCA had a standout player in last weekends HBCU Combine. Donavon Becker received a second-day invite, at the 2nd Annual HBCU event held at Lynnwood High School in Los Angeles.

He was one of the hundreds of football players who came out to compete in a rigorous two-day Combine. All players that met the first-day evaluation received a callback to compete in the second day of the Combine.

Donovan Becker is a 6’6, 220 lb junior player at PCA High school that caught the eyes of HBCU’s and Junior College recruiters, and received a second-day invite.

Coaches came from all over to evaluate players from all over California to showcase their talent and to compete for a football scholarship. It was a robust combine that gave local players a huge opportunity to compete for a scholarship.  PCA’s Head Coach Julian Patrick said. Donovan held his own against Juco and High school players, and that earned him a second-day invite.

The HBCU combine has been an excellent platform for players to receive a football scholarship, quality education and the opportunity to experience college life outside of California.