By Manny Otiko?| California Black Media  

California is home to an estimated 11 million immigrants and many of them are Black — from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and other parts of the world.  

According to the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) at USC, immigrants make up 6.5 percent of California’s Black population. That figure has doubled since 1980.? 

From Silicon Valley engineers and Hollywood celebrities to medical professionals, small storefront owners, ride share drivers and hotel housekeepers, Black immigrants are as diverse as the general population in California.  

They live in small clusters in inland valley towns and in larger ethnic enclaves in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles — or they blend into suburban communities across the state, according to data collected by California Black Media to support its Census 2020 awareness mapping.  

But many Black immigrants have been uniquely affected by the coronavirus crisis. Like all Californians, they are dealing with the dangers of the disease and the economic and social uncertainties it has caused across the Golden State. At the same time, they are worried about how the global pandemic is affecting relatives back in their homelands.  

Across the United States and in California, large numbers of immigrants work in the healthcare field. Many more are other essential workers, toughing it out on the frontlines working in the service industry or in medical, transportation and sanitation jobs.? 

In California, 35% of all healthcare professionals are immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.  

Mawata Kamara, who is originally from the West African country Liberia, works as an emergency room nurse in San Leandro, a suburb east of the San Francisco Bay in Alameda County. She said that her hospital currently sees about two to three COVID-19 patients a day.? 

According to Kamara, she gets confused trying to keep up with the government’s guidance regarding  the pandemic. For example, she’s currently reusing N95 masks, which used to be forbidden, she says. She also gets a stream of emails with constant updates — sometimes conflicting news — about the virus itself, safety changes or how to treat the disease.? 

“The general feeling of unpreparedness is everywhere,” said Kamara. 

As an African immigrant, Kamara says she sees the unique challenges that Black people, both immigrants and American-born Blacks, face in dealing with COVID-19. One of the reasons the disease has affected the Black community is because many people live in multi-generational families, Kamara says. This makes it very difficult to self-quarantine. Kamara said one of her African co-workers faced this situation when she contracted the disease and didn’t want to take it back home where she lived with several relatives.? 

“Self-quarantine is a luxury most people can’t afford,” she said. 

Kamara has taken to changing her clothes in the garage and cleaning her shoes before she enters the home she shares with her daughter.? 

“I don’t think anyone wants to go to work and bring it back home,” said Kamara. 

Kamara is also concerned about her native country, Liberia, which has been affected by the disease. The country currently has more than 210 COVID-19 infections. About half the patients have survived. Twenty people have died from the disease.? 

Liberia, which has a underdeveloped healthcare system, was devastated by the Ebola pandemic which started in 2014 and resulted in more than 11,000 deaths. Kamara has advised family members who were visiting the country to return to the United States so they can have access to better quality health care.? 

Although coping with the challenges of COVID-19 is grueling for Black immigrants in California like Kamara who are naturalized citizens or have Green Cards, it is even more difficult for those who are undocumented. They did not qualify for the federal $1,200 stimulus payments the federal government has been sending out.  

There are an estimated two million undocumented immigrants in California.  

Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom announced a new $75 million California state program that will provide disaster relief to undocumented immigrants in payments of up to $1,000 per household. The program will begin on Monday May 25, and the money will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. See the list below for organizations that will be distributing the money.  

In Los Angeles, Lyndon Johnson is publisher of CaribPress, a publication that covers West Indian news and events in Southern California, around the United States and in the Caribbean. He is originally from Jamaica. Johnson said the disease presents a unique danger to people from his country because many of them also work in the healthcare field.  

Johnson says some of them are his family members.?“One of my sisters is scared to go to work,” he said.   

Johnson said he recently participated in a Zoom meeting with members of the Jamaican diaspora who connected to talk about how COVID-19 is affecting them.? 

The island of Jamaica has also changed its rules to deal with the disease. Jamaica currently has more than 500 infections and nine deaths. Johnson said people coming in from certain countries are automatically quarantined.  

The Jamaican economy, Johnson says, relies heavily on tourism, but COVID-19 has brought travel to his home country to a halt. According to the Caribbean Journal, Jamaica earned some  $3.3 billion in 2018 from tourism.  

Johnson said the Caribbean Comedy Series, one of the largest West Indian cultural events held in the Los Angeles area, had to be canceled this year. It was supposed to be held in March.  

Many Caribbean community organizations in California and around the country organize annual health missions, where they return home and perform healthcare checkups. Those have all been canceled as well, said Johnson.? 

In San Diego, Chuol Tut, executive director of the South Sudanese Community Center in San Diego, said there are about 4,000 Sudanese (from both South Sudan and North Sudan) living in the San Diego area. He said they are attracted to the area because of the climate, which is similar to their homeland.?? 

South Sudan is the world’s youngest country. It gained its independence in 2011 after years of conflict with Sudan, a country that is 97 percent Muslim. South Sudan is predominantly Christian.? 

Tut said the community has been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak because many of them work in front-line jobs such as drivers, healthcare, casinos and housekeeping. Currently, many of them are out of work.? 

Tut said the center, located in East San Diego, is assisting some of them apply for unemployment benefits because some of them struggle with speaking English.? 

“We try to help them as much as we can,” he said.? 

COVID-19 has also affected the nation of South Sudan. According to Tut, there are currently more than 230 cases and one fatality. Also, the country is a major trading hub with a lot of visitors coming in from neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. Now the government has established a quarantine zone that stops anyone from coming into the East African county.  

Back on the frontlines of the crisis in California, Kamara says she believes we are not over the worse of the pandemic.  

That’s why she is discouraged by protestors who are demanding businesses reopen. Kamara said too many Americans don’t realize the dangers of  COVID-19 because of misinformation.  

“Until that’s addressed, people won’t take it seriously,” she said.? 

Undocumented Black immigrants who want to apply for California’s coronavirus emergency assistance program should contact the following groups representing their area: 

Northern California: 

California Human Development Corporation 

(707) 228-1338 www.californiahumandevelopment.org/ 

Covering Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Pleasure, Plumas, 

 Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma Tehama, Trinity 

Bay Area: 

Catholic Charities of California 

Alameda and Contra Costa: www.cceb.org 

Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo: www.catholiccharitiessf.org/ Santa Clara: www.catholiccharitiesscc.org/ 

Central Coast: 

Mixteco / Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) www.mixteco.org/drai/3 

Santa Barbara: (805) 519-7776 

Ventura: (805) 519-7774 

Community Action Board Santa Cruz 

(800) 228-6820 www.cabinc.org/ 

Covering Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz 

Central Valley: 

United Farm Workers Foundation (UFWF) 

(877) 527-6660 www.ufwfoundation.org 

Covering Ash, Kern, Kings, Wood, Merced, Tulare and Mono 

California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF) 

(877) 557-0521 www.crlaf.org/drai 

Covering Mariposa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne Yolo and Yuba 

 Los Angeles and Orange County: 

Asian Americans Advancing Justice 

(213) 241-8880 www.advancingjustice-la.org 

Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) 

(213) 201-8700 www.chirla.org 

Los Angeles Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) (213) 315-2659 www.carecen-la.org/ 

Inland Empire: 

San Bernardino Community Service Center 

(888) 444-0170, (909) 521-7535 www.sbcscinc.org Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

TODEC Legal Center Perris 

(888) 863-3291 www.TODEC.org 

Covering Inyo, Riverside, San Bernardino 

San Diego and Imperial County 

Jewish Family Service of San Diego Imperial County: 760-206-3242 San Diego County: 858-206-8281 

RIVERSIDE, CA—- Leading black organizations sent letters requesting for the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to create an African American Fatality Taskforce. Participating organizations include:

• Riverside NAACP
• Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)
• Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce
• 100 Black Men of the Inland Empire
• Coalition for Black Health and Wellness
• The Black Collective
• The Black Student Advocate

The letters state “we are calling the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to establish a county African American Fatality Taskforce to propose recommendations to you on addressing the mortality rate and addressing the historic underlined conditions that are contributing to it. The county is in the position to finally bring justice to this community. We ask that you please act now.”

The African American community has historically been marginalized and oppressed since the founding of this nation and county. Due to these historical atrocities, the African American community has biological, social, and emotional adverse outcomes that is being passed from one generation to another. Covid-19 has only magnified the systemic inequalities that persist in the United States and Riverside County. And nonwhite Americans, especially African Americans, have been hit hard on nearly every front.

African Americans are dying at disproportionately higher rates compared to all other ethnicities. As of last week, 16,329 black Americans are known to have died due to Covid-19, according to an analysis from the American Public Media (APM) Research Lab. That’s out of approximately 61,000 deaths for which race and ethnicity data was available. About 75,000 people total had lost their lives to the coronavirus at the time of the analysis, a number that has risen to more than 77,000. African Americans make up about 13% of the US population, according to the Census Bureau, but 27% of known Covid-19 deaths.

In Riverside County we are seeing the same disproportionate fatality rates as we are seeing throughout the nation.

Special to California Black Media Partners | Hardy Brown, Publisher Emeritus, Black Voice News and co-founder of California Black Media 

Pres. Trump is tempting Christians to crowd into churches, implying your God will protect you. You have been pent up for three months now and you deserve to be free. This is a free country.  

The President boasts that we had one of the greatest economies the world has ever seen before COVID-19, so you should deny the fact that the virus is threatening your life and get out, cut loose, sing, pray, shout and hug your friends. Your God will protect you. 

His attempt to persuade “the saved” among us to just get out and go back to their beloved churches carries more weight for African Americans.   

Trump knows that Coronavirus/COVID-19, “Rona” as it is called in the hood, is killing more Blacks than any other race of people.  

Across the United States, Black Americans represent nearly 13% of the total population, but African Americans living in counties where the Black population ranges between 13% and 85%, account for more than half of all COVID-19 infections, and they make up almost  60% of deaths. Those numbers were released earlier this month by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, the University of Mississippi, and Emory University.  

Here in California, Black COVID-19 patients are 2.7 times more likely to be hospitalized than their Non-Hispanic, White counterparts, and they “tend to arrive at healthcare facilities sicker and with more severe symptoms,” according to a study released just last week by Sutter Health, a non-profit healthcare network based in Sacramento.  

Knowing that Blacks are at a higher risk of dying and getting hospitalized from COVID-19, what should we make of the President’s push to get us back into our churches? 

At best, we might assume that the President is trying to till the ground in preparation for a grassroots religious uprising against popular Democratic governors like Newsom and Cuomo across the country who have become models, for many Americans, of efficient leadership in response to the coronavirus crisis. So far, President Trump’s instigation and dog whistling against state-imposed shutdowns have taken root across the country mostly among White hard-Right wing groups. 

Earlier this month, about 1,200 pastors, mostly White, in California vowed legal action against the state and told the governor they would open up their churches on Pentecost Sunday, which is May 31, with or without the governor’s blessing or approval.  

But Black clergy and Civil Rights organizations are putting up a wall of resistance, remaining cautious about the reopening of churches, businesses, and public spaces, considering the havoc COVID-19 is wreaking in our communities.  

“I’m appealing to all my men and women of faith to reject that because, clearly, we are not in the position to safely tell congregants of any faith to come in person and worship without risking their lives and risking their health,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, President an CEO of National Action Network. “We’ve already seen churches that have prematurely opened up and people got have gotten sick and some have even died.” 

Fortunately, this past Friday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Gov Newsom’s ban on in-person church services, after President Trump reclassified churches as essential last week.  

Several other Black members of the clergy have echoed Sharpton’s position against reopening.  

In the worst-case scenario, African Americans might assume Trump is hoping to reduce the Black voting population of seniors by using “Rona” to do his dirty work, allowing him to escape the blame. This may seem cynical to some, but it is not a far-fetched notion among African Americans watching how callously so many are approaching a return to business as usual without factoring how this disease is impacting Blacks of all ages.  

We love religion and we tap into our Christian faith for so much of the power that takes us through life’s challenges from day to day. So I liken Trump’s proposition to a famous story of seduction in the Bible: What Satan was doing to Jesus after Jesus had fasted for forty days all alone in the wilderness.  

Like the frustration we’re feeling under this shelter in place order, Satan knew Jesus was lonely and hungry and wanted to be around people because that was His main reason for being on earth as a human.  

So don’t fall for the President’s “Rope-A-Dope” stay home for just a little longer until we figure out that its safer for us.  

The only way Black people should go back to church like the President is suggesting is if they see the Blood of the Lamb painted over the door and they personally hear God speak loud and clear, “you will be safe in this church building.” Otherwise, they should stay home and wait for COVID-19 (the death angel) to pass us by. 

My friends, this is what the angels will do for you if you believe, keep the faith and trust in HIS WORD. My family’s pastor, the late Rev. William Jacks at St. Paul AME in San Bernardino, taught me that when our son was lying in the hospital bed in an induced coma for 19 days. Friends were advising me to go home get some sleep, and Rev. Jacks said to me, “follow Jesus, He will provide everything you need in times like these.” 

And he sure did. Our son miraculously pulled through and survived that ordeal, as we stood by his side, praying, and knowing that we would get to the other side of that crisis, together, as family.  

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Maxwell Higgins, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) – A Rancho Cucamonga, California, Sailor was serving as an aviation maintenance technician aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, May 24.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Julia Carrasco reported to the “Knighthawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136’s airframes division in August 2018 as an Aviation Structural Mechanic.

Aircraft carrier flight operations would not be possible without the aircraft maintainers that work around the clock to make sure the aircraft are mission ready.

“My job means not only maintaining the aircraft itself but the pilot’s and crew’s life,” said Carrasco.

A maintainer must be properly qualified due to the complexity and safety-of-flight related equipment they work on. Each maintainer undergoes specific technical training that pertains to their assigned rating before they are allowed to start working on aircraft or equipment.

“I maintain all hydraulic and structural components of F/A-18s, including the landing gear, tires and tale hooks,” said Carrasco.

Within the Navy, maintainers can work in a variety of different places and with a wide range of people.

“Seeing how we as team are constantly improving and getting better is really amazing,” said Carrasco. I really enjoy swapping out tires. For the most part, it’s like changing a tire on a car. A car that that flies through air at hundreds of miles per hour.”

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) remains at sea in the Atlantic as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. Keeping HSTCSG at sea in U.S. 2nd Fleet, in the sustainment phase of OFRP, allows the ship to maintain a high level of readiness during the global COVID-19 pandemic

For more news from Truman, visit www.navy.mil/local.cvn75/, www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Because San Bernardino County has flattened the COVID-19 curve and secured the resources needed to continue keeping the novel coronavirus under control, dine-in restaurants, stores and malls can now reopen with safety measures throughout the county after a state-ordered shutdown that lasted more than two months.

“San Bernardino County businesses and residents worked very hard and made tremendous sacrifices to make this moment possible,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “Your efforts to keep our community safe and healthy have paid off. We can now proceed significantly further toward resuming our normal lives.”

“This virus is still very present throughout our county, state and nation, so we must remain vigilant by physical distancing, wearing face coverings, and washing our hands often. But our goal of minimizing illness and building the capacity to protect the vulnerable, serve the sick, and track the virus in our communities has been achieved,” Hagman said.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to our public health and healthcare professionals, who are putting in long hours on the front lines of this battle, and to our County Government team for working around the clock in support of those efforts,” he said.

The California Department of Public Health on Saturday, May 23, approved the county’s request to reopen more businesses as part of the governor’s accelerated phase two. The county submitted a revised request to move into the next phase on Friday, May 22 based on the new criteria announced by the state on Monday, May 18.

As part of the accelerated Stage 2 phase of the state recovery plan, destination retail stores, including shopping malls and swap meets, and dine-in restaurants can now reopen in San Bernardino County. Businesses that plan to reopen are required to follow state guidance detailed at https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/. Gyms, hair and nail salons, barber shops, movie theaters, sports and entertainment venues, libraries, bars and wineries, hotels and motels, and public swimming facilities won’t be authorized to reopen until stages 3 and 4.

Drive-in and virtual worship services and faith-based counseling services are authorized to proceed, and the governor said additional guidance for religious services will be announced on Monday, May 25.

The governor on Monday announced new benchmarks counties had to achieve to accelerate business reopening. The announcement came shortly after San Bernardino County sent the governor two letters seeking flexibility in charting a course for recovery. One letter was signed by the Board of Supervisors and the mayors of the county’s 24 cities and towns, the other was a joint letter from the counties of San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and San Diego, which combined account for about a third of the state’s population.

“Our efforts clearly made a difference,” Hagman said. “Our goal now, besides achieving additional openings, is to keep our businesses open by continuing to keep our curve flat by taking precautions and avoiding unnecessary risk.”

The county is helping small businesses operate safely and stay open through the COVID- Compliant Business Partnership Program. By agreeing to enforce physical distancing, require customers and employees to wear face coverings, and practicing prudent hygiene, small businesses can receive up to $2,500 to implement those measures. Businesses can apply through the county’s COVID-19 website, http://sbcovid19.com.

Businesses should also heed county and state guidance for a safe and sustainable reopening:

San Bernardino County Readiness and Reopening Plan:

http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/San_Bernardino_County_Readiness_a nd_Reopening_Plan_-_FINAL_Update_5-22-20.pdf

State guidance for dine-in restaurants: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-dine-in-restaurants.pdf

State guidance for shopping centers: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-shopping-centers.pdf

State guidance for retail: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-retail.pdf

The County today announced the reopening of places of worship with new State- specified guidelines. Under the new State guidance, issued this morning, places of worship can hold religious services, including funerals, if attendance is limited to 25 percent of a building’s capacity, but no more than 100 attendees.

“This is a great first step for our residents of faith who have refrained from gathering for more than two months,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “The COVID- 19 virus is still very present throughout our county. With places of worship, dine-in restaurants, stores, and malls now suddenly open, it is more important than ever that we practice physical distancing, wear face coverings in public, and frequently wash our hands to protect ourselves and those around us.”

The State issued new guidance for religious services and cultural ceremonies, https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf, that encourage organizations to continue online services and activities, especially for the protection of those who are most at risk from COVID-19, including older adults and people with specific medical conditions.

To reopen for religious services and funerals, places of worship must:

• Establish and implement a COVID-19 prevention plan for every location, train staff on the plan, and regularly evaluate workplaces for compliance.
• Train employees and volunteers on COVID-19, including how to prevent it from spreading and which underlying health conditions may make individuals more susceptible to contracting the virus.
• Implement cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
• Set physical distancing guidelines.
• Recommend that staff and guests wear cloth face coverings, and screen staff for temperature and symptoms at the beginning of their shifts.
• Set parameters around or consider eliminating singing and group recitations. These activities dramatically increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission. For this reason, congregants engaging in singing, particularly in the choir, and group recitation should wear face coverings at all times and when possible, these activities should be conducted outside with greater than 6-foot distancing.

Not adhering to all of the guidelines in their entirely could result in the spread of illness and the re-closing of places of worship. In 21 days, the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the County Department of Public Health, will review and

assess the impact of the religious services guidelines and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of activities. This 21-day interval accounts for seven days for religious communities to prepare and reopen in addition to a 14-day incubation period of COVID-19.

Local information about COVID-19 can be found on the County’s COVID-19 website, http://sbcovid19.com.

Sacramento – AB 2147 authored by Assemblymember Reyes (D-San Bernardino), which provides an expedited expungement process for inmates that have successfully participated as inmate hand crews actively assisting with fire suppression activities passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Under existing law, once released from custody a former inmate must finish the terms of their parole before applying for expungement of their criminal record.  Even once those records are expunged, the person must disclose their criminal history on applications for state licenses. With nearly 200 occupations that require licensing from one of 42 California government departments and agencies, these former inmates are almost entirely denied access to these jobs, as an estimated 2.5 million California workers (approximately 17% of the state’s workforce) need a professional license to work.  Under, AB 2147 a person that served as an inmate fire-fighting crewmember would be eligible to apply for expungement upon release from custody, and if the expungement is approved could seek various career pathways including those that require a state license.

“’It is without a doubt a tremendous sacrifice of personal safety to volunteer to fight these deadly fires to keep our families, our homes, our wildlife, and our forests safe, while simultaneously reducing the impact of damages on our economy.  Assemblymember Reyes continued, “However, even with their sacrifices, their training, their dedication and their low-level risk status, many who participate in the fire camps continue to struggle to find permanent and stable employment once released. This is due to the significant barriers that have historically been placed on formerly incarcerated individuals, hindering their ability to seek and acquire employment or even the education necessary to start a career and contribute to society.”

Roughly 2500 inmates from the Conservation Camp program volunteer and train to serve on fire crews to battle fires across the state.  In 2017, 650 inmate hand crews assisted in suppressing the Pocket, Tubbs, and Atlas Fires.  In 2018, close to 800 inmates assisted with the Camp Fire and in 2019 over 400-inmate hand crews assisted with battling the Kincade Fire.

The California Conservation Camp Program was initiated by CDCR to provide able-bodied inmates the opportunity to work on meaningful projects throughout the state. Those projects can include clearing firebreaks, restoring historical structures, maintaining parks, sand bagging and flood protection, reforestation and clearing fallen trees and debris.

There are 43 conservation camps for adult offenders and one camp for juvenile offenders. The conservation camps make up approximately 219 fire-fighting crews and are jointly managed by CDCR and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as CalFire.

All inmates participating must earn the right to work in a conservation camp by their non-violent behavior and conformance to rules while they are incarcerated. Only minimum-custody inmates are eligible to volunteer for assignment in conservation camps.

In an average year, the Conservation Camp Program provides approximately three million person-hours responding to fires and other emergencies and seven million person-hours in community service projects, saving California taxpayers approximately $100 million annually.

Several counties across the state, including Los Angeles and San Bernardino operate inmate fire training academies for county jail inmates utilizing several hundred jail inmates.

Despite their low-level risk status, dedication and willingness to put themselves in harm’s way, many who participated in these programs struggle to find permanent and stable employment once released. This is in part due to significant barriers in place for individuals with a prior conviction, to seek employment or even the education necessary to start a career. The intent of this bill is to provide an expedited expungement process in which an inmate who has participated in the California Conservation Camp Program as an inmate firefighter can begin their expungement process as soon as they have served their time. This individual may also be eligible for early termination of parole, if the court deems that the defendant has not violated any terms or conditions of probation or parole prior to, and during the petition for relief.

The House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act, a bill to provide relief to first responders, frontline workers and Americans affected by the spread and economic effects of the coronavirus crisis. The bill includes nearly $1 trillion for state, local, territorial and tribal governments to ensure first responders, police officers, teachers, and other key municipal and frontline workers avoid pay cuts or layoffs. The bill also establishes a Heroes’ Fund of $200 billion to give hazard pay to frontline workers, provides additional stimulus payments of up to $6,000 per family, and funds an additional $75 billion for coronavirus testing, treatment and prevention efforts. If the bill is enacted, the most recent estimates indicate that cities within California’s 31^st Congressional District and the County of San Bernardino would be eligible for over $1.9 billion in combined federal funding over the next two years, with the following individual allocations:

Local Coronavirus Relief Fund	2020 Allocation Estimate	2021 Allocation Estimate
Colton	18,017,068	9,008,534
Fontana	100,408,635	50,204,318
Grand Terrace	4,141,809	2,070,905
Loma Linda	8,024,920	4,012,460
Rancho Cucamonga	49,168,937	24,584,468
Redlands	23,561,313	11,780,657
Rialto	58,071,493	29,035,746
San Bernardino	162,878,418	81,439,209
San Bernardino County	824,817,734	412,408,867
Upland	30,545,657	15,272,829
Estimated Total CA-31 Funding	1,279,635,986	639,817,993

“As a former mayor, I know firsthand how our communities are suffering as a result of the damage this virus has done to local economies. The Heroes Act ensures that our first responders and frontline workers won’t go unpaid while they work to keep our community safe, and provides additional relief to help Inland Empire residents meet the economic hardship our region is facing. I was proud to vote for this bill because San Bernardino County residents cannot afford to wait any longer for Congress to step up and provide solutions to this crisis,” said Rep. Aguilar.

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for allocating federal funding.

CHINO, CA— Family members and advocates will gather at a “Car Caravan Protest” on Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 12:00 pm at the California Institution for Men (CIM), then drive to nearby California Institution for Women (CIW), to highlight ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at both prisons and to call for the compassionate release of incarcerated people in response to the deadly epidemic.

WHO: Families and supporters of incarcerated people, F.U.E.L. (Families United to End LWOP), Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, Families Against Solitary Confinement, California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP).

WHAT: COVID-19 Car Caravan Protest against prison failures to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths. This event will respect social distancing measures, with participants either staying in their cars or keeping six feet away from each other with masks on at all times.

WHERE: Outside of CIM Prison in Chino, CA (14901 Central Avenue, Chino, CA 91710)

WHEN: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 12 noon PST

Over the past week, CDCR has reported an explosion of cases at both overcrowded prisons: 398 new infections and five preventable COVID-19 deaths at CIM (112% population capacity) and a developing crisis at nearby CIW (110% capacity), where more than 60 people have been informed of their positive statuses and hundreds more await their results.

Advocates and family members who organized the car caravan are calling for the expedited release of incarcerated people vulnerable to COVID-19, beginning with those age 50 or older and people with underlying medical issues, regardless of conviction type; testing for all incarcerated people that want one, as well as mandatory, daily testing for all staff entering the facilities; better protective equipment for all people in the facilities; better sanitation practices, through means other than compelling people in prison to work grueling cleaning shifts; and enforced but non-punitive social distancing protocols for all incarcerated people and staff.

A source at CIM who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation said, “In early May, when we asked why guards were not wearing masks, the captain responded by saying it was not mandatory. As of now, it is mandatory and still some guards are not wearing them.”

CIM has been the most severely affected by COVID-19 of all the prisons in the state, with an outbreak raging inside since early April. 

Since mid-March, community organizers have warned federal, state and local officials that if they failed to urgently act to reduce prison populations, an outbreak of the coronavirus in both CIM and CIW would be inevitable. Now, people in both prisons –– especially the aging and medically vulnerable –– face the possibility of severe illness and death as a direct result of the inaction by Governor Newsom and CDCR. 

REDLANDS, CA—- As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the City of Redlands Senior Services Division has teamed with the Redlands Community Foundation to establish a “Meals for Seniors Fund.”

To date more than $3,000 has been raised, which has provided 500 meals to Redlands low-income seniors who are at high risk and are unable to leave their homes.

Additional financial support is still needed to continue to provide support for the senior meals program.  Donations collected are used to provide a Meals on Wheels service with Senior Services Division employees and volunteers delivering lunch and providing a daily welfare check-in Monday through Friday.

Every $30 donation provides meals for one senior citizen for a week. A separate supplemental package including food and sanitation supplies is also available for pickup at the senior center.

Donations to the Meals for Seniors fund may be made on line at: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/meals-for-seniors1/redlandscommunityfou.

Donations may also be made payable to the Redlands Community Foundation and mailed to:   PO Box 8908, Redlands, CA 92375.

Contact your tax professional to determine if your donation is tax deductible.