Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media  
The civil lawsuit Vanessa Bryant filed in February has yet to be litigated in a courtroom to determine who was at fault when her husband, NBA-hall-of-famer Kobe Bryant, and the couple’s 13-year-old daughter, died in a helicopter crash last January.   But just as the questioning of potential jurors was scheduled to begin, Berge Zobayan, the brother of pilot Ara Zoboyan, who also died in the crash, asked for a change of venue for the trial — from Los Angeles County to neighboring Orange County.   Mrs. Bryant is calling foul.?? ? Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna “GiGi” Bryant died in the tragic helicopter crash. Seven other people, counting the pilot, also passed away in the fatal accident that happened on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, a city about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.  ? Vanessa Bryant filed a counter-motion to Berge Zobayan’s bid, in which he asks for the trial relocation, citing the immense popularity of the former Lakers’ star in Los Angeles County. ? “Defendant cannot show that there is any county to which this case may be transferred where the basis for his objection does not exist,” the filing said. “Defendant fails to acknowledge the extent to which Kobe Bryant’s legacy penetrates American culture; there is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates.”  Mrs. Bryant also points out that her family has lived in Orange County for 20 years.  ? The deceased Zobayan was the pilot of an Island Express-operated aircraft owned by Island Express Holdings Corp., which is named in the lawsuit. Zobayan allegedly took flight in extreme foggy weather, which investigators say was a factor in the accident. ? The helicopter, a Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky S-76B, was traveling from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County. The helicopter hit a hillside in Los Angeles County before crashing and bursting into flames.  ? Neither a flight data recorder nor a cockpit voice recorder was installed in the aircraft. But Berge Zobayan said Vanessa Bryant is not entitled to compensation, putting the onus on Kobe Bryant, and arguing that the basketball player knew, and agreed to, the risks of traveling by helicopter.? ? Berge Zobayan’s attorneys argue that damages were?“directly caused in full, or in part, by the negligence or fault” of Kobe Bryant. It’s been long reported that Bryant chartered helicopter flights back and forth to games and practice – from near his home in Newport Coast to the Staples Center 51 miles away in El Segundo, where the Lakers played. The day of the crash, Bryant was traveling with his daughter and friends to Thousand Oaks to attend a basketball game at his Mamba Sports Academy.  ? “The shock of the accident affected all staff, and management decided that service would be suspended until such time as it was deemed appropriate for staff and customers,” Island Express said in a written statement after the crash. ? Zobayan’s position for a venue change is due to Kobe Bryant’s “personification” of the city of Los Angeles, Zobayan says, maintaining that it would be difficult to seat an unbiased jury of 12 persons. ? There are no special skills or legal knowledge needed to become a juror in California. The state of California only asks that jurors have an open mind, be able to work with prospective peers to make judicial decisions and be impartial. ? “In other words, your decisions must not be influenced by personal feelings and bias,” states California’s “Court and Community: Information and Instructions for Responding to Your Jury Summons,” brochure.? ? “Jury service is the responsibility of all qualified citizens, but also an opportunity for us to participate directly in our system of justice and contribute to our communities,” Hon. Judge Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Chief Justice of California, states in the brochure.? ? Wherever the Bryant v. Island Express Helicopters et al. case ends up taking place, Vanessa Bryant will allege that the pilot, in a manner not in accordance with accepted standards, flew the aircraft under “instrument flight rules,” the court filing states. ? Island Express Helicopters was only regulated to fly under “visual flight rules,” the plaintiffs argue.?Those regulations restrict pilots to only operating an aircraft when they can clearly see ahead of them in flight.  ? “Plaintiffs are confident that the voir dire process will yield twelve citizens from Los Angeles County who — when called upon to serve — will uphold their oaths and render a verdict, ‘according only to the evidence presented [and] the instructions of the court,’” Vanessa Bryant’s court filing states. ? The next hearing in the case will be held at Los Angeles Superior Court on August 19. 

COVID-19 has gripped national headlines for months. But long before the U.S. outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the country was battling another deadly epidemic: diabetes.

One of the leading causes of death in the United States, the disease claims the lives of more than 83,000 Americans each year. And — much like the COVID-19 — diabetes disproportionately impacts people of color.

That’s why it’s so encouraging that the Trump administration will soon make it easier for millions of diabetic Americans to manage their health. A newly announced proposal would cap the amount of money that Medicare beneficiaries pay out-of-pocket for insulin at $35.

That reform will go a long way towards getting older patients with diabetes the medicines they need to stay healthy — a fact that’s certainly worth celebrating. But it’s only one step toward tackling a health crisis that shows no signs of relenting.

Diabetes doesn’t affect all groups equally. Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than whites. Black women are particularly vulnerable — nearly 13 percent of Black women over 18 have the disease, compared with just 7.5 percent of white women.

For many of these patients, staying alive requires rigorous adherence to a medication regimen, including regular injections of insulin.

Unfortunately, these medicines can prove prohibitively expensive. In one recent survey, a quarter of diabetic patients reported using less than the prescribed amount of insulin because of the medicine’s cost.

The persistent wealth and income gap between Americans of color and white Americans means that these financial burdens pose a unique challenge for black patients. Especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inability to afford insulin has only deepened racial inequities that have plagued our nation for decades.

After all, those with diabetes who are unable to manage their disease effectively — a group in which African Americans are overrepresented — are at heightened risk of severe complications from COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control, black Americans account for 23 percent of deaths from the novel coronavirus, despite making up just 13 percent of the population.

Reforms that enable patients of color to better manage their diabetes could vastly reduce such healthcare disparities. We hope that’s precisely what the administration’s newly announced proposal will do.

Under this reform, more than 1,750 Medicare prescription drug plans will cap out-of-pocket costs for a variety of insulin products at $35 a month. That change will take effect next year. This will bring down pharmacy costs for the millions of Medicare seniors with diabetes — including black Americans.

But given the scope of the challenges facing diabetic patients, this reform still represents a modest improvement over the status quo. For systemic change, patients need policies that target the real drivers of high insulin costs.

That begins with the opaque system that brings medicines to pharmacies. Every year, manufacturers provide over $100 billion in rebates and other price reductions on brand name drugs. But supply chain middlemen have pocketed these savings instead of passing them on to patients at the point of sale.

Other drivers abound. Policymakers need to do everything they can to help less advantaged patients afford insulin. And on that measure, the administration’s new Medicare proposal is one step in the right direction.

San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) students in the Class of 2020 faced a number of challenges in the final months of the school year, but despite everything 1,275 graduates earned $10,791,888 in scholarships and grants.

A total of 315 Cajon High School seniors earned $3,163,659, which includes $1.5 million in military academy scholarships and enlistment bonuses. San Gorgonio High School seniors also showed their academic chops with 158 graduates earned $2,564,023 in scholarships, including more than $880,000 in military scholarships and enlistment bonuses.

A full 100% of Middle College High School‘s 62 graduates earned $930,032 in scholarships and grants. Of Arroyo Valley High School‘s 571 graduates, 308 earned $1,504,032 in scholarships and grants, and 203 of San Bernardino High School‘s 271 graduates earned $1,738,328 in scholarships and grants.

Rounding out the scholarship and grant numbers are $32,382 earned by 29 Indian Springs High School graduates, $719,132 earned by 135 Pacific High School graduates, $108,825 earned by 49 San Andreas High School graduates, $8,025 earned by 8 Sierra High School graduates, and $23,450 earned by 8 Inland Career Education Center graduates.

“I’m proud of the amazing Class of 2020. The graduates have worked very hard for every one of those scholarships,” said Executive Director of Community Engagement Ginger Ontiveros. “I’m also proud of our District for creating systems specifically designed to support our outstanding graduates in their pursuit of higher education. The District’s Making Hope Happen Foundation awards $3,000 mentor-supported college scholarships to approximately 100 graduates each year. The District also has a long-standing partnership with the non-profit San Bernardino Community Scholarship Association, which coordinates local donors who have created scholarships just for SBCUSD graduates.”

For more information or to donate to the Making Hope Happen Foundation, visit https://makinghope.org/. To create your own scholarship or donate to one of the many existing Association-managed scholarships, contact Susan Zavala, Communications/Community Relations Department secretary, at susan.zavala@sbcusd.k12.ca.us.

African American stakeholders are ramping up their outreach to undercounted census tracts where Black Californians live after the U.S. Census Bureau announced this week that it will stop the national count at the end of September. The state too is intensifying its last-ditch initiatives to achieve an accurate count of all Californians as enumeration goes into its final stretches. Federal legislation that would have extended it through October has stalled in the U.S. Senate.   

Black Lives Matter is shouted, printed, painted and posted everywhere in today’s racial-and-social-justice-aware political climate, but those lives may be threatened by low participation in the U.S. 2020 Census. At risk for Black families in California, who live in the hardest-to-count census tracts of the state in disproportionate numbers, are federal resources for schools, housing, health care, employment, transportation and public policy initiatives that target them.  

Carmen Taylor Jones, 2020 Census Director at the Los Angeles-based Black Women for Wellness advocacy group, said it is more than being simply counted, but it’s a call to action. 

“It (the census) is the keeper of houses, and they are the holder of genealogy records,” said Jones, former 2010 Census Bureau Southern California Area Regional Manager. She said her new slogan for the 2020 Census is “document your existence,” by completing the decennial census. 

This week, the California Complete Count Census 2020 office has organized several public awareness activities under the banner of “Get Out the Count Week.” The events, which include a press briefing, a “Virtual Day of Action” and an online pep rally of “Social Media Ambassadors,” are geared toward reaching Californians who have still not completed their forms.  

The threat of losing a seat in congress is heard often, but it has never happened in California, since population losses are typically tempered by nearly as many people moving to the state or relocating within it.    

As of July 13, California’s response rate was 63.2 %, according to the Census Bureau’s interactive response map.  Per the California Complete Count Committee, an estimated 850,644 households have not responded, which equates to an estimated population of over 4.2 million. 

Further, the California Complete Count Committee indicated, the average Self-Response Rate as of June 4 was 61.6 % for Black/African American, 59.1 % for Hispanic/Latino, and 61.4 % for American Indian and Alaska Native. 

The National Urban League indicated in its State of 2020 Census Report, however, that favorable state response rates that meet or surpass the national 2020 Census rate provide little indication of how well or poorly predominantly or heavily populated Black communities are responding to the 2020 Census. It recommends closer analysis to ensure targeted outreach lifts participation in low-response-rate Black communities.  

“If we are not counted, then we amplify our problems as opposed to solving our problems,” said Janette Robinson Flint, executive director of Black Women for Wellness. 

Organizations like Black Women for Wellness knew the COVID-19 pandemic made areas considered hard-to-count only harder to reach.  This organization and others in California are part of a group called “The Black Hub” that worked with vulnerable communities across the state. 

The State of California gave $187 million for the Census campaign to push outreach efforts to educate of the importance of being counted this year.  These efforts included support to The Black Hub along with other institutions. 

Flint told California Black Media that outreach on low voting turnouts for her organization began in 2000 with constant voter education campaigns.  Later in 2012, it developed VREAM (Voting Rules Everything Around Me) to address voter suppression in California. The decision to participate in the 2010 and 2020 censuses to increase Black counts was an obvious next step, she continued. 

The group’s outreach tactic, tagged the 200 Grand Campaign, trained 15 student interns to phone bank for five-and-a-half weeks. Jones requested 200,000 contact phone numbers in 45 hard-to-count tracts from the California Community Foundation. 

Seventy-five percent of the 200,000 phone calls affirmed a commitment to participate in the 2020 Census, according to Jones.   

“That is the single largest outreach to date in L.A. County,” she said.  “In addition, the students’ text campaign reached 35,000 contacts with a response rate close to 90 percent.”  

Student interns like Deshawn Moore worked from home and used their own phones due to Black Women for Wellness’ COVID-19 protocols to keep everyone safe.  “I learned a lot in training about voting and the census.  One time when I was on the bus, I asked someone if they have taken the census. They said no.  I told them about it and how to do it,” Moore said.   

When asked if he would volunteer again with Black Women for Wellness, he responded, “Yes I would.” 

By Lou Yeboah

“Talk to me, so you can see, Oh, what’s going on?  Yeah, what’s going on? Tell me, what’s going on?” [Marvin Gaye – What’s Goin On]. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity: your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue hath murmured iniquity. No man calleth for justice: no man contendeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak vain things: they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity…Their feet turn to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are wicked thoughts: desolation and destruction is in their paths. The way of peace they know not, and there is none equity in their goings…” [Isaiah 59:3-5; 7-8]. “Picket lines and picket signs, don’t punish me with brutality, talk to me, so you can see, Oh, what’s going on? Tell me what’s going on?”

“Enough of this,” declares the Lord. Put away violence and destruction and do justice and righteousness; revoke your acts of dispossession from upon my people!” [Ezekiel 45:9]. No uniform should get in the way of common sense and common humanity. You do not have the right to take the life of another person; there is no law that is above this, no matter the land or the people.

I tell you, it’s interesting that history repeats itself.  As you read through the prophecy of Habakkuk you will discover that the exact problem that you and I wrestle with today, Habakkuk wrestled with as well.  The prophet lived in a time very similar to our day. A time when everything was going wrong. He lived when there was great national corruption and distress, when the nation and land was filled with violence, hatred, injustice, unrest, and oppression. He lived in a land where there were outbreaks of all kinds of evil.  Perplexed in his heart, as we are, in bewilderment he cries out, “Lord, how long do I have to keep this up, crying out to you like this? How long must I CONTINUE?” Finally, God answers Habakkuk. “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” [Habakkuk 1:5-6] “I am behind this. These people are a very strange people. They are bitter, hostile, ruthless and cold-blooded. They are going to be as powerful as any nation on earth has ever been and they will sweep through lands conquering everything, and it will LOOK as though nothing can stop them. These people will not have any god at the center of their life. They believe that their own might is their god, and they trust in their own strength.

Astound, Habakkuk did not know what to make of this. This is what bothers many people as they look at what is happening in the world. Why does God allow things to happen the way they do? Why does he permit such terrible events to occur in human history? “How can a just and loving God allow men to suffer? Why would God create us and then allow terrible things to happen?” After pondering, Habakkuk went back to what he knew of God through revelation and experience.  Then immediately he  added these words, “We shall not die.” God promised Abraham that he would rise up a nation that would forever be His people and that He would never allow them to be eliminated from the earth. The prophet reminded himself of that, in the face of this fearsome threat. They would not be eliminated. God’s faithfulness remains. He is unchangeable.

In concluding, God said to the prophet, “Now Habakkuk, don’t you worry about the Chaldeans; I will judge the Chaldeans. The very thing in which they trust will prove to be their downfall. Their very gods will overthrow them.” Then He pronounces woes on these people…. Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and finds a city on iniquity [Habakkuk 2:12]… Woe to those who trust in violence to achieve what they want. [verse 15]… Woe to the man who creates fear in those around him in order to rule over them, and to gain from them [verse 19]. Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. [Isaiah 33:1]. Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain.[Isaiah 10:1-4]. Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” [Revelation 8:13].

““Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” [Galatians 6:7-9]

A new cooking show is gearing up for production.  A program influenced by religion will be coming to YouTube by September.

For decades, church ladies have lovingly prepared their prized potluck recipes to share with members of the congregation, which is the premise for this series. 

In keeping with that custom, a communal meal will be served to parishioners following grace by the Pastor.

Church Ladies’ Potluck is a half-hour, 13-week cooking show based on heritage recipes passed down through the generations. It is our desire to preserve these homemade dishes from the past.

Filmed in local church kitchens Church Ladies Potluck will embrace heirloom recipes to be prepared by the family members that treasure them.

Each episode will include a four-course menu: appetizer, salad, main dish, and dessert.

Only heirloom recipes will be used. Ideally each congregation will also have a cookbook, for it is these old-style often times, quirky, recipes we are seeking.

Programing is nondenominational, nonsectarian, and all inclusive. Every organized religious group is eligible that has a kitchen. 

We are requesting interested church groups to reach out and set up an interview. Everyone will be considered.

Even though church services may still be closed, we can meet the criteria for gatherings under 10 with our small crew while maintaining social distancing.  

If your church wishes to participate, or you know of one, kindly contact me, Elizabeth, at  e.y.westlphal@gmail.com or text or call 442.444.1664.   

What you need to know about accessing essential DMV services during the COVID-19 pandemic

The way we access many of the services we cannot do without will be altered for some time due to COVID-19 pandemic, including how we complete transactions through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). While the DMV continues its business of processing driver license and ID renewals, vehicle registrations, applications for disability placards, and other driver and vehicle related transactions, the way it provides those services continues to change in response to state and local COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the health and safety of its employees, customers, and the general public.

The following guide shares the most convenient ways to access DMV services and complete essential transactions to avoid interruptions to driving privileges or vehicle operations.

Avoid a Trip to the DMV – Complete Your Transaction Online or at a DMV Kiosk

The DMV offers essential services online, such as California driver license and ID renewals and vehicle registration, allowing customers to avoid trips to field offices. Before visiting a DMV office, check the dmv.ca.gov website to find out which transactions can be completed online. Many tasks also can be completed at one of the many kiosks throughout the Inland Empire or through available local business partners. Find a local kiosk at dmv.ca.gov/portal/locations/kiosks.

Stay at Home and Visit the Virtual Field Office

The DMV Virtual Field Office allows the convenience of taking care of transactions that previously required an in-person office visit by interacting with DMV staff online. Transactions such as change of address, replacement stickers or registration card, vehicle title transfers and complex vehicle registration renewals can be completed by visiting virtual.dmv.ca.gov. The DMV is gradually adding more virtual transactions to provide alternatives to an in-person office visit.

What to Expect if an In-person DMV Visit is Necessary

Most local DMV field offices are open for limited transactions for customers with existing appointments and those with transactions that can only be completed in person, such as reinstating a suspended or revoked driver license, among a few other transactions. Employees and customers are required to wear face coverings and maintain physical distancing while at DMV offices. In addition, offices are being deep cleaned regularly and hand sanitizer or soap to wash hands are made available.

With the new safety guidelines in place, longer wait times are to be expected. Also, DMV offices might be forced to temporarily close with little notice to protect public health or as directed by state and local mandates. Therefore, customers are encouraged to take advantage of online services and the Virtual Field Office to complete transactions whenever possible.

What about the Real ID Deadline?

There is no need to rush to apply for a REAL ID today. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that the REAL ID enforcement date is now October 1, 2021, and customers who want a REAL ID will have an opportunity to apply at a later date.

Stay Informed

To stay informed of the latest DMV updates and information, and to get forms and tips on how to best complete your DMV transaction, visit dmv.ca.gov before visiting an office.