Vol. 63 No. 6 | Thursday, February 9, 2023

WHAT AFRICAN AMERICANS WANT MOST FROM CONGRESS IN 2023

By Stacy M. Brown

As 2022 closed, Black Americans saw gains with historic candidates and timely legislation. President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and later, the Respect for Marriage Act, which protected interracial marriages. A slim majority in Congress prevented other significant bills from reaching the president’s desk.

As Black History Month begins, there remains key issues that African Americans want to see happen.

A December poll of Black voters revealed that African Americans want the government to do more to fight white supremacy. The FBI helped underscore that need when it issued a report noting that hate crimes disproportionately target African Americans. With mass shootings continuing at a record pace, gun control remains a

hot-button issue for Black America.

Further, many Black voters have suggested strong desires for a comprehensive voting rights package, whether that’s in the form of the Freedom to Vote Act, or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The former would expand mail-in, early voting, and automatic voter registration, while the latter would restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

And, following the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Tennessee police officers, African Americans have continued to voice outrage over the failure of lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Police Act. While the bill has twice passed the House, the measure has stalled in the Senate despite a Democrat majority there. The legislation would end qualified immunity, which many believe would greatly curtail the type of police behavior that led to the deaths of Nichols, Floyd, and so many other African Americans.

VOTERS WILL DETERMINE FATE OF FAST FOOD WORKERS’ PAY RAISE

By Edward Henderson

California Black Media

Last September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 257 into law. Supporters of the legislation, authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), hailed it for its promise to provide a minimum wage and improve working conditions for fast food workers.

But late last month, the future of AB 257 -- also known as “the Fast Act” or “the Fast Food Recovery Act” -- came into question. California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber’s

See VOTERS page 5

PHOTO: CBM

Birthing Justice film screening with community partners and advocates (l-r) Pastor Thembekila Smart (SCLC), AdjoaJones(Outreach & Engagement African American Infant/ Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative, Debbie Allen (TribeMidwifery),Leigh Purry(BlueShield), KhefriRiley(Frontline Doulas),Dr.LaTanyaHines (Association of Black Women’sPhysicians), Gloria Davis (Girls Club ofLosAngeles),Denise Pines (Executive Producer), Gabrielle Brown (Black Women for Wellness).

PHOTO: Courtesy of Black Women for Wellness

By Charlene Muhammad California Black Media

April Valentine, 31, planned to celebrate her new birth with family and friends, but instead, her loved ones found themselves in front of Centinela Hospital in Inglewood on Jan. 28, protesting her death.

Valentine’s family alleges that she complained about leg pain for hours during the birth of her child on Jan.10, but was ignored and neglected by her caretakers at the medical center that spe-

cializes in maternal care.

Valentine, pregnant with her first child, died that day.

Her plight is only one episode, advocates say, in what is an escalating crisis affecting Black women during pregnancy throughout California and across the country

Recently, a group of advocates collaborated to bring awareness to the Black maternal and infant

NNPA Newswire Sr. Nt’l Correspondent

CALIF. ADVOCATES SHINE LIGHT ON PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATHS AMONG BLACK WOMEN

The Attack On Black History And What We Must Do

By Dr. John E. Warren Publisher

AswebegintocelebrateBlackHistoryMonth, a barrage of attacks appears to continue, from police officersbeatingandkillinga Blackman inMemphistotwopolicemurdersoftwoBlack men in separate incidents in Los Angeles. We have the war on Critical Race Theories,which most White people in opposition neither understandnorcanexplain.Atthesametime, efforts are underway to remove from school librariesbooksonslavery,race,andtheattacks onBlacklivesandcommunities.

Whilewemustacknowledgetheseattacksand their efforts to remove our gains in equality and Civil Rights, let us not get preoccupied withtheseissuesevenaswefightagainstthem. We must regroup, rethink and shore up our weaknessesinthisongoingbattleforwhatisnow a battle for human rights, fairness, and equality as citizens of this nation; entitled to every right ofeveryothercitizenandimmigrant.

First,letusrevisitandrememberwhoDr.Carter G.Woodsonwasandwhathedid.Hewasborn to former slaves. He started High School at age 20.HewasthesecondAfricanAmericantoearn a doctorate from Harvard University. He wrote more than 12 books about the Negro. Some of his better-known works are: The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), The History of the Negro Church (1921) A Century of Negro Migration (1918),NegroOratorsandTheirOrations(1925), andAfricanHeroesandHeroines(1939).

Dr Woodson also created what was then called “Negro History Week” which has since become Black History Month. He created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History which continues today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He published the first Journal of Negro History in 1916 and in 1921 organized the media company, Associated

Publishers, to make books available about the Negro.

The point of all this is that we as a people, because of Dr. Woodson, are more educated in numbers than was ever permitted in his day. We have libraries, Google, the internet, and untold opportunities to learn. We have witnessed the first Black President of these United States, elected twice to that Office; and now have the first Black woman to serve as Vice President of these United States, with African Americans serving in the U.S. Congress and having served more than once in the positions of Secretary of State of the United States. There is no office we can’t aspire to and nothing we can’t build on that people like Carter G. Woodson left for us. What do we do?

We must remember who we are, who died for us to have the quality of life we enjoy, and, most of all, we must remember that we do not need government permission or assistance to teach our history to our own and others, or to teach that the right to vote and the correct use of that right is how we overcome the Conservative Right and not accept their agenda as a weapon of defeat. We must remember that in many instances since the George Floyd murder, there are often more young Whites marching with us than Blacks sometimes.

We must do like the people of the State of Georgia and use education and our votes to overcome the roadblocks. We have our communities, our churches, and an army of educators, some retired; as well as Black elected Officials.

Let’s rally our resources as those before us, like Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Look at what he did. Think about what we can do. Where will you stand?

Gun Violence and the Disease Behind It

By Ben Jealous, Executive Director of the Sierra Club (incoming)

We’ve had more mass shootings this year than we’ve had days this year.

It’s sad to imagine that Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park will join a list with Uvalde and Buffalo and Orlando and Charleston and Sandy Hook and Columbine, reference points for a national epidemic we haven’t mustered the will to end despite decades of tragedies.

But they likely will unless we can confront both the symptom that is gun violence and the underlying disease that causes it.

I shoot for sport, and I’ve trained others to shoot. I live in a coastal community in Maryland where hunters and hikers share wild places and work together to preserve them.

I also live not far from the Capital Gazette’s offices, where a man armed with a shotgun and angered by newspaper stories about him killed five and injured two five years ago. For generations, many in my family have served in law enforcement. I support common sense steps to keep guns out of the hands of those who have demonstrated they shouldn’t have them.

We all know that list by now—more thorough background checks, bans on assault weapons and unnecessarily large magazines, red flag laws that allow guns to be ta ken away from those who are risks to others or themselves, and penalties for gun owners who fail to keep them out of the hands of children, teens and mentally unstable people.

Fighting the disease at the root of the violence demands that we address it like the public health crisis it is. I realized that as a graduate student at Oxford when I started exploring rates of suicide in the

United States. Almost unfettered access to guns, particularly handguns, has a lot to do with the numbers. If you try to kill yourself with a firearm, you’re much more likely to succeed. While suicides among young Black men sparked my research, I learned that white men over 55 were more likely to die of suicide with a gun than Black men 15 to 30 were to kill each other with a gun. You would never have known that from the media and popular culture at the time.

What pushes those two trend lines in the same direction are shared causes – hopelessness, economic uncertainty, downward mobility, and addiction all made more painful by social isolation. Those same factors feed the cultural and political polarization that has many wondering about the future of our republic.

Let’s not accept the isolation so many feel and the polarization we see in our public discourse as reinforcing and insurmountable. Let’s be determined to act now to find the solutions we can agree on – even gun owners overwhelmingly support some regulations, just as majorities support helping those with mental health needs.

I’ve seen this happen. When I was young, my dad organized a peer counseling program for abusive men, with 80 men taking part every six weeks. Men grew not only more empathetic but more humane. Some eventually wanted to do more together and formed Whites Interrupting Racism in our community. It was one of many lessons my dad taught me – that how we treat each other in our lives shapes what we’ll permit in the structures of our country.

Ben Jealous is the incoming executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country.

Economic Inequality Places Most Risk of Eviction on Blacks and the Poor

By Charlene Crowell Sr Fellow, Center for Responsible Lending

growth widens, Americans’ wallets feel financial distress as wage growth trails rent growth.”

Days later on January 25, Harvard’s JCHS went a step further by factoring race and poverty into its analysis.

person earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage for a 40-hour work week can afford a modest two-bedroom rental home.

For the first time in more than two decades of research, every state now has renters who are nearing a financial breaking point in housing affordability. New research released by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS), and Moody’s Analytics independently reach the same conclusion: consumers are struggling with a growing percentage of their incomes going towards keeping a roof over their heads.

Study findings

On January 19, Moody’s released its update on rental affordability and concluded that “Rising mortgage rates caused many households to be priced out from home buying and would-be buyers to remain renters. Apartment demand surged as a result and drove rates sky-high. As the disparity between rent growth and income

“Renters living in communities of color, and in high-poverty, lower-income, and lower-rent neighborhoods were more likely to experience financial distress… More than three-fifths of renters behind on their housing payments lived in communities of color, while about two-fifths lived in high-poverty or lower-income neighborhoods,” concluded JCHS.

Struggling with multiple sources of income

There was a time when a single, fulltime income could financially provide for families. But today, most families are working harder than ever and still need at least two incomes to make financial ends meet. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in 2022, there was no county, metro area, or state where a

Although the Census Bureau finds that the nation’s median income in 2021 was $70,784, that same figure for Black America was only $48,297. This $30K income difference is further examined by a Federal Reserve Bank wealth inequality update.

On average, according to the St. Louis Fed, Black and Hispanic families owned about 25 cents and 23 cents, respectively, per $1 of white family wealth. These substantial gaps remain largely unchanged despite fluctuations from 1989 to 2022.

Renter’s Bill of Rights

In response to these and other issues, a report by the White House Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council recently issued the White House Blueprint for a Renter’s Bill of Rights to promote fairness for Americans living in rental housing. The document calls for:

Safe, quality, accessible, and affordable housing; Clear and fair leases; Education, enforcement, and enhancement of renter rights; The right to organize; and Eviction prevention, diversion, and relief.

“Over 44 million households, or roughly 35 percent of the U.S. population, live in rental housing,” states the plan. “And while federal laws such as the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Violence Against Women Act, and Fair Credit Reporting Act offer renters certain focused protections, there is no comprehensive set of federal laws protecting renters. Instead, our nation’s rental market is defined by a patchwork of state and local laws and legal processes that renters and rental housing providers must navigate.”

However well-intentioned, the newly-released principles lack authority to require implementation. But the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has embraced the effort by allocating $20 million for its Eviction Protection Grant Program, which will fund nonprofits and government agencies to provide legal assistance to low-income tenants at risk of eviction. The agency also will

move toward requiring certain rental property owners to provide at least 30 days’ notice if they plan to terminate the lease of a tenant due to nonpayment of rent.

Proper compensation

After more than 50 years since enactment of federal laws to ensure fair housing, equal employment, equal credit, and more, a lack of consistent enforcement of these laws have allowed back-tracking on hard-fought victories. A litany of bad behaviors by unscrupulous landlords will continue to ignore laws unless aggressive and consistent enforcement makes it clear that proportionate prices will be paid.

Only weeks before Dr. King’s assassination, his prophetic voice remains as timely as it is timeless:

“Do you know that most of the poor people in our country are working every day? They are making wages so low that they cannot begin to function in the mainstream of the economic life of our nation. These are facts which must be seen. And it is criminal to have people working on a full-time basis and a full-time job getting parttime income.”

STUDY FINDS SIX-FIGURE EARNERS ALSO LIVING PAYCHECK-TO-PAYCHECK

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire

In 2022, the economy proved as volatile as ever, with less disposable income and greater unpredictability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, inflation in the United States peaked at 9.1 percent in July 2022 and dropped to 7.1 percent by November 2022.

A new study found that more people are having to spend all their income on necessities, and they are counting on their next salary to meet the costs they’ll incur until then. Researchers discovered that many people of higher socioeconomic status have had their first taste of living paycheck to paycheck this year.

While researchers found that most paycheck-to-paycheck consumers can pay their bills on time, one in every five Americans still requires assistance to make ends meet.

Research conducted by Pymnts.com and LendingClub Corp. revealed that by the end of the year, 64 percent of American customers (166 million individuals) will be living paycheck to paycheck.

That represents a rise of 3% from a year ago, or 9.3 million additional people in the United States. Almost 8 million of them made $100,000 or more per year. By the end of 2022, 51% of people in that income bracket reported that they were living paycheck to paycheck, up 9% from the year before.

U.S. consumers, especially those who must spend every dollar they earn each month to meet their financial obligations, have been hit hard by inflation and economic uncertainty in 2022, as the authors of “The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: 2022 Year in Review” detail.

This study analyzed consumers’ responses

to the ongoing financial pressures of an ever-changing economic landscape by drawing on PYMNTS’ series of 12 unique reports, conducted in collaboration with LendingClub and released each month from January to December — and representing insights from a total of 45,700 U.S. consumers.

The researchers determined that living paycheck to paycheck is currently the norm in the United States.

Over the past year, the percentage of consumers living paycheck to paycheck fluctuated, and while it is now comparable to a year ago, it is up 11 percentage points from a low in April 2021. Although people of all income levels have felt the pinch, the percentage of high-income people living paycheck to paycheck has

increased significantly in the last two years. The report revealed that consumers with lower incomes are more likely to require bill payment assistance.

When asked why they were having trouble making ends meet, 18% of middle-income consumers and 33% of low-income consumers said it was because of their income level. Lydia Boussour, senior economist at EY Parthenon, told MSN that “consumer spending prospects are unclear.”

She claimed that consumers’ discretionary spending will be low this winter because of rising costs, depleted savings, and growing reliance on credit. The decline in stock prices and property values will have a “negative wealth effect,” exacerbating these dynamics.

Florida is considering an AAPI curriculum in the state’s K-12 public schools just as it recently rejected an AP African American course. AAPI advocates see an effort to divide communities of color.

By Sunita Sohrabji Ethnic Media Services

Controversy swirls around the K-12 school curriculum in Florida where, under pressure from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the College Board released a new, stripped-down version of an AP African American studies course. The move comes as state lawmakers consider implementing an Asian American studies program statewide.

Civil rights advocates describe the move as a “blatant attempt to divide communities of color” in the state.

They are “weaponizing the use of race,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). “This is whitewashing history. It is not a proper understanding of history.”

Bowing to DeSantis’ objections, the College Board Feb. 1 released a new, stripped-down version, taking out references to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black writers who also happened to be gay, the Black feminist movement, the quest for reparations, and Black queer history, among other subject matters.

“What’s one of the lessons about? Queer theory. Now, who would say that an important part of Black history is queer theory?

That is somebody pushing an agenda on our kids,” said DeSantis at a speech he gave in Florida last month.

At around the same time, members of the Florida state House of Representatives introduced a bill Jan. 19 — HB 287 — that would mandate the teaching of Asian American studies at all of the state’s public schools. A similar bill — SB 294 — was introduced in the Florida state Senate. Both bills have broad bi-partisan support, and if passed, would go into effect on July 1 of this year.

“I just want us to recognize Asian American culture and teach the young people about that culture,” said Democratic State Sen. Linda Stewart in a press statement. “If they learn about it, then they are less likely to go on the street and beat ‘em up because that’s what they are doing. They are shooting them and beating them up,” she said, referring to the spike in anti-Asian American hate crimes and incidents.

‘Stop WOKE Law’

IN FLORIDA SCHOOLS, A ‘BLATANT ATTEMPT TO DIVIDE COMMUNITIES OF COLOR’

But Yang says it’s critical that the histories of all communities are taught for a fuller picture of the American experience. “We want a full telling of history,” he said. “All communities of color must work together to ensure that all of our histories, including their complexities, are taught. All of our histories are relevant.”

DeSantis is widely expected to make a run for the White House in 2024. Like many, Yang suspects this latest clash in the nation’s culture wars is part of efforts to shore up his base ahead of a presidential bid.

The long-time Asian American advocate noted that similar battles were being fought in other states over the teaching of Black history. For example, in December 2021, the Texas State Legislature passed a “Critical Race Theory” bill which bans public school teachers from discussing race in their classrooms. Florida has its “Stop WOKE” law with a similar mandate.

Book Bans

In a Jan. 31 op-ed for The New York Times, Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund wrote that DeSantis was trying to erase Black history. “Florida is at the forefront of a nationwide campaign to silence Black voices and erase the full and accurate history and contemporary experiences of Black people,” she stated, noting that several civil rights organizations have filed lawsuits challenging the “Stop Woke” law.

“Florida’s rejection of the AP course and Mr. DeSantis’s demand to excise specific subject areas from the curriculum,” Nelson continued, “stand in stark opposition to the state-issued mandate that all students be taught the history of African Americans, including the history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the enslavement experience, abolition and the contributions of African Americans to society.”

African American adults are 40% more likely to have high blood pressure but are less likely to have their blood pressure under control.

PHOTO: NNPA

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVESTS $245 MILLION INTO MENTAL HEALTH

By Alexa Spencer

Word In Black

As the country reckons with the psychological impact of an ongoing pandemic and back-to-back mass shootings, the federal government is releasing $245 million toward the mental health needs of Americans.

Announced in January 2023

as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the funding aims to help healthcare provid -

Advocates:

Continued from cover

health crisis with a free screening of the film “Birthing Justice: Every Woman Deserves A Beautiful Birth Story” at The Miracle Theater in Inglewood. A panel discussion complemented the feature-length documentary.

Birthing Justice covers the issues underpinning – and helping to fuel -- the maternal health crisis within the African American community and articulates best practices to enhance birthing equity for all women, especially Black women.

The audience completed a preliminary survey online prior to viewing the film, and later filled out a post-survey online. Denise Pines, the executive producer of Birthing Justice and co-founder of Women

In The Room Productions, talked about the “the goal of this survey.”

“We probably will end up having a hundred screenings, and we want to share with legislatures, policymakers, with healthcare institutions, the lived experience of people who are coming into the screenings so they actually have the real data, and we can use that to make the case for some of the actions we want to see happen,” she said.

The event was sponsored by African American Infant/

Voters:

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office announced that a referendum seeking to overturn the law had gathered enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot.

“To qualify for the ballot,” the Secretary of State’s office wrote, “the referendum needed 623,212 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2018 General Election.

When AB 257 passed last year along party lines, it authorized the establishment of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act or FAST Recovery Act. The bill established the Fast Food Council within the Department of Industrial Relations, to be composed of 10 members to be appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Senate Rules Committee. According to the bill’s language,

ers, schools, and law enforcement properly identify and care for people with mental illness.

A bulk of the monies will be invested in programs and services that support children, families, and communities impacted by trauma.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — a branch within HHS — is awarding $19.5 million toward the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, which

Maternal Mortality (AAIMM), Girls Club-Los Angeles, Southern Christian Leadership (SCLC)Southern California, Charles Drew University, Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, Children’s Institute, and Black Women for Wellness (BWW).

Pines recommended supporting and volunteering with the organizations that do the much-needed work to address pregnancy-related deaths of Black mothers and babies and to get better outcomes overall.

The filmmakers explored what they are calling a “national epidemic” in four regions:  Washington, D.C., Augusta, GA, and several areas in Missouri, and California. They interviewed women affected by current policies -- birthing moms and healthcare professionals, as well as birthing advocates, activists and policymakers at the forefront of advancing policy change.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women were three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Multiple factors contributed to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit biases.

Birthing Justice strongly noted that the high mortality rates among Black women are not due to their genetic makeup, what they ate,

the purpose of the council is to establish “sector-wide minimum standards on wages (up to $22/ hour in 2023 with capped annual increases), working hours, and other working conditions related to the health, safety, and welfare of, and supplying the necessary cost of proper living to, fast food restaurant workers, as well as effecting interagency coordination and prompt agency responses in this regard.” The act prohibits retaliation against fast-food workers for making certain workplace complaints.

Opponents of AB 257, led by a coalition called Save Local Restaurants, gathered more than 1 million signatures on a referendum petition. 712,000 of them were deemed to be valid by Weber’s office putting the referendum on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot.

The Los Angeles Times published an article telling the stories of 14 voters who say they were misled by canvassers collecting signatures for the referendum. Many of them

seeks to improve treatment and services for children, adolescents, and families affected by trauma.

An additional $90 million is going toward increasing access to evidence-based and culturally relevant mental health support in schools.

$57.7 million will be invested in training school officials to under-

how they behaved, nor any bad habits that placed them in this situation.  When compared to poor White women with less education, Black women had worse death rates. Black women are unable to buy or educate themselves out of being a statistic when it comes to pregnancy-related deaths.  The cause is not race, but racism.

Women In The Room Productions has partnered with the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), one of the leading policy organizations in the country, to support legislation and public education they believe will make a difference.  One such policy change is the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, which is comprised of 12 bills addressing various dimensions of the Black maternal health crisis. One of the bill’s sponsors, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) appeared in the film.

Pastor Thembekila Smart, Executive Director, Women of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Southern California Chapter moderated the four-person panel in Inglewood and kicked off the discussion with her own birthing stories, ranging from an emergency c-section with her second child during which the doctor asked her husband ‘if one must be saved, who would it be: his wife or his son?  Her third birth was in her 24th week and her son was hardly one pound.  Both babies survived

said that information was withheld from them about the nature of the campaign and were simply told it would support fast food workers.

But the laws’ opponents insist that their challenge to AB 257 is widely supported.

“California voters have made clear that they want a say on whether they must shoulder the burden of higher prices and job losses caused by the FAST Act,” said Save Local Restaurants in their press release.

“This legislation singles out the quick service restaurant industry by establishing an unelected council to control labor policy, which would cause a sharp increase in food costs and push many Californians, particularly in disenfranchised communities, to the breaking point.”

The referendum means that the law is suspended until the November 2024 election when voters will decide whether to repeal it. Holden, who is a former franchise owner said he believes AB 257

stand the signs of mental illness and intervening early on. Law enforcement, emergency first responders, and others will also be trained to respond properly.

For communities that experienced violence, trauma, or civil unrest, SAMHSA is granting $20 million toward recovery and preventing further violence.

and are now thriving young men, Smart shared.

“We did not have any idea that our birthing experience would go this way,” said Smart, who described the current state of Black maternal health in the United States as “medical apartheid.”

During their discussion, the panelists amplified the main themes of Birthing Justice as they made the case that encouragement, resources, and support are necessary, along with improved medical care, to transform the maternal care system.

Dr. LaTanya Hines, an OB/GYN and member of the Association of Black Women’s Physicians (ABWP) said she was an unapologetic and proud advocate for Black women.

“Nobody should die in pregnancy,” she said.

Dr. Hines addressed the importance of OB/GYN care, stressing the need to start conversations with patients from their first visit about planning their pregnancies. She said their vital statistics are also critical -- making sure that their blood pressure, blood sugar and weight were well controlled before they got pregnant so that their birthing experience is healthy and safe.

“I am going to work with you, and we will have a shared decision-making plan,” Hines emphasized.  “The

would protect both owners and employees – if those opposing the law allow it to work.

“Given, the final version of the bill removed many expressed concerns of subpoena power and joint-liability, while strengthening the oversight role of the legislature, providing for equal Sector Council representation, and adding a sunset clause to evaluate effectiveness.  As a result, this first-in-the-nation worker protection bill is worthy to become law in California,” Holden said when Newsom signed the law last year.

Labor advocates believe the legislation could create a precedent in the U.S for negotiating workplace standards, which would, in turn, revolutionize the collective bargaining process.

However, the coalition of businesses opposing the law feel it would leave businesses with higher labor costs and hiked-up food prices.

According to the nonpartisan Fair

Lastly, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) invested $60 million toward mental health training for primary care clinicians. The training specifically focuses on caring for children and adolescents — whose rates of suicide and emotional distress have risen over the last several years. This article originally appeared on Word In Black

goal of giving more to your patients because they need more, and if we happen to give little more than what they need, it’s okay.”

Debbie Allen, Founder of Tribe Midwifery, said women should not assume that medical establishments will give them the care they are supposed to receive.

“Demand it,” she said. “There are so many layers as to why we get the care that we get, but until those things change, we have to take responsibility to make sure we get the care we deserve,” Allen advised.   Allen said women should ask questions, involve their partners, and treat childbirth like planning a wedding.

Leigh Purry is Senior Manager of Community Health, Blue Shield of California’s Health Transformation Lab.

“This film will shine light on the critical issue of saving lives and this film will help ensure that every pregnant and birthing person’s voice is heard,” said Purry.

“This film will help ensure that people have access and receive all the support they need to feel safe and cared for.  Racism exists and it exists in healthcare,” she added.

For more information about the movement to ensure Birthing Justice for Black mothers and their families, and to find a film screening in your area, visit BirthingJustice.com.

Political Practices Commission, fast-food corporations and business trade groups including In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, Starbucks and the National Restaurant Association donated millions to support the referendum effort.

“The FAST Act is bad policy that threatens not only quick service restaurants, but the independents operating in the same neighborhoods,” National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Sean Kennedy said in a press release.

“There is no way that the regulations passed by this unelected council would not damage the state’s restaurant industry, harm its workforce, and leave diners paying the bill. We’re pleased that Californians will get the chance to exercise their constitutional right to vote on this law and will continue to support the operators, small business owners, and workers that make the restaurant industry so important to our customers’ lives.”

PHOTO: Marcel Strauss via Unsplash

Pilot Program for Older Adults Offers Rental Subsidy

By Cassie Klapp

The County of San Diego Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities is launching a pilot program to provide 222 seniors at risk of experiencing homelessness a rental subsidy.

This program was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors last September. Eligible adults over 55 years old would be provided $500 a month for 18 months to help them stabilize. Assistance payments are anticipated to begin this spring.

San Diego’s 55 years or older population is expected to balloon to more than 1.1 million people by 2030.

“Older adults, in particular people on fixed incomes, are struggling with rising rents and represent a growing part of our homeless population,” said Barbara Jiménez, Commu nity Operations Officer who oversees the Department of Homeless Solutions & Equit able Communities. “This pilot program will help people remain in their homes while also offering light case management services to connect participants to supportive services.”

According to the 2022 We All Count Point-inTime Count, 25 percent of people who were unsheltered were 55 years and older.

Eligible applicants must:

• Have a household income at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income, which, for 2022 was $106,900. For the County’s

San Diego Association of Black Journalists’ Annual Scholarship Opportunity

Criteria to apply:

• O pen to high school seniors and college students.

• Must have a strong interest in journalism, public relations, or any communicationsrelated discipline.

• Must be from San Diego County area or go to school here.

• Four scholarships will be awarded with values between $500 to $1,500. Apply now at www.sdabj.org. Applications are due March 31, 2023.

AMI chart, visit www.sandiegocounty.gov and search the term “Area Median Income”

• B e using more than half of their income toward housing.

• H ave their name on the lease or rental agreement.

• H ave a landlord willing to participate in the program.

• Not be receiving any other rental subsidies.

• S ign consent forms to participate in the program.

Pilot program participants who meet the eligibility criteria will be selected at random.

To apply for this rental subsidy, email your full name and contact information to HSECOHS.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov or call 619980-4168. Application assistance and translation services will be provided.

For the second consecutive year at dusk on February 7, the San Diego County Administration Center Building at 1600 Pacific Coast Highway was aglow in somber orange under the evening sky to bring awareness to the widespread and serious effects of Teen Dating Violence.

With 1 in 3 teens who have been in a relationship experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, a heavy toll is taken on the well-being of young people. Teen Dating Violence leads to increased incidence of eating disorders, higher rates of anxiety and depression, and increased risk of self-harm.

Speaking at a 2021 event to honor the lives lost in San Diego County to intimate partner violence, Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, San Diego County’s Public Health Officer since 2007, said, “Without appropriate services and support, the consequences of violence and abuse can last a lifetime—leading to disease, disability, and social problems, as well as early death.”

Early death, by either strangulation or suicide, is unfortunately a realistic consequence of teen dating violence. The Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case brought national attention to relationship violence in 2021. High school sweethearts, Petito was strangled by Laundrie after a violent argument in a parking lot in Moab, Utah

and later killed by him, again by strangulation.

“Once strangulation is introduced by the perpetrator in a domestic violence relationship, the risk of lethality increases for the victim by 700%,” says Claudia Grasso, President of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council.

Despite the prevalence of teen dating violence, few families ever discuss relationship abuse with their teens. In fact, 74% of boys and 66% of girls report not having conversations with their parents about dating or relationships. With a disconnect between widespread violence and lack of family communication on the topic, raising public awareness is a top priority for the Council. Due to the increase of digital communication, the gateway is wide open for abuse perpetrated underneath the radar of the trusted adults that advise youth.

In fact, 1 in 4 of all teens are harassed through technology. But no family needs to feel alone when opening the communication lines about relationships. The Council recommends national resources to help start the conversation including LoveIsRespect.org and JoinOneLove.org. Local resources such as One Safe Place, The North County Family Justice Center in San Marcos, and the Center for Community Solutions - Sexual Assault Crisis Line (24 Hour) 888/385-4657 also offer support, among others. The SD District Attorney’s Office has the Victim Assistance Program: Central: 619/531-4041, East: 619/4414538, Juvenile: 858/694-4254, South: 619/498-5650, North: 760/806-4079.

“Together we can intervene and prevent teen dating violence,” says Luis Canseco Garcia of CRC and chair of the Council’s Teen Dating Violence Committee.

PHOTO: County of San Diego

Inspiring Quotes to Live By if Your Loved One Has Alzheimer’s Disease

Take care of yourself, you are not alone in your journey

Alzheimer’s Disease can shake the foundation of relationships — testing your faith, patience, resilience, and finances. May these quotes serve as inspiration as you care for your loved one (and remember, you are not alone in your journey).

• “There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.” — Rosalyn Carter

• “It is not the load that breaks you down. It’s the way you carry it.”

— Lena Horne, singer

• “Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know possible.” — Tia Walker

• “Regardless of what challenge you are facing right now, know that it has not come to stay. It has come to pass. During these times, do what you can with what you have, and ask for help if needed. Most

importantly, never surrender. Put things in perspective. Take care of yourself. Find ways to replenish your energy, strengthen your faith, and fortify yourself from the inside out.” — Les Brown

• “Remember, the dementia patient is not giving you a hard time. The dementia patient is having a hard time.”

• “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” — Irish Proverb

• “Those with dementia are still people and they still have stories and they still have character and they’re all individuals and they’re all unique. And they just need to be interacted with on a human level.” — Carey Mulligan

• “One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.” — Jim Rohn

• “Sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help than to act alone.” — Ken Petti

• “I’ve got the power!” — Snap

This article originally appeared on Word In Black.

HEALTHY LIVING

6 Things to Consider Doing if You Can’t Pay Rent This Month

The average national rent surpassed $2,000 for the first time e ver in 2022, which has made keeping up with rent payments challenging for millions of people across the United States. In fact, a recent Freddie Mac survey found that 70% of renters are concerned about making their rent payment in the short term.

If you’re among those struggling to pay rent, there is good news: many resources exist to help renters remain in their homes. Here are six actions you can take to help keep you in your rental:

1. Contact Your Landlord. If you know you will be unable to pay your rent, contact your landlord in writing to explain your situation. Your landlord may be able to offer you such options as changing the date rent is due each month, lowering rent payments or creating a repayment plan.

2. Consider More Affordable Apartments. Finding a less expensive apartment may be the right solution if you anticipate having regular trouble paying your rent. However, with rents on the rise everywhere, this can be a challenge. As you start your search, remember to factor in the fees and moving expenses you might incur. Moving within your building or to another property managed by the same company may be one way to avoid onboarding fees.

3. Find a Roommate. If you have the space, taking on a roommate can significantly reduce your monthly rent and utility expenses. Make sure to follow the terms of your lease when adding a roommate to any apartment. This could include having them sign a formal lease.

4. Access Short-Term Rental

COVID-19 UPDATES

High Blood Pressure and COVID-19: Things To Know

Voice & Viewpoint Newswire

High blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, may increase your risk of severe complications from COVID-19 infection. Learn how to “Love Your Heart” during next week’s annual Love Your Heart event, to protect yourself against COVID19 while also managing your blood pressure to stay healthy.

Things to know about Covid-19 and high blood pressure:

Risks of High Blood Pressure and COVID-19

• High blood pressure is the most common underlying condition associated with severe COVID-19 infection.

• Older adults with heart disease or high blood pressure have been shown to develop more severe symptoms and face an increased risk for complications when infected with COVID-19.

• African-Americans and Hispanics/Latinx with high blood pressure also showed higher mortality rates from COVID-19.

What is the Link Between High Blood Pressure and COVID-19?

• The exact link between COVID-19 and high blood pressure is unknown but it is believed that severe COVID-19 infection is due to long-term health conditions affecting the immune system.

• Having high blood pressure can weaken your immune system and make it harder to fight off the COVID-19 virus.

High Blood Pressure, COVID-19, and Physical Activity

• Evidence shows that physical activity in any amount can cut the risk of severe or fatal COVID-19 infection among high-risk patients such as those with HBP or heart disease.

ecent study suggests that even something as short as a 10- minute walk per week showed better COVID-19 outcomes in patients who had high blood pressure or heart disease. The best outcomes for patients with high blood pressure were seen among those who completed 150+ minutes of at least brisk walking per week.

Love Your Heart is an annual event held February 11 - 19, in which organizations from across the U.S. and Mexico join together to provide free blood pressure screenings to the public on or near Valentine’s Day. The event brings together community partners to prevent heart disease and stroke and empowers the public to take control of their heart health, know their blood pressure numbers, and know what they mean. Learn more at www.livewellsd.org/ love-your-heart .

Source: SanDiegoCounty.Gov

Assistance. Local housing authorities and some national organizations have short-term rent relief funds you can apply for to help cover the cost of rent while you get back on your feet. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has a list of assistance programs for renters.

5. Understand Eviction Protections. Be aware of the eviction protections you’re eligible for should you be unable to pay rent. The CFPB has a list of states with protections in place that prevent landlords from evicting renters for failure to pay rent.

6. Work with a Renter Resource Organization. There are many nonprofit Renter Resource Organizations throughout the

country that can assist you if you are facing a housing-related challenge. These entities provide services and resources to help you maintain housing, including eviction prevention and landlord-tenant mediation. They also can assist you in locating alternative housing and provide financial planning advice. Services offered may vary by provider. To find an organization that can help you with your situation, contact Freddie Mac’s Renter Hotline at 800-404-3097.

For more information about renting, including resources to help you determine how much you can afford, visit My Home by Freddie Mac at myhome.freddiemac.com. (StatePoint)

Millions to Lose Coverage During the ‘Unwinding’

Starting in April millions of families could see their health coverage disappear as the government unwinds pandemic-era policies.

By Peter White Ethnic Media Services

During 12 months after April 1, 2023, between 15-18 million Americans will lose health coverage provided during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

“Through COVID legislation, states have mostly kept people covered through Medicaid without interruption in exchange for an increase in their Medicaid federal matching funds,” says Farah Erzouki, Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). She spoke to reporters during a recent Ethnic Media Services briefing co-sponsored by CBPP.

When that program ends, so will the continuous coverage requirement, and all 89 million Medicaid enrollees will have to reapply to renew their eligibility. Erzouki says enrollment in Medicaid grew to 89 million-plus people since February of 2020, an increase of 30%. It was the biggest experiment in universal health care since the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010.

“Access to coverage and healthcare services has been critical during this time of increased hardship. At the same time, this continuous coverage policy has meant that most Medicaid enrollees probably have not had contact with their Medicaid agencies in three years, and in some cases, even longer,” she said.

See UNWINDING page 15

san diego county COVID-19 STATUS

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES 978,826

REPORTED TESTS

13,241,354

HOSPITALIZED 38,550

Photo: (c) Siri Stafford / iStock via Getty Images Plus

By Lisa Vivies Global Information Network

Some might call it a vision of hell.

To others, the cobalt mines, where thousands of miners toil in vast open pits, are “a hellscape of craters and tunnels, patrolled by maniacs with guns.”

“It was a “lunar wasteland,” a “devastated landscape” that “resembled a battlefield after an aerial bombardment.”

Now, after a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Siddharth Kara, a researcher of human trafficking and modern slavery, has produced a book – “Cobalt Red” - that is by turns, chilling and shocking.

His journeys through the Congo’s jungles and mines are reminiscent of the country’s 19th-century explorers as he treks where few have dared - all to witness the shocking labor and environmental practices accompanied by “vacant statements on zero-tolerance policies and other hollow PR” in pursuit of cobalt.

Kara, with the Carr Center for Human Rights at Harvard, has been investigating modern-day slavery, human trafficking and child labor for two decades. He says that although the DRC has more cobalt reserves than the rest of the planet combined, there’s no such thing as a “clean” supply chain of cobalt from the country.

In “Cobalt Red,” Kara writes that much of the DRC’s cobalt is extracted by “artisanal” miners — freelance workers who do extremely dangerous labor for the equivalent of a few dollars a day.

“People are working in subhuman, grinding, degrading conditions,”

he says. “They use pickaxes, shovels, stretches of rebar to hack and scrounge at the earth in trenches and pits and tunnels to gather cobalt and feed it up the formal supply chain.”

The mining industry has ravaged the landscape of the DRC, he adds. Millions of trees have been cut down, the air around mines is hazy with dust and grit, and the water has been contaminated with toxic effluents from the mining processing.

“Cobalt is toxic to touch and breathe,” he says, “and there are hundreds of thousands of poor Congolese people touching and breathing it day in and day out. Young mothers with babies strapped to their backs, all breathing in this toxic cobalt dust.”

“The reader senses that the author has been left shell-shocked, not from the carnage but from seeing thousands of people mining by hand, hammer and shovel in vast open pits hundreds of feet deep, most of the pits arrayed with hand-dug tun-

nels,” the WSJ observes.

‘COBALT RED’ PORTRAYS THE DEGRADATION OF LIFE FOR CONGOLESE MINERS GHANA TO ESTABLISH A ‘WAR COLLEGE’ AS FEARS OF TERRORISM GROW

Kara reports visiting a typical mine where more than three thousand women, children and men shoveled, scraped, and scrounged . . . under a ferocious sun and a haze of dust.”

Why cobalt? asks a reviewer from a local paper. “Because today’s smartphones, laptops, leaf blowers, toys and so much more owe their revolutionary portability to the advent of cobalt-infused lithium batteries.”

Meanwhile, artisanal miners are regularly mistreated, says Papy Nsenga, president of a union of miners in Kolwezi, in an interview with FRANCE 24. “What happened here is unfortunately a tragedy that we see every day. The artisanal miners are regularly mistreated by the management of the mining companies. They are beaten savagely by the mine’s security agents.

“We don’t have the right to mine in the mining projects that are authorized to other companies, but we don’t have our own sites. For a long time, we’ve asked for artisanal mining zones, but neither the Congolese state nor the province has granted us a space.

“All the mining sites have been leased to foreign mining companies. We have no choice but to invade these mining areas to make a living and feed our families.”

And as the demand for rechargeable batteries grows, especially in the green technology sector (electric cars and wind and solar storage sites) so does the danger for Congolese children. The “clean energy revolution” risks having as deleterious an impact on Congolese children as the technology revolution of the late 1990s had in the scramble for coltan.”

AFRICA CONFRONTS AN AGED LEADERSHIP UNWILLING TO RETIRE

By Lisa Vivies Global Information Network

African leaders serving 20 or more years in office are drawing the attention of critics who question their ability to run a country after so many years.

Suspicions about the stability of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, age 89, were raised in a recent issue of Ghana Business News. According to some observers, Biya, seen in a video at the US-Africa Leadership Summit in Washington DC last month, appeared listless, absent-minded, confused and unaware of his environment.

ident of Switzerland longer than he lived in Cameroon. Some now question Biya’s mental and physical state.

The case of Cameroon isn’t different from many African countries. In Zimbabwe, the late Robert Mugabe served as President until a very advanced age. When Mugabe died in 2019, he was 95 years old. He had ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, and was ousted by his own henchmen in 2017, when he was 93 years old.

In Gabon, 63-year-old Ali Bongo Ondima, the third and current president since October 2009, survived a coup d’etat in 2019. Among the stated reasons for the coup was an attempt to “restore democracy” following the 2016 election, which Mr Bongo narrowly won amid accusations of fraud and acts of violence. He has hinted he would run again for re-election this year.

Other aging leaders include South Sudan President Salva Kirr who appeared on the Internet wetting himself in public while performing a public duty. Kirr is 71 years old.

By Lisa Vivies Global Information Network

The Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF) is looking to establish a War College to train future military strategists and leaders. President Nana Akufo-Addo revealed the plans at the Ghanaian Armed Forces end of year West African Soldiers Social Activities (WASSA) celebrations in Accra.

The Institution will be established with seed capital from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), and is expected to be the capstone of Ghana’s military education system. The country has been taking significant steps to improve on its warfighting capacity as terrorism makes rapid gains across the region, officials said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern that jihadist violence could spread south and west to affect coastal countries in West Africa.

“It started in Mali, it went to Burkina Faso, Niger and now, when we speak with the presidents of Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Ivory Coast, they say that terrorism is coming to their borders,” Guterres said at a recent regional counterterrorism conference in Kenya’s capital Nairobi.

Last April, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia inaugurated joint venture companies under the Defense Industries Holding Company (DIHOC), and commissioned construction equipment worth US $18 million to support the military’s operations.

POPE FRANCIS ENDS AFRICAN JOURNEY WITH A CALL FOR JUSTICE

“He kept asking his aides where he was, some observers said, and who was in the room and when they told him and gave him his speech, he was flipping the papers and was asking more questions suggesting that he had no idea where he was nor what he was doing there.

Biya has been Head of State for more than 40 years and was a res-

Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, at 80 years old, has been in charge of his country for 43 years, making him the longest serving Head of State in the world.

Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana is 78 years old, and by the time he ends his second term in office, he would be almost 80 years old.

Others are the President of Cote d’Ivoire, 81-year-old Alassane Ouattara who changed his country’s constitution and extended his tenure in office, at the expense of the lives of some of his citizens; Nigeria’s Mohammadu Buhari , 80. As he nears the end of his tenure as president, two of the contenders to the office are in their 70s. Bola Tinubu is 70 years old and Abubakar Atiku is 76.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is 77 years old. He became president after the death of Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Bouteflika died in 2021 at the age of 84 after running Algeria for 40 years.

At the age of 78, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has been in office for 38 years and still counting.

“The age of the men running countries in Africa paints a gloomy picture of the continent where the youth make up more than 60 percent of the population and projected to reach more than 850 million by 2050”, said Emmanuel K. Dogbevi in a recent edition of NewsBridge Africa. It is high time Africans put in the spotlight the subject of the age of people they hand the running of their countries to.”

By Lisa Vivies Global Information Network

Pope Francis departed from South Sudan along with over 70 journalists aboard the papal plane bound for Rome, marking the conclusion of his 6-day Apostolic Journey to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His first public words in the DR Congo set the tone for his visit.

“This country, so immense and full of life, this diaphragm of Africa, struck by violence like a blow to the stomach, has seemed for some time to be gasping for breath,” he said.

Over a million people celebrated with him in Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, and some 100,000 faithful gathered with him in Juba, around a fifth of the population of South Sudan’s capital.

While in the stadium, several Congolese faithful took the opportunity to call for swift action for two of Africa’s martyrs - Anuarite and Bakanja – waiting since 1985 and 1995 for canonization as saints of the Church. Believers carried large signs reading “Saints at Once” (Santi Subito in Italian) as the Pope spoke.

The Pope also referenced Saint Kizito, the youngest martyr, slain by the King Mwanga II of Buganda. Canonized on Oct. 18, 1964 he is considered the patron saint of children and primary schools.

The Church of the DRC is also awaiting the beatification of Christophe Munzihirwa Mwene Ngabo, the Congolese Jesuit Archbishop of Bukavu Diocese who was

killed in 1996.

To South Sudan, the Pope made an impassioned plea to its fractious leaders to turn their backs on violence, ethnic hatred and corruption that have stopped the world’s youngest country from achieving peace and prosperity.

Francis said South Sudan was blessed with abundant natural resources but these should be shared, not restricted to a few through corruption.

“The inequitable distribution of funds, secret schemes to get rich, patronage deals, lack of transparency: all these pollute the riverbed of human society,” he said.

South Sudan has some of the largest crude oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa but staggering amounts of money have been diverted from public coffers, the United Nations said in 2021.

Francis’s six-day visit to Africa — first to Congo, then to South Sudan — has had no shortage of challenges. The two countries stand out as trouble spots in the wide swath of majority-Christian Africa. Issues that Francis has regularly spoken out against, such as exploitation by external powers, the proliferation of weapons, environmental plundering — all playing out in both countries in devastating fashion, with violence worsening and peace deals teetering.

The Pope closed with a call to action: “Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo! Hands off Africa!” and “Stop choking Africa! It is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered. May Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny.”

PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

Congolese carrying signs reading “Saints at Once”.

PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

Cameroonian PresIdent, Paul Biya. PHOTO: Courtesy of GIN

“The age of the men running countries in Africa paints a gloomy pic ture of the continent where the youth make up more than 60 per cent of the population... ”

–Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

CALIFORNIA HAS SPOKEN

Californians voted to uphold Senate Bill (SB) 793, the statewide restriction on the sale of most flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes, by voting “Yes” on Proposition 31. Below are some of the most common questions about the new law and its impact on the Black community.

Why are menthol cigarettes included in California’s new flavored tobacco law?

The new law protects Black Californians by correcting the mistake made in a 2009 federal law that banned all flavored cigarettes except menthol. For decades, Big Tobacco worked hard to keep menthol cigarettes cheap and accessible to Black communities.

Tobacco industry documents reveal decades of aggressive targeting of the Black community, with more tobacco ads placed in predominantly Black neighborhoods. It worked: In California, 47.7% of African American/Black adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes, compared to only 16.5% of white adults. The new law stops Big Tobacco from preying on and profiting off the lives of Black people.

What other flavored products are affected by California’s flavored tobacco law?

Retailers will no longer be allowed to sell the following tobacco products in California:

•Menthol cigarettes

•Flavored e-cigarettes and vapes

•Flavored e-juice, pods, and cartridges

•Flavored little cigars and cigarillos

•Flavored smokeless tobacco products

•Flavored blunt wraps

•Flavored loose-leaf roll-your-own tobacco

•Flavored tobacco rolling papers

•Tobacco product flavor enhancers

Why does the law exempt hookah?

The original SB 793 bill language proposed to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products including hookah. However, a relentless lobbying effort by the hookah industry was successful in getting hookah exempted from the law. The new law is a starting point and addresses most of the products that Big Tobacco has been aggressively marketing to kids and communities of color.

Does California’s new flavored tobacco law criminalize people who use tobacco?

No, the new law does not penalize or criminalize an individual for purchasing or using flavored tobacco products. The law focuses on retailers, restricting them from selling most flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and vapes.

What happens if a retailer sells flavored tobacco products?

The retailer may be penalized and fined for each violation. The responsibility is on retailers and their employees to not sell flavored tobacco products — not Californians.

The responsibility is on retailers and their employees to not sell flavored tobacco products — not Californians.

Quitting tobacco isn’t easy, and every quit attempt is part of the journey. Kick It California offers a free personalized quit program designed for each person’s own circumstances and challenges.

Call 800-300-8086

Text “Kick Tobacco” to 66819

Visit kickitca.org

LOCAL & NATIONAL HEROINES HONORED AT 2ND BROADWAY HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL UNVEILING CEREMONY

By Darrel Wheeler

Contributing Writer

On the rst Saturday of Black History Month, local and state o cials assembled with members of the Broadway Heights Community Council. e reason for the special gathering was the bust unveiling at the Martin Luther King Promenade in the community of Broadway Heights.

The special honorees were Secretary of State Shirley Weber and, posthumously, Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks, who were honored for their tireless service in Education, Government, and Civil rights.

“ ank you so very much for honoring me. I’m so humbled to be here with you all today. May God continue to bless you as he has seriously blessed me in so many ways I can’t count them. ank you all,” Honoree Dr. Shirley Weber said.

Some of the keynote speakers in attendance featured Mayor Todd Gloria, Council member Monica Montgomery Steppe, and 79th District Assembly member Akilah Weber.

Community activist Kathleen Harmon had this to say about the event: “I think an event like this is very important for us - to develop our own projects like this - because we are o en excluded. is is one of the most outstanding projects in San Diego and I’m extremely proud to be a part of it.”

Also represented at the event Saturday, ere was also representation from local law enforcement, clergy, community organization, and the Military.

San Diego’s Youth Basketball Rec-Centers: A Symbol of Hope

Elementary to teen-aged kids can be seen learning the game of basketball one basket at a time at local City Recreational Centers.

A lot of young hoop-dreamers get their rst introduction of the game at community recreation center gymnasiums across San Diego; MLK, Skyline, and MidCity to name a few.

“I play basketball because I want to be a good athlete at every sport. I like to compete and it’s a lot of fun,” 10 year old J. Marcelino of Mid-City shared. His favorite players are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

The young participants will be learning and competing every week until middle to late March, sharpening their skills in pursuit of a Championship Trophy.

As they strive to become the best hoopers they can be, their coaches become a very important ingredient to their individual hoop-pursuits.

Some players will go on to play a season or two, some will go on to compete for their high schools, others will use their lessons to secure collegiate scholarship opportunities, and in some cases, turn their years of commitment into an NBA or WNBA career.

San Diego’s Norman Powell of the LA Clippers, and DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun are two shining examples of many that have turned their hoopdreams into existence.

Coach and mentor Daniel Wilkerson of Azalea Park had this to say about the youth Basketball experience: “We teach them to keep God rst, the fundamentals of the game and teach them the importance of sportsmanship.”

“We have a lot of inner-city kids that don’t have a lot of money and not the best living conditions, but they do the best they can. I came from this community, so I know what some of them are going through. It can be tough,” Wilkerson continues.

“I’m going to do my best to help them with their basketball skills and life lesson skills,” Wilkerson concludes.

San Diego’s youngest talents are on display on Saturday’s at a Rec-Center Gym near you.

WomenOf Color

5th Annual Black History Month Breakfast

500 guests filled the Jacob Center for Neighborhood Innovation on February 4, 2023, to celebrate the fifth annual Women of Color Roar Black History Month event. The event, organized by Angela de Joseph, was held in person for the first time in three years. The theme of the Women of Color Roar Breakfast 2023 was “Sheroes Lead”.

e breakfast began in 2018 with the mission to celebrate African American elected o cials and encourage young women of color to run for o ce and pursue careers in public service. Community members of all racial and ethnic groups have come together to honor women leaders in the community. Each year 100 high school and college-age young women, “Future Leaders,” are sponsored through donations and provided an opportunity to be exposed to women in leadership who serve as exceptional role models. is year, San Diego schools

and organizations nominated 194 young women to attend the celebration as guests.

Elected o cials present for the event included San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, California State Controller Malia M. Cohen, San Diego City Council Pro Tem, Monica Montgomery Steppe, among others. Dr. Shirley Weber gave the keynote address.

Those Honored Included Woman Warrior Awardees:

Genevieve Jones-Wright, Attorney and Founder of Motivation. In.Action (MIA) and Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance (MoGo), Illinois Congressmember Lauren Underwood, Laila Aziz, Director of Operations Pillars of the Community; Champion of Justice Awardee: Pillars of the Community; and Changemaker Awardee: Donna DeBerry President & CEO, County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce. Los Angeles

Mayor Karen Bass was awarded the Woman of Distinction Award in absentia.

A musical performance by the Buki Domingos’ Trio rounded out this unique event.

PHOTOS: Darrel Wheeler

By Darrel Wheeler

Contributing Writer

PHOTOS: Darrel Wheeler

COMMUNITY

SDCCD FREE EVENTS

The San Diego Community College District is hosting a plethora of free, open to the public art exhibits, film screenings, and more across the district. To learn more about some of the events listed below, visit: http:// www.sdmesaworldcultures.com and at https://www.sdmesa.edu/ art-gallery. Below is a sampling of SDCCD events for Black History

Month:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

East African Student Celebration

- Welcome to the Savannas!

Building a sense of community among East African students and the campus community.

Location: San Diego City College, A-Building Patio, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Africa in Context - Art Collection

Exhibition (Opening Reception)

Experience pieces from the Mesa College World Art Permanent Collection through February 23. To learn more, visit: http://www. sdmesaworldcultures.com and at https://www.sdmesa.edu/art-gallery

Location: San Diego Mesa College

Art Gallery, F-103, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111

4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Beyond the Vision - Student Art Exhibition (Opening Reception)

An intimate exhibition, exploring transformative and healing ways art can be a vessel for release within the Black community. Curated by Mesa Students. Through February 23. Learn more: http://www.sdmesaworldcultures. com and at https://www.sdmesa. edu/art-gallery

Location: San Diego Mesa College, F-103, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Black Film Fridays: Wakanda

Forever

Watch the film and engage in dialogue about its meaning, messages, and connection to today’s student experience.

Location: San Diego City College, MS-162, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Black Educators Networking

Event

Meet local and inspiring Black educators!

Location: San Diego City College, Schwartz Plaza, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

12:45 to 2:45 p.m.

Film Screening: Till

Watch the film and engage in dialogue about its meaning, messages, and connection to today’s student experience.

Location: San Diego Mesa College,

G-102, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

11:10 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Remembering the many African–descended individuals who joined the ancestors this past year, including Dr. James Turner, Dr. Dorothy Smith, Bernard Shaw, Nichelle Nichols, Ramsey Lewis, Mary Alice, Bill Russell, William Owens, Traci Braxton, Johnny Brown, Andre Leon Talley, and LaShun Pace. Students will share how these individuals inspired them. Hosted by Dr. Thekima Mayasa and Dr. Candace Katungi.

Location: San Diego Mesa College, MC-211, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111.

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

Black History Month Social Hour

(Virtual) Black History, Black Jeopardy with prizes, and a tribute to our ancestors.

Location: San Diego College of Continuing Education, https://sdccd-edu.zoom.us/j/89487354566

12:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Lunch & Learn with City College President Ricky Shabazz and Students

Sponsored by City College Office of the President and Pride Hub.

Location: San Diego City College, L-206, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Black Film Fridays: 42-Film on Jackie Robinson Watch the film and dialogue about its meaning, messages, and Jackie Robinson’s influence in today’s world.

Location: San Diego City College, MS-162, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Building Black Wealth: Hermanos Unidos Brothers United

Featuring Anthony Walker and Alonzo Harvey.

Location: San Diego City College, MS-140, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

12:45 to 2:10 p.m.

Early Black Women Activists

A lecture and discussion about Black women activism from the colonial period to the Civil War, focusing on communalism, education and spirituality, with Dr. Candace Katungi.

Location: San Diego Mesa College, G-102, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22

9:35 to 11:00 a.m.

“Black Out” Black Deported Veterans Film Screening and Discussion Panel

Location: San Diego City College, MS-140, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Emotional Emancipation Healing Circle

The concept, endorsed by the Association of Black Psychologists to help Black people set a foundation for emotional healing, this event is a safe space where students can share their experiences, and find support in affirming their humanity. Hosted by Dr. Thekima Mayasa and Dr. Judy Sunday.

Location: San Diego Mesa College, G-105, 7250 Mesa College Drive, 92111

5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Black Film Fridays: King Richard Watch and discuss the film, “King Richard”, and its influence in today’s sports.

Location: San Diego City College, MS-162, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25

3:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Black Identity Photography Show

A celebration of Black Identity in San Diego. Submissions are open to local photographers of all ages, with cash prizes.

Location: San Diego City College, Luxe Gallery, 1313 Park Blvd., 92101

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28

5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Black Resistance: Showcasing Black Excellence Black success panel, entertainment, performances, and food.

Location: San Diego College of Continuing Education, Educational Cultural Complex Theatre, 4343 Ocean View Blvd, San Diego, CA 92113

6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Black Man – Black Masterpiece

(Virtual - Zoom)

Viewing, and panel discussion of the short film, “Black Man - Black Masterpiece”, by artist Ishe. Hosted by Professor Starla Lewis. Register Online at: www.sdmesa. edu/black-history-month

THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY 2023

Black Stories and Experiences at the Library Resource Center at City College

Through books and films. KSDS Jazz 88, located at City College will give listeners a historical perspective celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the art of Jazz.

UC SAN DIEGO FREE EVENTS

THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY 2023

BLACKTRONIKA: AFROFUTURISM IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC | EXHIBIT

A focus on the UC San Diego course “Blacktronika: Afrofuturism in Electronic Music”, created by music professor and music

industry practitioner, King James Britt, including information on a selection of vintage and current electronica instruments-of-interest, and ephemera associated with Britt’s career and his current research.

Location: The Nest at Geisel Library, 2nd Floor Register Online at: https://library. ucsd.edu/news-events/events/locations/the-nest-at-geisel/

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

2:00 p.m.

BSFO STUDENT

SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

CEREMONY (Virtual - Zoom)

To kick off Black History Month, BSFO will introduce and honor the Five UC students who were selected to receive 2023 UCOPBSFO Scholarships.

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13

1:00 p.m.

‘CALIFORNIAN BLACK TRAILBLAZERS’ - DR. SHIRLEY WEBER, CA SECRETARY OF STATE

Come meet with Dr. Weber as she kicks off historical black contributions to the State of California.

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14

12:00 p.m.

‘CALIFORNIAN BLACK

TRAILBLAZERS’ - MR.

SOLWAZI - FRIENDS OF ALLENSWORTH Walk through a virtual presentation on the establishment and history of the first black town founded and funded by descendants of Black American slaves.

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY TUNES: BLACK

ARTIST MEDLEY

C elebrate Black History Month with a medley of songs and music videos by Black artists! Regardless of your level of familiarity with their music, you’re welcome to come to UCSD’s Women’s Center and explore their lyrics at this casual listening party.

Location: WC Living Room

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION “CELEBRATING THE JOY AND RESISTANCE OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA”

A day of celebration with music, food, dancing, vendors, giveaways, remembrance, and celebration!

Location: Café Ventanas at Eleanor Roosevelt College

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

‘CALIFORNIAN BLACK TRAILBLAZERS’ - ‘SUMMER OF SOUL’

Watch the featured film, ‘Summer of Soul’

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

15TH ANNUAL PRESIDENTS’ DAY FORUM AT THE CROSSROADS: “THE INTERSECTION OF POLITICS & BLACK ACTIVISM”

Higher education must reinvent itself through robust conversations that deepen our understanding of the political landscape and its impact on the Black community. The Presidents’ Day Forum is a signature event held annually during Black History Month (February) as an opportunity to engage in critical dialogue with insightful panelists on the U.S. Presidency and current political climate. The session includes an open Q&A segment.

Location: Zoom

Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

1:00 p.m.

‘CALIFORNIAN BLACK TRAILBLAZERS’ - BLACKS IN TECH

Join panelists; Marsha Evans, UC Merced and Marie Sylla, AMAZON EDI, as they discuss Technology and African-American representation pertaining to historic contributions made throughout California.

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

1:00 p.m.

‘CALIFORNIAN BLACK TRAILBLAZERS’ - HIP HOP

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop, join the panelist discussion on the musical influence blacks have contributed to Californian culture. Featured panelists: Prof. Samy-Alim - UCLA, Pen Hershaw, Lionel Bea

Location: Zoom Register Online at: https://blackhistorymonth.ucsd.edu/2023/

OTHER EVENTS AROUND TOWN

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11

10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. BLACK COM!X DAY 2023

Black Owned Creators and Artists from giants such as Marvel, DC & Black Owned, welcome you to this unique Black History Month comic-con.

Location: WorldBeat Cultural Center Register Online at: https://www. worldbeatcenter.org/events/

Mesa College Art Gallery World Cultures Exhibit. Photo: Mesa College

CA 92154

This statement was filed with the Recorder/County Clerk of San Diego County on January 24, 2023 This fictitious business name will expire on January 24, 2028

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT 2022-9027951

Fictitious business name(s): Valentino's Handyman Services Located at: 605 S. San Jacinto Dr. San Diego, CA 92114 County of San Diego

This business is conducted by:

An Individual Registrant has not yet begun to transact business under the name(s)

If you submit an attachment, it will be incorporated into this document. If the attachment conflicts with the information specifically set forth in this document, this document supersedes the data referenced in the attachment.

By typing my name, I, undersigned, certify that I am signing this document as the person whose signature is required, or as agent of the person(s) whose signature would be required who has authorized me to sign this document on his/her behalf, or in both capacities. I further certify that I have completed all the required fields, and that the information in this document is true and correct and in compliance with the applicable chapter of Minnesota Statutes. I understand that by signing this document I am subject to the penalties of perjury as set forth in Section 609.48 as if I had signed this document under oath.

Signed: Britanya-Ranita: Lewis., Statutory Agent Work Item: 1369059900022

Original File Number: 136905990022 State of Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State filed: 01/23/2023 1/26, 2/02, 2/09, 2/16

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego 325 South Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 Superior Court North County Division 37-2023-00004179CU-PT-NC

Petitioner or Attorney: Scott Alan McDonald Jr

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Scott Alan McDonald Jr filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

a. PRESENT NAME: Scott Alan McDonald Jr

PROPOSED NAME: Scott Alan Thora

b. PRESENT NAME: Alexandria Marie Geisler

PROPOSED NAME: Alexandria Marie Thora

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause

The address of the court is: 325 South Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 (To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 325 South Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 2/09, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego 330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Central Division Hall of Justice 37-2023-00005196CU-PT-CTL Petitioner or Attorney: Devika Prasanth Kumar

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Devika Prasanth Kumar filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME: Devika Prasanth Kumar

PROPOSED NAME: Devika Prasanth

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.

Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

Dept. 61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree

Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order

Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is:

330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 2/09, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

County of San Diego

330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101

Hall of Justice

37-2023-00004436CU-PT-CTL

Petitioner or Attorney: Farishta Abdul Latif

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Farishta Abdul Latif filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME:

Farishta Abdul Latif

PROPOSED NAME:

Farishta Latif

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.

reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: March 16, 2023 Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so

PROPOSED NAME: Vhridhansh Rathod

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: March 21, 2023

Time: 8:30 A.M.

Dept. 25

The address of the court is:

325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081

To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website go to www.courts.ca.gov/find-mycourt.htm)

330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101

Central Division Hall of Justice

37-2022-00040599CU-PTL-CTL

Petitioner or Attorney: Holly C Maglione / Nicholas G Maglinone

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Holly C Maglione / Nicholas G Maglione filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME: Eugene Abrahamm Maglione

PROPOSED NAME:

Asher Eugene Maglione

matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: February 23, 2023

Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

You have been sued. Read the information below and on the next page. Lo han demandado. Lea la información a continuación y en la página siguiente.

Petitioner's name is: Nombre del demandante: Brenda Borjas

You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter, phone call, or court appearance will not protect you.

Legales de California (www.lawhelpca.org) oponiéndose en contacto con el colegio de abogados de su condado.

AVISO—LAS ÓRDENES DE RESTRICCIÓN SE ENCUENTRAN EN LA

Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the

Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issue the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree

Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee. Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for the information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING

Date: February 23, 2023

Time: 8:30 A.M. Dept. 61

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 1/26, 2/02, 2/09, 2/16

(To appear remotely, check in advance of the hearing for information about how to do so on the court's website. To find your court's website, go to www.courts.ca.gov/findmy-court.htm.)

NO HEARING WILL OCCUR ON THE DATE SPECIFIED IN THE ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE.

The court will review the documents filed as of the date specified on the Order to Show Cause for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-120).

If all requirements for a name change have been met as of the date specified, and no timely written objection has been received (required at least two court days before the date specified), the Petition for Change of Name (JC Form #NC-100) will be granted without a hearing. One copy of the Order Granting the Petition will be mailed to the petitioner.

To change a name on a legal document, including a birth certificate, social security card, driver license, passport, and other identification, a certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be required. Contact the agency(ies) who issues the legal document that needs to be changed, to determine if a certified copy is required.

A certified copy of Decree Changing Name (JC Form #NC-130) or Decree Changing Name and Order Recognizing Change of Gender and for Issuance of New Birth Certificate (JC Form #NC-230) may be obtained from the Civil Business Office for a fee.

Petitioners who are seeking a change of name under the Safe at Home program may contact the assigned department for information on obtaining certified copies.

If all the requirements have not been met as of the date specified, the court will mail the petitioner a written order with further directions.

If a timely objection is filed, the court will set a hearing date and contact the parties by mail with further directions.

If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs.

For legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. Get help finding a lawyer at the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www. courts.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services website (www.lawhelpca.org) or by contacting your local county bar association.

NOTICE-RESTRAINING

ORDERS ARE ON PAGE 2:

These restraining orders are effective against both spouses o domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. They are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them.

FEE WAIVER: If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. The court may order you to pay back all or part of the fees and costs that the court waived for you or the other party.

Tiene 30 días de calendario después de haber recibido la entrega legal de esta Citación y Petición para presentar una Respuesta (formulario FL120) ante la corte y efectuar la entrega legal de una copia al demandante. Una carta o llamada telefónica o una audiencia de la corte no basta para protegerlo.

Si no presenta su Respuesta atiempo, la corte puede dar órdenes que afecten su matrimonio o pareja de hecho, sus bienes y la custodia de sus hijos. La corte también le puede ordenar que pague manutención, y honorarios y costos legales. Para asesoramiento legal, póngase en contacto de inmediato con un abogado. Puede obtener información para encontrar un abogado en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.ca.gov), en el sitio web de los Servicios

PÁGINA 2: Las órdenes de restricción están en vigencia en cuanto a ambos cónyuges o miembros de la pareja de hecho hasta que se despida la petición, se emita un fallo o la corte dé otras órdenes. Cualquier agencia del orden público que haya recibido o visto una copia de estas órdenes puede hacerlas acatar en cualquier lugar de California.

EXENCIÓN DE CUOTAS: Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario un formulario de exención de cuotas. La corte puede ordenar que usted pague, ya sea en parte o por completo, las cuotas y costos de la corte previamente exentos a petición de usted o de la otra parte.

The name and address of the court are (El nombre y dirección de la corte son): Superior Court of California, County of San Diego Central Division, Central Courthouse, 1100 Union St., San Diego, CA 92101

The name, address and telephone number of the petitioner's attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, are: (El nombre, dirección y número de teléfono del abogado del demandante, o del demandante si no tiene abogado, son): Brenda Borjas 4544 Altadena Ave. Apt. 9 San Diego, CA 92115 (949) 763 0864

Date (Fecha): October 13, 2022

Clerk, by (Secretario, por)

M.Abad, Deputy (Asistente)

STANDARD FAMILY LAW

RESTRAINING ORDERS

Starting immediately, you and your spouse or domestic partner are restrained from:

1. removing the minor children of the parties from the state or applying for a new or replacement passport for those minor children without the prior written consent of the other party or an order of the court;

2. cashing, borrowing against, canceling, transferring, disposing of, or changing the beneficiaries of any insurance or other coverage, including life, health, automobile, and disability, held for the benefit of the parties and their minor children;

3. transferring, encumbering, hypothecating, concealing, or in any way disposing of any property, real or personal, whether community, quasi-

PUBLIC NOTICE

community, or separate, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court, except in the usual course of business or for the necessities of life; and

4. creating a nonprobate transfer or modifying a nonprobate transfer in a manner that affects the disposition of property subject to the transfer, without the written consent of the other party or an order of the court. Before revocation of a nonprobate transfer can take effect or a right of survivorship to property can be eliminated, notice of the change must be filed and served on the other party.

You must notify each other of any proposed extraordinary expenditures at least five business days prior to incurring these extraordinary expenditures and account to the court for all extraordinary expenditures made after these restraining orders are effective. However, you may use community property, quasi-community property, or your own separate property to pay an attorney to help you or to pay court costs.

NOTICE—ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE: Do you or someone in your household need affordable health insurance? If so, you should apply for Covered California. Covered California can help reduce the cost you pay towards high quality affordable health care. For more information, visit www.coveredca.com. Or call Covered California at 1-800-300-1506.

WARNING—IMPORTANT INFORMATION California law provides that, for purposes of division of property upon dissolution of a marriage or domestic partnership or upon legal separation, property acquired by the parties during marriage or domestic partnership in joint form is presumed to be community property. If either party to this action should die before the jointly held community property is divided, the language in the deed that characterizes how title is held (i.e., joint tenancy, tenants in common, or community property) will be controlling, and not the community property presumption. You should consult your attorney if you want the community property presumption to be written into the recorded title to the property.

ÓRDENES DE RESTRICCIÓN ESTÁNDAR DE DERECHO FAMILIAR

En forma inmediata, usted y su cónyuge o pareja de hecho tienen prohibido:

1. llevarse del estado de California a los hijos menores de las partes, o solicitar un

Solicitation of Applications for Membership on the

TransNet Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee

The TransNet Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee (ITOC) is seeking qualified members of the public to fill two vacancies on its seven-member committee in the following categories: o A professional in the field of municipal/public finance and/or budgeting with a minimum of ten years in a relevant and senior decision making position in the public or private sector.

filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 2/09, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego

325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 37-2023-00004868CU-PT-NC

Petitioner or Attorney: Vijayendrasinh Rathod

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Vijayendrasinh Rathod and Nimishaben V Rathod filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME: Vhridhaansh Rathod

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is: 325 S. Melrose Dr. Vista, CA 92081 2/09, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2

COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA County of San Diego 330 West Broadway San Diego, CA 92101 Hall of Justice Courthouse 37-2023-00001193CU-PT-CTL Petitioner or Attorney:

Bessie Marie McClure AKA

Bessie Marie McCullun

To All Interested Persons: Petitioner Bessie Marie McClure AKA

Bessie Marie McCullun filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows:

PRESENT NAME:

Bessie Marie McCulre AKA

Bessie Marie McCullun

PROPOSED NAME:

Bessie Marie McClure

A RESPONDENT OBJECTING TO THE NAME CHANGE MUST FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION AT LEAST TWO COURT DAYS (excluding weekends and holidays) BEFORE THE DATE SPECIFIED. Do not come to court on the specified date. The court will notify the parties by mail of a future hearing date

Any Petition for the name change of a minor that is signed by only one parent must have this Attachment served along with the Petition and Order to Show Cause, on the other nonsigning parent, and proof of service must be filed with the court.

The address of the court is:

SUMMONS

o A professional in biology or environmental science with demonstrated experience of ten years or more with environmental regulations and major project mitigation requirements and/or habitat acquisition and management.

The ITOC aids in the implementation of the TransNet program, the San Diego region’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. The TransNet program is administered by SANDAG.

As outlined in the TransNet Ordinance and Expenditure Plan, the ITOC provides an increased level of accountability for expenditures of TransNet funds. ITOC members are unpaid, but certain expenses are reimbursed. The ITOC functions in an independent, open, and transparent manner to ensure that all voter mandates are carried out, and develops positive, constructive recommendations for improvements and enhancements to the financial integrity and performance of the TransNet program.

ITOC membership is open to individuals from throughout the region, who possess a set of appropriate professional skills and experience. Due to their public service status, ITOC members must comply with the following conflict of interest requirements, as set forth in the TransNet Ordinance:

The ITOC shall be subject to SANDAG’s conflict of interest policies. ITOC members shall have no legal action pending against SANDAG and are prohibited from acting in any commercial activity directly or indirectly involving SANDAG, such as being a consultant to SANDAG or to any party with pending legal actions against SANDAG during their tenure on the ITOC. ITOC members shall not have direct commercial interest or employment with any public or private entity, which receives TransNet sales tax funds authorized by this Ordinance.

The possibility of a conflict of interest, however, does not automatically require disqualification of an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to contact SANDAG if they have any questions regarding their eligibility for service.

More detailed information regarding the ITOC and its responsibilities can be found at sandag. org/itoc. Individuals interested in applying for these ITOC positions should contact SANDAG for an application at zara.sadeghian@sandag.org or (619)-595-5395 or go to sandag.org/ notices. Questions regarding this solicitation should be send to Zara Sadeghian at zara. sadeghian@sandag.org.

Applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 10, 2023. SANDAG seeks to fill openings on the ITOC with a diverse group of persons who are representative of the community. SANDAG highly encourages applications from persons of all races and economic backgrounds. The newly selected Professional in Biology or Environmental Science and Professional in the Field of Municipal/Public Finance and/or Budgeting is anticipated to begin serving at the regularly scheduled ITOC meeting in June 2023.

pasaporte nuevo o de repuesto para los hijos menores, sin el consentimiento previo por escrito de la otra parte o sin una orden de la corte;

2. cobrar, pedir prestado, cancelar, transferir, deshacerse o cambiar el nombre de los beneficiarios de cualquier seguro u otro tipo de cobertura, como de vida, salud, vehículo y discapacidad, que tenga como beneficiario(s) a las partes y su(s) hijo(s) menor(es);

3. transferir, gravar, hipotecar, ocultar o deshacerse de cualquier manera de cualquier propiedad, inmueble o personal, ya sea comunitaria, cuasicomunitaria o separada, sin el consentimiento escrito de la otra parte o una orden de la corte, excepto en el curso habitual de actividades personales y comerciales o para satisfacer las necesidades de la vida; y

4. crear o modificar una transferencia no testamentaria de manera que afecte la asignación de una propiedad sujeta a transferencia, sin el consentimiento por escrito de la otra parte o una orden de la corte. Antes de que se pueda eliminar la revocación de una transferencia no testamentaria, se debe presentar ante la corte un aviso del cambio y hacer una entrega legal de dicho aviso a la otra parte.

Cada parte tiene que notificar a la otra sobre cualquier gasto extraordinario propuesto por lo menos cinco días hábiles antes de realizarlo, y rendir cuenta a la corte de todos los gastos extraordinarios realizados después de que estas órdenes de restricción hayan entrado en vigencia. No obstante, puede usar propiedad comunitaria, cuasicomunitaria o suya separada para pagar a un abogado que lo ayude o para pagar los costos de la corte.

AVISO—ACCESO A SEGURO DE SALUD MÁS

ECONÓMICO: ¿Necesita seguro de salud a un costo asequible, ya sea para usted o alguien en su hogar? Si es así, puede presentar una solicitud con Covered California. Covered California lo puede ayudar a reducir el costo que paga por seguro de salud asequible y de alta calidad. Para obtener más información, visite www.coveredca.com. O llame a Covered California al 1-800-300-0213.

ADVERTENCIAINFORMACIÓN IMPORTANTE

De acuerdo a la ley de California, las propiedades adquiridas por las partes durante su matrimonio o pareja de hecho en forma conjunta se consideran propiedad comunitaria para fines de la división de bienes que ocurre cuando se produce una disolución o separación legal del matrimonio o pareja de hecho. Si cualquiera de las partes de este caso llega a fallecer antes de que se divida la propiedad comunitaria de tenencia conjunta, el destino de la misma quedará determinado por las cláusulas de la escritura correspondiente que describen su tenencia (por ej., tenencia conjunta, tenencia en común o propiedad comunitaria) y no por la presunción de propiedad comunitaria. Si quiere que la presunción comunitaria quede registrada en la escritura de la propiedad, debería consultar con un abogado 2/02, 2/09, 2/16, 2/23

PROBATE

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER

ESTATE OF

Earl Johnson Quarles

37-2022-00047483-PR-LACTL

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of

Earl Johnson Quarles

A Petition for Probate has been filed by Denise Quarles in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

The Petition for Probate requests that Denise Quarles be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent

Administration of Estates Act.

(This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: on March 2, 2023 at 1:00 PM in Department 504 located at the Superior Court of California County of San Diego 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 Probate Division

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court.

If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE form is available from the court clerk.

Petitioner: Denise Quarles 2425 Corina Court, San Diego, CA 92105 (619) 865-1087 2/09, 2/16, 2/23

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Homer Lee Slack, a.k.a Homer Leon Slack, Jr. and H.L. Slack, Jr. 37-2023-00000996-PR-LACTL

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of Homer Lee Slack, a.k.a Homer Leon Slack, Jr. and H. L. Slack, Jr.

A Petition for Probate has been filed by Shannon Marie Goodwin in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego

The Petition for Probate requests that Shannon Marie Goodwin be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval.

Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

AM in Department 504 located at the Superior Court of California County of San Diego 1100 Union Street San Diego, CA 92101 Central - Probate Division

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court.

If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250.

A REQUEST FOR SPECIAL NOTICE form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Antoinette Middleton, Esq. Law Offices of Antoinette Middleton 1761 Hotel Circle South, Suite 115 San Diego, CA 92108 (619) 235-9501 1/26, 2/02, 2/09 Get

Black History/ African Diaspora Crossword Puzzle

by Simon Burris

Across

1. Spring flower

6. *Kevin of “Jumanji” films

10. *Tennis Hall of Famer Arthur

14. *44th American president

15. Confess or testify

16. Shakespearean king

17. Part of a flight

18. *Turner and Cole

19. *Prince’s “Purple ___”; song & film

20. Initials for Infantry Squad Trainer

21. *Oprah Winfrey’s TV network, for short

23. *Kamala Harris’ concerns ?; Nov. 3, 2020

24. Hawaiian necklaces

26. *Philander Smith College state site (abbr.)

27. *Charles Barkley’s home state (abbr.)

30. *Actor Pinnock’s “For Life” network

31. Female relatives

35. *___Time; Scott Joplin’s music

36. *Mike Tyson ; practice boxing

37. Come up with

38. Egg cells

39. Keeps in order

41. *Spike or Daniels

42. *___ Luther King, Jr.: American patriot

44. Low grade diamond

45. *___ Spots: “If I Didn’t Care”; singing group

46. Make certain

47. Letters between kays and pees

48. Farm animal

49. *Michael Jackson hit song in 1987

50. *”Giovanni’s ___”; James Baldwin novel

52. Horror movie character

55. Put ___ good word for (2 wds.)

56. Contract Delivery Date, for short

59. *James ___ Jones; Celebrated actor

60. *Julian ___; civil rights activist (1940 - 2015)

63. Email option

65. *”The Learning ___” (1969 film)

66. *Operatic solo for Grace Bumbry

67. Shade of green

68. *Wally ___; famous cookie maker

69. *”Go ___ It On The Mountain”; John W. Work, Jr. Christmas spiritual

70. *Freedom ___; John Lewis, at times (1961)

Down

1. *___ Lightfoot; Chicago’s mayor (since 2019)

2. *Sacred bird of Egypt

3. *The ___ King of Scotland”; Forest Whitaker Oscar winning film (2006)

4. *African Methodist Episcopal (abbr.)

5. *___ Moseley Braun; U.S. senator (Illinois)

6. *Legendary Cathaginian (African) general almost toppled Roman Republic (218 BC)

7. *”Selma” movie director DuVernay

8. “Abbreviation after Gen. Colin Powell’s name

9. Telephone Relay Service: initials

10. *NBC veteran weather forecaster

11. *British-born singer; “Crazy” 1991 hit

12. *”___ to the chief !”: BHO presidential anthem

13. Sea eagles

22. Gave missiles to

23. *James A. Healy; first U.S. Black Catholic ___ (1854)

25. Wood-marking tool

26. *Anthony of “Black - ish”: TV sitcom

27. Something in the air

28. Volcanic hot rocks

29. Food thickeners

32. Eyelashes, to anatomists

33. Ties up

34. Goes after

36. Type of staircase

40. Shaped like a megaphone

43. Small tubes or pipes

51. David Dinkins, for one (1990 - 1993)

52. *African emperor of Rome; son of Severus

53. “What’s the ___?”

54. Black and white bite

56. Scolded, berated

57. * U.S. Poet Laurate, Rita (1993 - 1995)

58. A go-getter

60. *Willie Mays’ club

61. Wash., ___., Calif.

62. Nothing !

64. Muhammad ___; champ boxer

ARTICLE CONTINUATION

Continued from page 7

Erzouki said that people would have to do the paperwork in order to keep their medical coverage.

People have moved during the pandemic or may not receive their renewal notice in the mail.

Erzouki said in the coming months Medicaid agencies are going to be overwhelmed processing cases and documents. She estimated seven million people could lose their coverage due to paperwork issues although they are still eligible.

“They need to make sure that

their Medicaid agency has updated contact information for them,” said Laura Guerra-Cardus, CBPP’s Director of State Medicaid Strategy.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have dubbed the end of expanded health coverage an “Unwinding.”

The Biden Administration could extend the date of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for another 90 days and the continuous coverage requirement would remain for another three months.

However, at some point it would end.

The Centers for Medicare and

Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that some 8.2 million Medicaid recipients who reapply will no longer qualify and will have to transition to another source of coverage. Another 6.8 million will lose Medicaid coverage despite still being eligible.

“Check your mail,” says GuerraCardus. People could receive letters at some point from either Medicaid or CHIP and they should complete the renewal forms if they get one, she says. If they don’t qualify, they may be able to get affordable coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace and can learn more by visiting www.healthcare.gov

Herrod Sr.

SUNRISE 07/05/1988

SUNSET 12/26/2022

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 01/23/2023 at Grace Unity Baptist Church with a burial following at Greenwood Memorial Park. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Dorian Jamar Herrod Sr. was born on July 5th, 1988 in San Diego, CA. He was the third child born to Darren and Tanya Herrod and greeted at the curb by his older siblings, brother Darren (Adam) and sister (La)Taya. A few years later the family welcomed brothers Trayvon and Todd.

He spent his early years in Southeast San Diego attending Chollas Elementary. He then walked to Rowan Elementary. Later he attended DePortola Middle and Serra High in Tierrasanta. After spending some time at community college, Dorian earned a partial athletic scholarship to play baseball at Kansas State University.

Dorian chose to become a husband and a father in his twenties. From that union, he was blessed with sons Chase and Cayden. Dorian was more than loving and was a doting father. He adored his sons and was active and present in the home. He spent many weekends at Disneyland, Legoland, and any other place his boys suggested. After the dissolution of that marriage, he welcomed two more sons, Nasir and Dorian Jr. While DJ is his namesake, Nasir shares his love of baseball.

Dorian was a fun-loving person. He told tall tales and loved to make others happy. He was also extremely dependable. If ever someone needed anything, Dori was there. He volunteered as a coach and groundskeeper with many little league organizations.

December 26th, 2022 will forever mark the tragedy of the gutting loss of Dorian Jamar Herrod Sr. In his absence, he leaves his devastated family: parents Darren and Tanya Herrod; young sons Chase, Cayden, Nasir and Dorian Jr.; siblings Adam, Taya, Tray and Todd; eleven nieces and nephews; beloved uncle Omar Clariday; endeared cousin Kyera Carter-Adams; God-children Julian, Jayla and Jose, and a host of extended family and loving friends. He was undoubtedly greeted in the spiritual realm by his Granny, Queen Ester Boykins, who affectionally called him “Dooran” and his favorite aunt, Diane Chapman, who would squeal, “Dori, tell me the story!”

Dorian J. Virginia Ann

Stovall

Roy Ralph Terry

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 01/26/2023 at East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church, with a burial following at Miramar National Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Roy Grigsby, Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate, USN, Retired, went home to be with the Lord on January 7, 2023. Born in Birmingham, Alabama on July 7, 1933, Roy was a committed husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a true patriot in every sense of the word, serving his country and his community.

He was a graduate of Ullman High School, and attended Daniel Payne College, both in Birmingham, Alabama.

A veteran of the Korean War as a United States Marine, Roy also served in Vietnam as a member of the United States Navy. He served in his country’s military for more than 30 years retiring honorably. He didn’t stop there; he also gave back to his community by serving as a member of the San Diego Police Department Reserves, working as a single officer unit. He was also the first African American officer, aswell as the oldest officer, to go through and successfully complete the grueling mounted officer program.

Roy was honored by the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League for his service to his country and community. He was presented to a crowd of more than 17,000 fans, and the story of his patriotic accomplishments was shared and recognized by those in attendance.

Roy is survived by his wife of more than 66 years, Sarah; two daughters; three sons; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; three brothers; and one sister. He was predeceased by four sisters.

Roy was a role model and inspiration to those who knew him. His memory will live on forever in the hearts of his family and friends.

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on 01/24/2023 at Memory Chapel of Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary, with a burial following at Miramar National Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Ralph Terry Glenn was born on May 5, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York to Ralph Glenn and Margaret Reese. Terry received his formal education through the San Diego Unified School District and graduated from Kearny High School. Terry worked for over 25 years with the San Diego Unified School District in the food service department. Terry primarily spent his food service years at Samuel F.B. Morse High School and was loved by the students, teachers, staff, and fellow food service workers. Terry was also a veteran of the United States Army National Guard.

Terry loved sports, especially the Miami Dolphins and the San Diego Padres. He loved spending time with family and friends. He was full of life, giving, loving, and always put others before himself.

Ralph Terry Glenn departed this life on January 3, 2023. He is preceded in death by his father Ralph Glenn, and his brother Ronald Glenn.

He leaves to cherish his memory; son Terry Glenn; his mother Margaret Glenn; sisters Sharon (Leon) Wesley, Wanda (Ron) Clark, Gwenna Pretlow; and a host of aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

Time

Your Pain

ARRANGEMENTS BY ANDERSON-RAGSDALE MORTUARY

Funeral services were held on Friday, January 20, 2023, at Memory Chapel of Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary, with a burial following at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson Ragsdale Mortuary.

Virginia Ann Stovall was born March 12, 1945, in Los Angeles, California to the late William Monroe Bowden and MaryAnn Surano. The family later moved to Chicago, Illinois.

Virginia graduated from Francis Parkman Elementary and Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Virginia married her high school sweetheart, Vincent Llewellyn Chappelle, in 1963. The two were married for 10 years and from this union were born Victor William Chappelle and Desiree Ann Smith.

Virginia worked at Collins Certified Grocery store for 35 years. Later, she met and married James Stovall in 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, and moved the family to San Diego, California.

Virginia later moved to the beautiful island of Hawaii where she worked at Fort Shafter Exchange. Virginia attended Christ Temple Apostolic Church and was baptized in the name of Jesus under Elder John Hammond.

On Sunday, January 8, 2023, Virginia Ann Stovall, beloved sister, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother transitioned.

Virginia will be dearly missed by her children, family and friends: Victor Wm. (Kimberly) Chappelle, Desiree Ann (Dwayne) Smith; bonus daughter Dionnia K. Johnson (Dee Dee); grandchildren Victor Samson Chappelle, Micaela Capri Chappelle, Derek X. Bell, Chanel A. Smith, and Andrew K. Johnson; great-grandchildren Caleb Jones and Cayla Rodriguez; devoted sister Charme Y. Pickens; later-discovered four more siblings (Ancestory.com) Catherine Furlow, Nikie Slepwick, MaryBeth Lewis, and John Anthony; nephews Claude A. Pickens and Luis A. Pickens; great-niece Haley Y. Pickens; great-nephews

Myles L. Pickens and Kendall A. Pickens; and a host of cousins, extended family, and friends.

Virginia treasured her special friends Jill McIntosh (San Diego, CA) and Jamie Silva (Honolulu, Hawaii).

Rosylyn Eleanor

Johnson

SUNRISE 03/28/1939

SUNSET 01/21/2023

Rosylyn Eleanor Johnson was born in Arkansas to Rev. Dr. Augustus Japheth and Jamie Lee (Nichols) on March 28, 1939. She led a full life in a supportive community in Arkansas. She participated in many musical and social activities at Lincoln. Growing up in a segregated community, Rosylyn participated in activities sponsored by Eastern Star, Links Inc, YWCA, Ninth Street Baptist Church, and other community groups. A National Merit Scholar, Rosylyn graduated with honors.

Rosylyn attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, formally known as Arkansas AM&N where she met and married her future husband, Rev. Dr. William (Bill) Earl Johnson. Together, they raised five children; Jamena Joseph (Deceased), Lawrence Johnson, Jacquelyn Holmes, Louis Johnson, and Janeen Foster.

Rosylyn dedicated time to church and community. While managing a full-time job, focusing on her family, and maintaining musical programs at Christian Fellowship and Southeast United Presbyterian Churches, she served the community as a soror of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Xi Omega, Graduate Chapter. Her appointment by the Mayor of San Diego, Maureen O’Connor, to the Advisory Board of Women illustrated Rosylyn’s dedication to the community.

After her early retirement as an Executive Coach from Pacific Bell/AT&T, Rosylyn served on the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation (TASF) Board of Directors.

Rosylyn passed on January 21, 2023. Her sisters, Jessyca Yucas, Brook Park, OH, Marguerite Hardy, Parkville, MD, Nichola Hutchison, Ypsilanti, MI; her children, Lawrence Johnson, San Diego, CA, Jacquelyn Holmes, Bonita, CA., Louis Johnson, Sapporo, Japan, and Janeen Foster, Winchester, CA.; her sons-in-law Byron Joseph II, Peter Holmes, and LaMont Foster; her grandchildren, Dahnte Sullivan, Jesycha Green, William E. Johnson, II, Juleane Johnson, Janelle Johnson, Jovan Green, and Canaan Foster; her great-grandsons, Jeremiah Hanking and Jadani Tucker, as well as a host of relatives and friends are left to cherish her memory.

McClain Smith

SUNRISE 10/26/1947

SUNSET 01/13/2023

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL MORTUARY

Perry McClain Smith was born to Sarah and Joe McClain Smith on October 26, 1947, in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. His family later relocated to San Diego, California. Perry took an early love for having God in his life.

Perry attended his former years of school at Emerson Elementary. He excelled as a student and later graduated from San Diego High School with honors. After graduating, Perry went to work at the naval shipyard on 32nd Street in San Diego throughout his young adulthood. Upon his exit from the shipyard, he worked hard again in his passion and love of landscaping yard work, keeping so many people satisfied in the Lincoln Park area, where he resided. Back in 1965, he was one of the best-dressed young black men in town. He would be sharp from head to toe, suited and booted, driving his Cadillac around the neighborhood. He kept it as clean as he kept himself and at all times. Perry had the ladies lined up to ride around with him. He was well known in that Cadillac, especially when he drove it back in the day to the famous Ocean View Park.

Perry was also known as the best handyman in town fixing and making things work with his mechanical hands. Perry also enjoyed helping out older people that couldn’t do work for themselves.

Perry was called home to be with his Lord and Savior on January 13, 2023. He was the youngest of five children and the last man standing in his generation of our family.

Perry was preceded in death by both parents; his only son Raymond Perry Smith; three sisters; and one brother.

Perry leaves to cherish his memory a host of family members and friends, which still reside in San Diego.

Perry will have no more pain, only peace, and newfound happiness. One of his favorite parts of prayer was, “the Lord is my Shepherd,” he knows he is in a safe place now.

Kathleen

SUNRISE 06/28/1929

SUNSET 01/30/2023

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED

MORTUARY

CREMATION & BURIAL

Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on February 10, 2023, at 31st Street Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 414 South 31st Street, San Diego, CA 92113

On June 28, 1929, Kathleen Hale was born to proud parents Mary Etta Brooks and Harland Tomlin in Bakersfield, California.

A long-standing member of the 31st Street Seventh-Day Adventist Church in San Diego, CA, Kathleen was well-loved by all. Kathleen always made time for everyone. She always provided support and love for her family.

In her senior years, Kathleen had the opportunity to become a world traveler and developed lasting friendships in foreign lands. Kathleen was the mother of three children. However, many people considered Kathleen their surrogate mother and grandmother (lovingly called “Gram”).

On January 30, 2023, Kathleen Hale passed away peacefully at age ninety-three after a brief illness. She was surrounded by her loved ones at the time of her passing. Kathleen was preceded in death by husband Lloyd R.V. Hale of sixty-three years; and brothers William Tomlin and Clarence Tomlin of Bakersfield, CA. Kathleen is survived by her daughter Eleanor (Hale) Hicks; son-in-law Hobert Hicks; sons Michael Hale, and Bradford Hale; daughter-in-law Melba Hale; grandchildren Tamiko McKenzie, Dacus Hale, Mikaele Epati-Hale, Shukura Hicks-Robinson, Shani Hicks, Demonray Hale, Deanna Hale; and a host of great-grands, nieces, and nephews.

Psalm 34:18

Memories Build a Special Bridge

“Live”

Our memories build a special bridge when loved ones have to part to help us feel we’re with them still and sooth a grieving heart. Our memories span the years we shared, preserving ties that bind, They build a special bridge of love and bring us peace of mind.

SUNRISE 02/09/1943

ARRANGEMENTS BY PREFERRED CREMATION & BURIAL MORTUARY

This unique “Live” Celebration of Life Service will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at New Life Baptist Church in Spring Valley.

Laura Dell Stevens was born on February 9, 1943, in Shreveport, Louisiana to Samson Grant and Rosie Lee Alexander. She was the second of seven children and has two half-sisters from her father. Despite her parents’ lack of education, Laura credits them and her grandparents for instilling wisdom and values. A special teacher inspired Laura in the value of learning. She shared that knowledge with her parents; teaching her mother how to write, sign her name, shop, and buy her own food.

Laura graduated from high school and had one son, Curtis Lynn Ford, born in London, England. In 1971, her father convinced her to move to San Diego where she still resides.

Laura turned her passion for cooking into a career and a purpose – volunteering for many organizations, including the George Stevens Center. She attended a Food Service School and earned a Food Handler License. Laura’s first job with the Dietary Department in the San Diego Physician Surgeon Hospital enabled her to support her parents and son. She worked there for 17 and a half years. She also worked at the Marriott Hotel in the restaurant as a cook and at the Edgemoor Hospital Nursing Home where she retired after twenty years.

Laura is blessed to be surrounded by her siblings and blessed with three grandchildren.

Laura is also a part of the Eastern Star in the State of California Chapter Daughter of Love, Number 203. She has earned and served in many offices: Worthy Matron of Xante’, appointed the prestigious position of Grand Marshal for the Garden of Eden Grand Chapter. She was elevated to The Exalted Order of Amaranth, The Heroines of Jericho, The Lady Knights of Templar, The Ancient Arabic Order Daughter of Sphinx, and upon being elevated to her final and highest degree of an Eastern Star, Sister Laura Dell Stevens was adorned with the Degree of Rose of Seven Seals. It was stated that Laura Dell Stevens will never be forgotten, but always be remembered for her acts of spiritual fraternal charity throughout her many years of membership and service.

These days, Laura spends most of her time at New Life. When not busy there, she enjoys singing, dancing, visiting the sick, and traveling. Her favorite quotes are, “The more you smile, the more life is better for you,” and “With people it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Emily Matthews

Those we love are never really lost to us we feel them in so many special ways through friends they always cared about and dreams they left behind, in beauty that they added to our days… in words of wisdom we still carry with us and memories that never will be gone… Those we love are never really lost to us

For everywhere their special love lives on.

Love Lives On A. Bradley

Laura Stevens

Perry

Celebration of Life

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.