Local

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR THIS HISTORIC EVENT

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Experience a NEW renaissance inspired by Harlem’s late nights and hot jazz, at The Cotton Club 2020, Saturday, February 15. Come dressed in your 1920’s inspired attire and take a step into an unforgettable era of art, culture and music in the prestigious Renaissance Room at the National Orange Show, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Garrett Management Group (GMG), LLC is pulling out all the stops Valentine’s Day weekend, where guests will enjoy a divine 3-course dinner, dancing and dynamite jazz performances by j.dee and the Big Time Band, with host Jammin Jay Lamont. Guaranteed to be the hippest event of 2020!

Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased at www.gmgevents.net, www.showclix.com and for additional information by calling 1-866-514-3391. VIP Access is available for $100.00 where guests can expect to enjoy a 3-course pre-fixe dinner in the best seats in the house. VIP Access includes reserved seating, waiter service and a complimentary bottle of champagne at each table. A limited supply of VIP tickets is available and guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets early. General Admission tickets are $75.00. General Admission tickets are available for a discounted rate of $70.00 when purchased as a group of 6 or more.

The Cotton Club 2020 celebrates a great turning point in history where blacks began to control their social culture, music and artistry– what is recognized as the Harlem Renaissance. GMG is not just creating the music from this era, but they are creating the space and platform to make it happen. The infamous jazz clubs of the 1920’s were usually run by white gangsters selling bootleg liquor during Prohibition. Black people were not typically stakeholders in the clubs where they performed. However, this Cotton Club is from the black perspective, OUR point of view—reclaiming what makes us great. The event also allows a younger generation to experience the rich history of the Harlem Renaissance. GMG understands this event is different than anything else they have produced. “We’re recreating a historic moment in time, says Managing Partner, Alton Garrett. “From the fashion and costumes of the evening, it is the personal participation that will drive the excitement and energy around this event. Better believe people are going to show up and show out!”

By Naomi K. Bonman

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- On Monday, January 20, 2020, several community organizations will be celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy with the San Bernardino Dr. Martin Luther King Day Parade Extravaganza and Awards Gala. The parade will be held on the west end of San Bernardino starting at Arroyo High School located at 1881 W Base Line Street in San Bernardino at 11 a.m. The parade will end Graciano Gomez Elementary School located at 1480 W 11^th Street in San Bernardino. The parade and expo will end at 4 p.m.

The organizations behind the parade include: Youth Build Charter School Inland Empire, the Southern California Black Chamber of Commerce, Young Visionaries Leadership Academy, The Black Cultural Foundation and LUE Productions along with other community entities.

The SB MLK DAY PARADE will be an informative and educational event, in which the entire community can enjoy. The day will consist of parade activities followed by entertainment and a vendor extravaganza that will showcase local talent, an art walk, food, classic cars and celebrity guest.

The Awards Gala which will honor key sponsors, community members, and community organizations that have contributed time and resources in the beautiful City of San Bernardino. Awards Gala set to take place Saturday, January 18th, 2020 in the City of San Bernardino.

The committee is currently seeking sponsorship, car and float entries, vendors, performers and volunteers. For more information or to get involved, visit www.blackchamberofcommerce.org.

Get REAL ID ready by planning ahead during the holiday travel season

SACRAMENTO, CA—- In advance of Thanksgiving – the biggest travel holiday of the year – the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is reminding Californians that new federal ID requirements to fly within the United States or enter secure federal facilities take effect October 1, 2020. Californians who fly to visit friends and family should be aware of the new federal requirements and begin making necessary preparations for a REAL ID so next year’s travel arrangements are not derailed.

“Let this holiday travel season be a reminder to all Californians that the October 2020 federal enforcement date will already be here by this time next year,” said DMV Director Steve Gordon. “If your identification card or driver license expires after the federal enforcement date, and you need a REAL ID sooner, we encourage you to apply now.”

As a reminder, a REAL ID driver license or identification card can only be obtained by visiting a DMV field office with the required documents:

• An identity document (valid passport, birth certificate, etc.)
• A document with a Social Security number (Social Security card or W-2 form showing entire number)
• Two hard copy documents showing California residency (utility or cell phone bill, bank statement, mortgage bill, etc.).

A list of federally accepted application documents and other information can be found on the California DMV REAL ID website.

To save time, the DMV encourages residents to fill out their application prior to visiting their nearest DMV office and to consider those that offer Saturday and extended morning hours. Californians can also check the status of wait times at their local branch by visiting www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/fo/fotoc.

For the complete document checklist, an the interactive quiz to find out if it’s time to get a REAL ID, and a list of other federally approved identification that can continue to be used after October 1, 2020, such as a passport, visit REALID.dmv.ca.gov.

CATHEDRAL CITY,CA—-The Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project (MAPP), the Inland Empire’s first and most active medical marijuana patient support group and law reform organization, will be celebrating its 20^th Anniversary in December. Founder and Director, Lanny Swerdlow looks back and says  “If someone had told me when I first began MAPP twenty years ago in  December 1999 that people would be able to grow their own without fear of arrest and that it would be sold legally in stores,  I would have wondered what they had been drinking.”

To celebrate 20 years of successful cannabis activism in the IE, MAPP will be holding a 20^th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday December 7 at 5 p.m. in the consumption lounge at the Vault Dispensary in Cathedral City at 35871 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City, CA. The event will feature speakers, entertainment and a buffet dinner at a restaurant/bar.

MAPP has always been a local Inland Empire organization engaging local citizens with local elected officials to allow for safe, reliable and local access to cannabis. It was members of MAPP that approached the Palm Springs City Council in 2008 asking them to enact an ordinance that would allow for medical marijuana dispensaries to open and provide marijuana to medical marijuana patients with valid doctor’s recommendations.

The Palm Springs City Council agreed to do that and formed the Palm Springs Medical Marijuana Task Force to draft an ordinance that would allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries. Back in 2008 there were only a few cities that had drafted ordinances to allow for the operation of medical marijuana dispensaries so the task force was pretty much developing it from scratch. 

MAPP Director Lanny Swerdlow was a member of the task force and notes that the City took developing this ordinance very seriously. “Two city council members, Ginny Foat and Steve Pounet served on it along with City Attorney Doug Holland, Chief of Police Gary Jeandron and citizens representing different segments of the community. It took one and one-half years to get it written and passed, but city officials were determined to make it happen from the beginning.”

Since its founding, MAPP has been active in promoting and protecting the rights of medical marijuana patients to have access to marijuana. They have made repeated appearances before the Riverside and San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors as well as many cities in the IE. 

One of MAPP’s major accomplishments came about in 2015 when Riverside County was considering banning all medical marijuana patient cultivation. A concerted push by patients at a Board of Supervisor’s meeting resulted in the ordinance not being implement and instead an ordinance was enacted that specifically allowed patients the right to cultivate their own medicine in quantities that could provide them with sufficient medicine to treat their ailments.

Today the Coachella Valley is a hotbed of cannabis activity with Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert and Coachella allowing commercial cultivation, manufacture and distribution of cannabis. The only other IE cities to allow commercial cannabis businesses are Adelanto in San Bernardino County and Perris in Riverside County. 

With the passage of Prop. 64 which legalized the use of cannabis for all adults 21 and over and the development of legal commercial businesses, MAPP has been working to make cannabis accessible throughout the IE.

Although no licenses have been issued, MAPP is currently working with Riverside County in the development of its ordinance to allow cannabis businesses to operate in the unincorporated areas of the County which is expected to take place in 2020.

The passage last week by the House Judiciary Committee of the MORE Act will remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and thereby end federal marijuana prohibition. A vote on the House floor is expected sooner rather than later and will make MAPP’s 20^th Anniversary a truly momentous event.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The San Bernardino Pastors United (SBPU) has taken the lead with community pastors, business leaders, dignitaries, and ordinary people to have a memorial service in honor of the victims and their family members whose lives were forever changed as a result of the terrorist attack on the City of San Bernardino on December 2, 2015.  

The pastors, community residence will march in solidarity for 15 minutes to the site, with children, youth, leaders, residents young and old, all on one accord marching until they get to ground zero for a pre-arranged setting for 30 to 50 people. The invited guest speakers include former Mayor Carey Davis, former Chief of Police Jarod Burguan, current Mayor Valdivia and City Council, Congressmen Pete Aguilar, Assemblymember James Ramos, and Assemblymember Eloise Reyes-Gomez, and Senator Connie Leyva’s office to name a few.

The SB Pastors United is pursuing a request that December 2, 2019 and each year hereafter be set-aside as a SPECIAL DAY in the city of San Bernardino. The program will conclude with the releasing of doves, and community uniting to together to heal, and pray and fellowship together.

We are asking the community to join us, as we remain strong, providing:  “Healing, Change, and Progress” to the City of San Bernardino, for more information call (909) 353-7977 or contact  The Way World Outreach Church at (909) 884-7117.

The Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center provided turkeys, clothing and job opportunities to hundreds of people on Saturday during our annual holiday event

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Hundreds of local residents in need received clothes, job opportunities and Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings on Saturday, November 23 at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway hosted by the Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center in San Bernardino. 

The center provided more than 300 turkeys received through donations by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino and other organizations. 

In addition to receiving holiday meals, clothing was available for purchase for just a $1 and staff from ARC Staffing agency was in attendance to meet with those interested in pursuing job opportunities in the area.

“As a small organization, we are proud to be able to offer comprehensive assistance to our community during the holidays,” said  Paul E. Jones, CEO of the Resource Center and the Pastor of Zion Elect New Generation Ministry in San Bernardino. “Our mission is to transform communities; one life at a time, and the additional services offered this year offers new opportunities to those in need”.

During the event, more than 50 people found new job opportunities.

Write by Naomi K. Bonman

On Saturday, November 23, the Inland Valley News celebrated it’s 22nd Annual Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala & Charity Auction. The celebration was held at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California.

This year’s honorees were Hilda Kennedy, founder and president of AMPAC Business Capital; Josie Gonzalez, Supervisor 5th District San Bernardino County; Joseph Williams, Trustee San Bernardino Community College District; R. Michelle Decker, Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation; Michael G. Rademaker, CEO & Founder MGR Real Estate; George Jones, Esq. Kathy Patoff; Monk Hines; Sherie Rodgers; and Alise Clouser.

The proceeds from the event went to support the Morrow Pancreatic Health Foundation (MPHF). The MPHF will provide prevention, education and awareness around pancreatic related illnesses to underserved communities and populations that are prone to inadequate healthcare.

For more information and to view more photos, please visit www.inlandvalleynews.com.

Be a Santa to a Senior kicks off in Redlands

REDLANDS, CA—- The holiday season is also the season of giving and a time to share smiles with those around you. As you gather to drink hot cocoa and sing carols with family and friends, it’s important to remember there are seniors in your community who would love to celebrate, too. However, many seniors live alone, without someone to share this special time.

Home Instead Senior Care is once again offering the Redlands community a chance to spread joy to local seniors. Through the Be a Santa to a Senior program, community members can give a senior a special holiday gift. Since the program’s inception in 2003, the Be a Santa to a Senior program has mobilized more than 60,000 volunteers, provided approximately 1.2 million gifts and brightened the season for more than 700,000 deserving seniors nationwide. Last year, more than 800 local seniors received 3,200 gifts.

“The Be a Santa to a Senior programis all about including seniors in the joy of the holiday season,” said Geneva Labate, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving San Bernardino County. “A simple gift shows them they are a loved and vital member of our community.”

Be a Santa to a Senioris a true community program, with generous support from Southern California businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, numerous volunteers and members of the community. The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Redlands has partnered with local organizations to help with gift collection and distribution.

It’s easy to help. Visit one of the participating locations listed below and look for the Be a Santa to a Senior tree on display from November 12 to December 17. Each tree will be decorated with ornaments featuring seniors’ first names and gift suggestions. Holiday shoppers can choose an ornament, buy the requested gift and return it to the store with the ornament attached. There’s no need to worry about wrapping — community volunteers and program partners will wrap and deliver the gifts to local seniors in time for the holidays.

“While it may seem like a small act of kindness, it can really make a difference for someone this holiday season,” said Labate. “Watching seniors open the gifts they received through Be a Santa to a Senior and seeing the smiles and appreciation on their faces is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.”

Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations:

• Alta Vista Credit Union, 1425 W Lugonia Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 33527 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA
• Redlands Chiropractic, 620 Alabama St, Redlands, CA
• Redlands Sewing Center, 422 E State St, Redlands, CA
• Jake’s Bistro and Brew, 12170 4th St., Yucaipa, CA
• Blossom Grove Alzheimer’s Special Care, 11116 New Jersey St., Redlands, CA
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 950 S. E St, San Bernardino, CA
• Alta Vista Credit Union, 1425 W Lugonia Ave, Redlands, CA
• Dream Dinners, 1404 Industrial Park Ave, Redlands, CA
• Linda Valley Assisted Living, 25393 Cole St, Loma Linda, Ca.
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 2094 W Redlands Blvd., Redlands, CA
• Mi Cocina Mexican Restaurant, 27961 Highland Ave, Highland, CA
• Mission Commons Gracious Retirement Living, 10 Terracina Blvd., Redlands, CA
• Martha Green’s Eating Room, 107 E Citrus Ave, Redlands, CA
• Carlson Chiropractic, 529 Cajon St, Redlands, CA
• La Loma Federal Credit Union, 26151 Mayberry St, Loma Linda, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 2 W. Fern Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Arrowhead Aftercare, 27007 W 5th Street, Highland, CA
• Beaver Advantage Health Center, 1600 E. Citrus Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 1690 Barton Road, Redlands, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 33758 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA
• Cotton Gin Fabric, 411 E. State Street, Redlands, CA
• Golden Oaks Senior Living and Retirement Community, 33398 Oak Glen Road, Yucaipa, CA
• Highland Care Center of Redlands, 700 E. Highland Avenue, Redlands, CA
• InnovAge PACE, 410 East Parkcenter Circle, San Bernardino, CA
• Somerford Place, 1319 Brookside Avenue, Redlands, CA
• The UPS Store, 25745 Barton Road, Loma Linda, CA
• Villas at San Bernardino, 2985 North G Street, San Bernardino, CA
• Wildwood Canyon Villa, 22951 Colorado Street, Yucaipa, CA
• Yucaipa Senior Center, 12202 First Street, Yucaipa, CA
• Home Instead Senior Care, 461 Tennessee Street, Suite O, Redlands, CA
• Epic Management, 1980 Orange Tree Lane Suite 103, Redlands, CA
• Epic Management, 1615 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA

For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call (909)-370-0343.

For more information about how you can help seniors in your community, visit imreadytocare.com.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Assistant County Fire Chief Dan Munsey will serve as the new Fire Chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District effective immediately following his appointment by County Chief Executive Officer Gary McBride, with concurrence from the Board of Supervisors.

Munsey, who has served with County Fire since 1995, succeeds Mark Hartwig, who left the department in February to accept a job as fire chief for Santa Barbara County. Deputy Fire Chief Don Trapp has served as interim chief since Hartwig’s departure.

Munsey’s appointment concluded a nationwide recruiting effort that began shortly after Hartwig’s departure and yielded a broad field of applicants.

“There were several outstanding candidates,” McBride said. “But the Board and I concluded that Assistant Chief Munsey offered the best combination of the traits we were seeking: the leadership skills and commitment to operate County Fire effectively and professionally, and the ability and desire to work productively with public safety agencies throughout the county.”

“Being chosen to serve as fire chief for this organization is a tremendous honor,” Munsey said. “This is a team of highly skilled, dedicated professionals who serve a great community. I am excited about this opportunity to lead them and provide them with the tools and the environment they need to help County Fire fully achieve its great potential.”

In his most recent assignment as Assistant Chief, Division 11, Munsey was responsible for rescue operations, fire, and emergency medical response in the High Desert region, which is the largest of the five regions served by San Bernardino County Fire.

Munsey began his career in the fire service in 1995 as a paid-call firefighter. He became a full-time firefighter in 1998, where he was assigned to Lake Arrowhead. He has worked in every division of County Fire, promoting to captain in 2004, battalion chief in 2008, and assistant chief in March 2014.

Munsey holds a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on business and government and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Grand Canyon University. Munsey is the current president of the Operations Section of the California Fire Chiefs Association and president of the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors. He has been active for a decade in the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, Victorville, and Yucca Valley.

In 2013, Munsey graduated from the San Bernardino County Management & Leadership Academy, a program that provides comprehensive management and leadership training to county employees. Participants gain theoretical and practical knowledge of public service management and leadership practices, with specific emphasis on understanding their application within San Bernardino County government.

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District has about 1,000 employees, covers approximately 19,000 of the county’s 20,105 square miles, and serves more than 60 incorporated municipalities and unincorporated communities within four Regional Service Zones – Mountain, North Desert, South Desert and Valley – including the City of Grand Terrace, City of Hesperia, City of Needles, City of San Bernardino, City of Twentynine Palms, City of Upland, Town of Yucca Valley, and unincorporated areas. Additionally, County Fire provides contractual fire protection services to two cities: Adelanto and Fontana, via its independent fire protection district.

County Fire is a community-based, all-hazard emergency services organization providing emergency mitigation and management for fire suppression, emergency medical services, ambulance services, hazardous materials response, arson investigation, hazard and terrorism/weapons of mass destruction abatement, and technical rescue, including water-borne, flooding and mudslide, and winter rescue operations.

FONTANA, CA—EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—- Fontana Unified School District was named Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) district of the year for the West End and East Valley regions of San Bernardino County during an awards ceremony on November 14.

The district also had two platinum award-winning schools – the highest honor bestowed by the California PBIS Coalition – and 14 other silver and gold medal schools at the event.Harry S. Truman Middle School and Citrus Elementary School were Fontana’s platinum-winning schools.

The districts’ other gold and silver schools honored during the ceremony were: Alder (silver);Cypress (gold); Date (silver); Fontana High (gold); Dolores Huerta International Academy (gold); Juniper (silver); Jurupa Hills High (gold); Live Oak (silver); Mango (silver); Randall Pepper (silver); Sequoia (gold); Sierra Lakes (silver); Southridge Tech (silver); and West Randall (silver).

They were among a record 186 schools and programs from the West End and East Valley regions of San Bernardino County that received recognition for their platinum, gold and silver awards at the ceremony, which was held at the Way World Outreach Church in San Bernardino.

The event was hosted by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ PBIS program.

For a list of all the schools and district recognized at the awards ceremony, visit County Schools’ website.