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NAACP Demands Investigation into San Bernardino City Council Meeting Hate Incident

The San Bernardino Branch of the NAACP is calling on the City of San Bernardino to investigate a racial incident that occurred last week. During the public comments section of a City Council meeting on Oct. 18, Amy Malone, a Black resident of San Bernardino, was interrupted by racial slurs from a commenter who was viewing the meeting remotely.

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Screenshot of Amy Malone at the San Bernardino City Council meeting on Oct. 23. Photo by California Black Media.
Screenshot of Amy Malone at the San Bernardino City Council meeting on Oct. 23. Photo by California Black Media.

By Manny Otiko

California Black Media

The San Bernardino Branch of the NAACP is calling on the City of San Bernardino to investigate a racial incident that occurred last week.

During the public comments section of a City Council meeting on Oct. 18, Amy Malone, a Black resident of San Bernardino, was interrupted by racial slurs from a commenter who was viewing the meeting remotely.

The anonymous commenter told Malone to “go back to Africa” and called her the N-word. She was also called a “b—h.”

Malone was shocked by the comments and insisted that they be addressed immediately.

“You should apologize for what just happened,” she said to the City Council members present.

The local branch of the NAACP also reacted to the incident, calling it “disgusting.”

“It is with a heavy heart that we must deal with racial insults being tossed at the Black community on 10/18/23 as they cautioned the mayor and council not to hire Mr. Charles Montoya as City Manager because of his public legal issues cause from being fired by the Mayor and Council from Avondale, Arizona,” wrote Chache Wright, the president of the NAACP San Bernardino Branch.

Before she was interrupted, Malone was expressing her objections to the hiring of Montoya because of past misconduct and his questionable professional past. She was one of several residents who opposed his hiring because of his checkered employment history.

According to some of the protesters, Montoya also has a history of filing lawsuits against previous employers. During an appearance at the meeting, Montoya said he had no regrets about his decision. The case is currently proceeding to federal court.

Despite these concerns, the City Council approved Montoya’s hiring. Montoya has previously worked as a city manager in California and Arizona.

A statement posted on the city’s website says that the official recording of the meeting has been edited to remove the offensive language.

“The racist comments made during the October 18, 2023, City Council meeting by individuals connected remotely through Zoom were offensive and unacceptable, and the City of San Bernardino condemns what happened in no uncertain terms,” reads the statement.

“The city apologizes to anyone who heard what was said. Our community will not tolerate this type of hateful language in our public meetings, or anywhere. The city is working to identify the individuals who made the comments.

“The City Clerk and her staff, along with our IT department, are working with the San Bernardino Police Department on this. We have identified all the IP addresses that were in the queue at the time and are working to identify those that were involved. SBPD is investigating this as a violation of California Penal Code 403.”

The offensive comments are part of a phenomenon known as Zoom bombing, which gained prominence during the coronavirus pandemic when many groups and businesses were forced to conduct most meetings via the video conferencing platform. When these meetings were not properly secured, unauthorized individuals could join the chat and make inappropriate comments.

The San Bernardino NAACP says it plans to file a formal request for an investigation into the hate incident and the hiring of the city manager with the city. It will also share that request with State Attorney General Rob Bonta and the United States Department of Justice.

“The NAACP Legal Redress Committee is currently in the process of compiling relevant information and plans to transmit this information to the appropriate authorities next week, accompanied by their official request,” Wright concluded.

Activism

Two New California Bills Are Aiming to Lower Your Prescription Drug Costs

“When basic life necessities like medication become unaffordable in Blue States, working people pay the price. As Democrats, we should be leading on making people’s lives better and more affordable,” continued Weiner. It is past time California caught up with other states and put basic protections in place to contain the astronomical cost of basic medications.”

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iStock.
iStock.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has introduced two bills in the State Senate that could lower prescription drug prices for California residents.

Senate Bill (SB) 40, or the Insulin Affordability Act — and accompanying legislation, SB 41, or Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform — comprise Wiener’s Prescription Drug Affordability (PDA) Package.

Together, the bills would cap monthly co-pays for insulin at $35 (SB 40) and create regulations for pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) whose negotiation practices, critics say, have resulted in steep price increases for prescription drugs (SB 41).

“It makes no sense that people with diabetes in states like West Virginia can access affordable insulin while Californians are stuck with higher prices,” said Wiener in a statement.

“When basic life necessities like medication become unaffordable in Blue States, working people pay the price. As Democrats, we should be leading on making people’s lives better and more affordable,” continued Weiner. It is past time California caught up with other states and put basic protections in place to contain the astronomical cost of basic medications.”

SB 40’s proposed $35 monthly co-pay was written, in part, in response to the price of insulin tripling over the past decade, Wiener’s office says. As a result of the increase, one in four people using insulin has reported insulin underuse because they can’t afford the full dose.

About 4,037,000 adult Californians have diabetes, with an additional 263,000 cases of Type 1 diabetes diagnosed each year. This rate in new cases disproportionately affects the elderly, men, and low-income patients, Wiener’s office reports.

According to Wiener, SB 41 is his follow-up to similar legislation he introduced last year, SB 966, which was vetoed by Gov. Newsom.

Middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry, PBMs buy prescription drugs from manufacturers and then sell them to pharmacies and health plans. Their position as intermediaries allows them to charge high administrative fees and significantly higher prices for drugs to pharmacies than they paid originally. This practice results in higher costs for patients seeking the prescriptions they need.

“On behalf of the Californians we serve who live with chronic and rare diseases, we are grateful to Sen. Wiener for his commitment and attempt to hold pharmacy middlemen accountable for their anti-patient and anti-pharmacy practices,” stated Liz Helms, California Chronic Care Coalition President & CEO.  “Health care costs continue to rise when patients cannot afford medically necessary medications.”

SB 41 proposes that all PBMs be licensed and that they disclose basic information regarding their business practices to the licensing entity. It also calls for a number of other requirements and prohibitions, including limiting how fees may be charged and requiring transparency related to all fees assessed.

“This bill addresses some of the worst abuses by pharmacy benefit managers: lack of transparency, unfair business practices, steering, and price gouging,” said Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog.

In 2022, drug spending in California grew by 12%, while total health premiums rose by just 4%. Last year, more than half of Californians either skipped or postponed mental and physical healthcare due to cost, putting their safety and well-being at risk. One in three reported holding medical debt, including half of low-income Californians.

So far, there is no organized opposition to the Prescription Drug Affordability package.

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Activism

Tony Thurmond Urges Educators to Stay Focused Amid Federal Funding Battle

In a statement and a letter to California’s local educational agencies (LEAs), Thurmond praised efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and close achievement gaps, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. “Now is not the time to be distracted by external efforts to demean and divide,” Thurmond wrote. “Please continue to stay the course with local programs that are producing results. Our students need consistency, support, and community more than ever.”

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Tony Thurmond. Courtesy of Tony Thurmond’s Facebook page.
Tony Thurmond. Courtesy of Tony Thurmond’s Facebook page.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has urged educators to remain focused on student achievement following a court ruling that temporarily blocks the Trump administration from freezing federal funding for schools, health care, law enforcement, and disaster relief.

A U.S. District Court judge in Rhode Island issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on Jan. 31, halting federal efforts to pause funding while a lawsuit led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 22 other state attorneys general moves forward. Thurmond, a declarant in the case, welcomed the decision and reassured educators that funding for critical school programs remains in place.

In a statement and a letter to California’s local educational agencies (LEAs), Thurmond praised efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and close achievement gaps, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

“Now is not the time to be distracted by external efforts to demean and divide,” Thurmond wrote. “Please continue to stay the course with local programs that are producing results. Our students need consistency, support, and community more than ever.”

Thurmond emphasized that state officials will continue advocating for stable funding to ensure schools can maintain and expand programs that help students succeed.

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Activism

Lawsuit Accuses UC Schools of Giving Preference to Black and Hispanic Students

The lawsuit also alleges UC is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination by federally funded institutions. In response, UC stated that race is not a factor in admissions, as per state law, and that student demographic data is collected only for statistical purposes.

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iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

A lawsuit filed in federal court accuses the University of California (UC) of racial discrimination in undergraduate admissions, alleging that Black and Latino students are favored over Asian American and white applicants. The lawsuit, filed by the group Students Against Racial Discrimination, claims UC’s admissions policies violate Proposition 209, a state law passed in 1996 that prohibits the consideration of race in public education.

The lawsuit also alleges UC is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars racial discrimination by federally funded institutions.

In response, UC stated that race is not a factor in admissions, as per state law, and that student demographic data is collected only for statistical purposes.

Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the UC system, said the entity had not been served with the lawsuit.

“If served, we will vigorously defend our admission practices,” said Holbrook.

“We believe this to be a meritless suit that seeks to distract us from our mission to provide California students with a world-class education,” he said.

The complaint criticizes UC’s use of a “holistic” admissions process, arguing it replaces objective academic criteria with subjective considerations that disadvantage certain racial groups. It cites admission rate disparities at UC Berkeley, noting a decrease in Black student admissions from 13% in 2010 to 10% in 2023, compared to an overall drop from 21% to 12%.

The lawsuit follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions, which has prompted challenges to race-conscious policies nationwide. The plaintiffs seek a court order preventing UC from collecting racial data in applications and request a federal monitor to oversee admissions decisions.

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