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VOL 116 NO 32IMPERIAL COUNTY, CA THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 CHANGE SERVICE REQUEST Serving Your Community Since 1905 Read us online at HoltvilleTribune.com Holtville Unified Set for Students to Return Online Aug. 17 BY CELESTE ALVAREZ Holtville students and educa- tors will soon be resuming morn- ing classes remotely as the threat of the coronavirus pandemic per- sists past summer vacation. "We are excited to see our students, even though it will have to be online," said Anthony Arevalo, principal for Holtville High School. Some local parents had hoped the Holtville Unified School District would begin classes with students on campus. However, due to high rates of COVID infections in Imperial County, all schools throughout the county will be starting the fall with dis- tance learning in place as man- dated by the state, according to a letter released by the Holtville district in late July. "When the governor ordered we distance learn for the start of the school year, it let us know what direction to go in our plan- ning," explained Arevalo. Online classes in Holtville Unified schools starts Aug. 17. Imperial County was among the California counties on the state's monitoring list ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom to continue with distance learning until the county has been removed from the list for a period of 14 consec- utive days. At that time, schools will be permitted to provide in- person instruction subject to comprehensive guidance and health and safety requirements, stated Dr. Stephen Munday, Imperial County Public Health officer, and Todd Finnell, Imperial County Superintendent of Schools, in a joint statement released mid-July. "Distance learning, it's very similar to learning in the class- room," said Arevalo. "There are differences, but they are cut from the same cloth to some extent." Although an abrupt form of distance learning was imple- mented in late March for the spring school year, the upcoming fall session is expected to differ for many schools given specific guidelines and expectations issued by the state on how schools operate their distance learning, according to Holtville Unified's letter. In accordance with the state, a minimum amount of instruc- tional time for different grade levels has been directed, with Continued on page 3 Copter Crash Outside Holtville Leaves Pilot with Minor Injuries BY RICHARD MONTENEGRO BROWN The pilot of a downed crop-dusting heli- copter sustained minor facial trauma that left him bloodied but largely uninjured after a crash north of Holtville on July 30, explained the pilot's son, who is also the owner of the crop-dusting company. "He's back at home. He got some minor cuts and bruises, but he was back home yes- terday (July 31)," said Amador Fernandez Jr., pilot/owner of A Farmer Service Corp. when he was contacted for an update on his father's condition Aug. 1. Pilot Amador Fernandez Sr., who was the only person on board during the crash, was transported to a San Diego-area hospital by ground ambulance purely as a precaution, Holtville Fire Chief Alex Silva said July 31, Continued on page 2 Team Rubicon's Military Vets Aid Niland Fire Clean-up Effort BY JAYSON BARNISKE AND ELIZABETH VARIN The growl of chainsaws downing charred trees and the thud of heavy machinery clearing piles of debris where homes once stood could be heard throughout Niland during the second day of a massive clean-up effort by the county of Imperial. After a June 28 brush fire, spread by sustained high winds, destroyed much of the township and left one person dead and more than 40 families displaced and more than 40 structures in ruins, the work to clear an esti- mated 7,500 tons of ash and debris started Aug. 3. Among the many agencies brought together were crews from Team Rubicon, a nonprofit, military veteran-led disaster response team based in Los Angeles, which had 20 volun- teers in Niland on Aug. 4 and would see more than 100 more volunteers cycle in over the course of the three-week job, Team Rubicon Disaster Response supervisor Kevin Kothlow said. "We are a veteran-based dis- aster response group that origi- nally started in 2010 responding to the Haiti earthquake," Kothlow explained. "Since then, we keep growing and we try to help areas that have been impact- ed like Niland." Continued on page 3 Why are COVID deaths rising so rapidly if cases are falling? Timing, Imperial officials say BY RICHARD MONTENEGRO BROWN The number of dead due to COVID in Imperial County took several sizeable daily leaps last week, just as it has numerous times over the past few weeks, despite public health dashboard data showing positive cases of the virus continuing to decline and health officials continuing to say conditions are improving. Deaths considered COVID- 19-related reached 220 as of the morning of Aug. 1, up from 200 on July 30, 188 on July 28, and 181 on July 25. The climb has seemed impossibly steep, impos- sibly fast: since July 20, the dash- board has gone from 163 total deaths, an increase of 57 deaths in two full weeks of reporting. So, what gives with all the deaths? If conditions are improv- ing, why are so many people still dying? Or does it just seem that way? "The increase in deaths reflect the overall increase in cases. And there's an expected delay in deaths. With some deaths occurring weeks or up to a Continued on page 8 EMPLOYEES WITH A Farmer Service Corp. of Imperial work to clear the crash site July 31 of a crop-dusting helicopter that went down one mile northeast of Holtville around 8:30 p.m. July 30. The pilot of the helicopter suffered minor facial injuries in the accident and no one else was injured. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO CREW MEMBERS WITH Team Rubicon Disaster Response work on cleaning up the Niland township fire site on Aug. 3. Team Rubicon is a nonprofit that utilizes the skills and experi- ences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. JAYSON BARNISKE PHOTO IMPERIAL COUNTY PUBLIC Health Officer, Dr. Stephen Munday, tells the county board July 28 that he's "cautiously opti- mistic" about improving conditions in the county on COVID spread. VIDEO SCREEN CAPTURE
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VOL 116 NO 32IMPERIAL COUNTY, CA THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 CHANGE SERVICE REQUEST

Serving Your Community Since 1905

R e a d u s o n l i n e a t H o l t v i l l e T r i b u n e . c o m

HoltvilleUnified Set forStudents toReturn OnlineAug. 17

BY CELESTE ALVAREZ

Holtville students and educa-tors will soon be resuming morn-ing classes remotely as the threatof the coronavirus pandemic per-sists past summer vacation.

"We are excited to see ourstudents, even though it will haveto be online," said AnthonyArevalo, principal for HoltvilleHigh School.

Some local parents had hopedthe Holtville Unified SchoolDistrict would begin classes withstudents on campus. However,due to high rates of COVIDinfections in Imperial County, allschools throughout the countywill be starting the fall with dis-tance learning in place as man-dated by the state, according to aletter released by the Holtvilledistrict in late July.

"When the governor orderedwe distance learn for the start ofthe school year, it let us knowwhat direction to go in our plan-ning," explained Arevalo.

Online classes in HoltvilleUnified schools starts Aug. 17.

Imperial County was amongthe California counties on thestate's monitoring list ordered byGov. Gavin Newsom to continuewith distance learning until thecounty has been removed fromthe list for a period of 14 consec-utive days. At that time, schoolswill be permitted to provide in-person instruction subject tocomprehensive guidance andhealth and safety requirements,stated Dr. Stephen Munday,Imperial County Public Healthofficer, and Todd Finnell,Imperial County Superintendentof Schools, in a joint statementreleased mid-July.

"Distance learning, it's verysimilar to learning in the class-room," said Arevalo. "There aredifferences, but they are cut fromthe same cloth to some extent."

Although an abrupt form ofdistance learning was imple-mented in late March for thespring school year, the upcomingfall session is expected to differfor many schools given specificguidelines and expectationsissued by the state on howschools operate their distancelearning, according to HoltvilleUnified's letter.

In accordance with the state,a minimum amount of instruc-tional time for different gradelevels has been directed, with

Continued on page 3

Copter Crash Outside Holtville LeavesPilot with Minor Injuries

BY RICHARD MONTENEGRO BROWN

The pilot of a downed crop-dusting heli-copter sustained minor facial trauma that lefthim bloodied but largely uninjured after acrash north of Holtville on July 30, explainedthe pilot's son, who is also the owner of thecrop-dusting company.

"He's back at home. He got some minorcuts and bruises, but he was back home yes-terday (July 31)," said Amador Fernandez Jr.,pilot/owner of A Farmer Service Corp. whenhe was contacted for an update on his father'scondition Aug. 1.

Pilot Amador Fernandez Sr., who was theonly person on board during the crash, wastransported to a San Diego-area hospital byground ambulance purely as a precaution,Holtville Fire Chief Alex Silva said July 31,

Continued on page 2

Team Rubicon's Military Vets Aid Niland Fire Clean-up EffortBY JAYSON BARNISKE

AND ELIZABETH VARIN

The growl of chainsawsdowning charred trees and thethud of heavy machinery clearingpiles of debris where homes oncestood could be heard throughoutNiland during the second day of amassive clean-up effort by thecounty of Imperial.

After a June 28 brush fire,spread by sustained high winds,destroyed much of the townshipand left one person dead andmore than 40 families displacedand more than 40 structures inruins, the work to clear an esti-mated 7,500 tons of ash anddebris started Aug. 3.

Among the many agencies

brought together were crewsfrom Team Rubicon, a nonprofit,military veteran-led disasterresponse team based in LosAngeles, which had 20 volun-teers in Niland on Aug. 4 andwould see more than 100 morevolunteers cycle in over thecourse of the three-week job,Team Rubicon Disaster Responsesupervisor Kevin Kothlow said.

"We are a veteran-based dis-aster response group that origi-nally started in 2010 respondingto the Haiti earthquake,"Kothlow explained. "Since then,we keep growing and we try tohelp areas that have been impact-ed like Niland."

Continued on page 3

Why are COVID deaths rising so rapidly ifcases are falling? Timing, Imperial officials say

BY RICHARD MONTENEGRO BROWN

The number of dead due toCOVID in Imperial County tookseveral sizeable daily leaps lastweek, just as it has numeroustimes over the past few weeks,despite public health dashboarddata showing positive cases ofthe virus continuing to declineand health officials continuing tosay conditions are improving.

Deaths considered COVID-19-related reached 220 as of themorning of Aug. 1, up from 200on July 30, 188 on July 28, and

181 on July 25. The climb hasseemed impossibly steep, impos-sibly fast: since July 20, the dash-board has gone from 163 totaldeaths, an increase of 57 deathsin two full weeks of reporting.

So, what gives with all thedeaths? If conditions are improv-ing, why are so many people stilldying? Or does it just seem thatway?

"The increase in deathsreflect the overall increase incases. And there's an expecteddelay in deaths. With somedeaths occurring weeks or up to a

Continued on page 8

EMPLOYEES WITH A Farmer Service Corp. of Imperial work to clear the crash siteJuly 31 of a crop-dusting helicopter that went down one mile northeast of Holtvillearound 8:30 p.m. July 30. The pilot of the helicopter suffered minor facial injuries in theaccident and no one else was injured. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO

CREW MEMBERS WITH Team Rubicon Disaster Responsework on cleaning up the Niland township fire site on Aug. 3.Team Rubicon is a nonprofit that utilizes the skills and experi-ences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deployemergency response teams. JAYSON BARNISKE PHOTO

IMPERIAL COUNTY PUBLIC Health Officer, Dr. StephenMunday, tells the county board July 28 that he's "cautiously opti-mistic" about improving conditions in the county on COVIDspread. VIDEO SCREEN CAPTURE

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BY CELESTE ALVAREZ

A parade recognizing the hardwork that educators and schoolstaff achieved over the summer toprepare students for fall classeswill be held Aug. 17.

"We know that the HoltvilleUnified School District teachersand staff came together in a shortperiod of time and were able tohelp compose a new teaching sys-tem that would benefit ourHoltville students," said HaleyDowsey, personnel technician forthe city of Holtville. "Their over-all response just reminds us oftheir dedication and focus for theirstudents and their futures."

The parade will be the first ofits kind organized by the HoltvilleComplete Count Committee,which hopes to continue to sup-port educators by encouraginglocal residents to participate in the2020 Census.

"The 2020 Census will informdecisions about allocating hun-dreds of billions of dollars in fed-eral funding to communitiesacross the country," explainedDowsey. "That includes fundingand support for school programsand services such as special edu-cation, free and reduced-pricelunch, classroom technology,teacher training, after-school pro-grams, Head Start and more."

City of Holtville, Holtville

Fire Department, HoltvilleChamber of Commerce, HoltvilleHigh School, HUSD teachers andstaff, along with local residentsand count committee volunteerswill all be participating in theparade that will be from 6 to 7p.m. Aug. 17, the first day ofschool for many Holtville stu-dents.

In response to the ongoingpandemic, community memberswill be able to view the paradesafely from their homes by watch-ing live footage of the parade fromthe city of Holtville's FacebookPage and the Holtville Chamber ofCommerce Facebook Page,explained Dowsey. Unfortunately,the committee is still working onthe parade route but will providethe community with details assoon as possible via the chamberand city's Facebook pages.

However, if you would like tohelp get involved in the upcomingparade, the committee is askingthe community members to helpget students and educators excitedfor the school year by creating andposting signs in their yards tocheer on students as they begin theschool year.

Although the parade is meantto welcome educators and stu-dents back to distance learning,Dowsey hopes it might alsoinspire local residents to take theCensus seriously for the better-ment of the city's future.

"Think of your morning com-mute, Census results influencehighway planning and construc-tion, as well as grants for buses,subways, and other public transitsystems," Dowsey said. "The listgoes on including programs tosupport rural areas, to restorewildlife, to prevent child abuse, toprepare for wildfires and to pro-vide housing assistance for olderadults."

"We would like to thank all ofthe teachers and staff for their ded-ication and hard work," saidDowsey. "We hope that our stu-dents succeed in all that they do."

Continued on page 3

Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 2

HOLTVILLE TRIBUNE

1239 W. Main St.El Centro, CA

92243

Publisher: Brenda Torres

Office Manager: Rosa Nogueda

Editor: Richard MontenegroBrownReporters:

Jayson Barniske, RichardMontenegro Brown, ElizabethVilla, Mayella Vasquez, Andy

Velez, Daniel RochaProduction: Christina

Villarreal, Photographer: Corissa

IbarraOnline Services:

Walter Mejia,Andrea Redfern

Holtville Tribune (USPS 247-880) is published weekly onFridays for $25 per year byHoltville Tribune/ Imperial ValleyWeekly/ Calexico Chronicle at1239 W. Main Street, El Centro, CA92243. Periodical postage paid atHoltville, California.

Postmaster: send addresschanges to Holtville Tribune, 1239

W. Main Street., El Centro, CA92243.

The Holtville Tribune is anewspaper of general circulationfor the publication of legal notices,as defined in Section 4460 of thePolitical Code, State of California,in the Superior Court of ImperialCounty.

Subscription prices: ImperialCounty - 1 Year $42, 2 Years $80;In California - 1 Year $42.00, 2years $80; Foreign - (except mili-tary) 1 year $35.

E-Mail:[email protected]

www.holtvilletribune.com

CALL (760) 339-4899

A first class newspaperentered as second class matter

at Holtville Post OfficeFebruary 27, 1905, under Actof Congress of March 3, 1997.

Member of CNPA

Woman’s Club Of HoltvilleCommunity Birthdays

AUG. 06: Callie Hernandez, Christy Cradic, Jonathan McClure, Ricky Wasson (Ellis) Asa Salcido, Cooper Elliot Hoff, Oliver Turner, Rodney Strahm, Keenan Kennedy, Glen CrosbyAUG. 07: Buck De Paoli, Ellery Rebecca Evans, Isabella Lopez†, Betty Dickerson†, Ben Rubin†, Chris Dodson, Kate GrizzleAUG. 08: Mattie I. Hunt†, Jackson Turner†AUG. 09: Donna Lorensen, Ron Jessee, Kyle Daniels, Jacob Ritter, Emily Joyce DeLong, Mike Omlin, Elaine Ponton†AUG. 10: Toni Chiaramonte†, Trevor Daniel CarteeAUG. 11: Missy Birger, Anthony Iten, Janice Sudduth, John Keith Chimits, Jeff Graeme, Timothy Walters, Jess Johnson.AUG. 12: Caitlin Cook, Anna Cannon, Susie Baker†

Anniversaries

AUG. 06: Mr & Mrs. Donnie KilgoreAUG, 07: Mr. & Mrs. Pete CradicAUG. 08: Mr. & Mrs. Ed Briseno, Mr. & Mrs. Kellen EnzAUG. 12: Mr. & Mrs. Mike Johnson, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Dollente

Week of August 3rdSubstance Use Disorder (SUD) Prevention Services

Youth face unique challenges in the COVID-19 shelter at home require-ments. With virtual school, virtual friendships, and stay at home, stress anddepression may increase and this increases risks for possible substance use.Too Good For Drugs is an evidenced-based substance use prevention pro-

gram that focuses on facts and decision-making practices in a group setting.This program is currently being adopted to remote learning environments.Join our guest, Danny Gutierrez, as he discusses the 12 session curriculum,

its benefits, and the challenges of adapting from a classroom setting to a vir-tual one.

Danny GutierrezCommunity Service Worker

Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Program

(442)-265-1525(442)-265-1525

(442)-265-1525(442)-265-1525

Semana del 3 de agostoServicios de Prevención de Uso de Sustancias

Los jóvenes enfrentan desafíos únicos en el refugio COVID-19 en el hogar.Con la escuela virtual, las amistades virtuales y quedarse en casa, el estrés y

la depresión pueden aumentar y esto aumenta los riesgos de un posible uso desustancias. Too Good For Drugs, es un programa de prevención del uso de

sustancias basado en evidencia que se enfoca en hechos y practicas de tomade decisiones en un entorno grupal. Actualmente adoptado en entornos deaprendizaje remotos, nuestros invitada, Michelle Reyna, analiza el plan de

estudios de 12 sesiones, sus beneficios y los desafíos de adaptarse de un aulaa una virtual

Michelle ReynaTrabajadora de Servicios Comunitario

Servicios de Tratamiento para Trastorno por Uso de Substancias para Adolescentes

but the pilot actually refused localmedical transport and initially wasdriven to the El Centro RegionalMedical Center emergency roomby a co-worker after the 8:30 p.m.crash.

Amador Fernandez Jr. was onscene when the helicopter wentdown, but he couldn't comment onwhat might have caused the crashbecause it is now under investiga-tion by the Federal AviationAdministration and the NationalTransportation Safety Board.

The helicopter crash occurredabout one mile northeast ofHoltville near Norrish Road whereit intersects with BridenstineRoad, confirmed Silva.

"Bystanders" heard "theengine sputtering" before the 2006Road Craft helicopter collidedwith a stack of haybales whiledusting an alfalfa field, Silvaexplained.

He described the aircraft as atotal loss and said the dusting

company's workers were on siteremoving the helicopter the morn-ing of July 31.

Fernandez Jr. said his fathercrashed into the bales as he wasattempting to safely land follow-ing engine trouble on a nearby dirtroadway, but he said the helicopterwas going too fast and went intothe bales instead.

Fernandez Jr. said his dad wasjust trying to survive.

Meanwhile, Silva said the hel-icopter was carrying a "low-gradepesticide" that was spilled in thearea.

Imperial Irrigation Districtworkers were at the site in themorning and reported that whileabout 20 gallons of pesticide didget spilled into and around an IIDdrain, there was "zero toxicity,"district spokesperson RobertSchettler said. Also, there was nodamage to IID's drainage systemas a result of the crash.

Helicopter............from page one

Welcome Back to School ParadeSet for First Day

Southbound lanes at new CalexicoWest POE Re-routed for a Year

STAFF REPORTU.S. General Services

Administration and U.S.Department of HomelandSecurity-Customs and BorderProtection are detouring south-bound vehicle traffic lanes, alsoknown as "privately owned vehi-cle" (POV) lanes, at the CalexicoWest Port of Entry at 4 a.m. Aug.10 for a period of one year,according to a GSA press release.

The approach to the existingand a new temporary roadwaywill remain the same for south-bound traffic. However, vehicleswill veer slightly east onto thetemporary roadway. As of thisdate, vehicles will be rerouted tothe temporary lanes to accommo-date the construction of canopiesand inspection booths on the per-manent southbound POV roadwayto Mexico, a press release stated.

"Currently, there are threesouthbound lanes which expandinto five inspection lanes leadingto three lanes onto the bridgeacross the New River. During thisconstruction phase, the temporarylane configuration will be the twoeasternmost lanes entering theexisting southbound road, open-ing back to three lanes onto thebridge across the New River. Thelocation of the return to U.S. lanewill be accessible via the eastern-most southbound lane just beforethe bridge," the GSA releasestates.

The traveling public shouldexpect delays, monitor trafficsigns, and reduce speeds duringthe construction. For more infor-mation about the Calexico Westport reconfiguration and expan-sion project, click here.

IID hits new energy peak duringheatwave, encourages customersto stay cool

STAFF REPORTExcessive heat throughout the

Imperial Irrigation District’sservice territory during the lastweek caused the district to hit anew historic power peak.

With temperatures reaching116 degrees around 5 p.m. onFriday, July 31, the new all-timedemand for power from IID’senergy system rose to 1,106megawatts, surpassing the previ-ous energy peak by 33megawatts, which was last set inJune 2017.

A peak is considered to be thehighest demand for energy, sys-tem wide, at a single point intime.

“Despite the increase in tem-peratures and strain on the elec-trical grid, IID was able to meetcustomer demand,” said Marilyndel Bosque Gilbert, energy man-ager.

While the district is preparedto meet the summer energy load,

customers, too, can do their partto stay cool, save energy andreduce the load on the electricalsystem.

Some easy things customerscan do include:

• Set your thermostat to 78degrees or higher when you arehome.

• Avoid using major appli-ances like washers, dryers anddishwashers between peak hoursof 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

•Use floor or ceiling fans tocool off for less; however, be sureto turn fans off when you leave aroom as they only cool people,not spaces.

•Block the sun from overheat-ing your home. Inside, useshades, blinds and drapes.Outside, use awnings, trees andshrubs.

For more useful cooling andenergy savings tips, please visit:www.iid.com/summersavings.

Visit our website: holtvilletribune.com

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Team Rubicon is workingwith the California Office ofEmergency Services to help resi-dents recover from the fire and getfamilies back in their homes,Kothlow said.

"We are assisting Cal OES(and the county) in clearing all ofthe burn debris, cement, and foun-dations. We are clearing out twoto three inches of soil to get all thecontaminants out. The homeown-ers can come back, and Cal OESis going to bring in temporarytrailers until residents canrebuild," said a Team Rubiconheavy-machine operator whoidentified himself only as "Pops."

Kothlow added the county islooking into getting mobile homesas a long-term solution for firevictims, as well.

Team Rubicon volunteerAndrew MacVey used a chainsawto cut down trees blocking theentrance to one condemned resi-dence.

"We started clearing trees andother debris yesterday to make apath for the loaders and excava-tors to enter the properties," saidMacVey, who came from LosAngeles to volunteer with TeamRubicon.

"The county used two localvendors to sweep through all theproperties and pick out everythingthat is defined by law as haz-ardous waste and do grid soil-test-ing to check for asbestos or otherharmful chemicals," saidKothlow, adding that when identi-fied, hazardous waste must becleared from the site before TeamRubicon volunteers can begintheir work.

Kothlow said he expects all 41burn sites in Niland will be cleanat the end of his organization'sthree-week mission.

Team Rubicon set up 25 bedsfor volunteers in the Grace SmithElementary gymnasium. The vol-unteers will work in shifts rangingfrom five to seven days. A map ofNiland was prominently dis-played on a wall in the gymnasi-um noting the 41 properties vol-unteers plan to clean, includingsome which have already beenidentified to have asbestos.

When asked how his team isacclimating to August in Niland,Kothlow said members of histeam hail from all parts of thecountry.

"Volunteers who come fromdesert climates like Arizona andSouthern California are having aneasier time than those who comefrom cooler climates," Kothlowsaid.

Morgan Williams has lived inNiland since 1983, and althoughhe did not lose his home in thefire, he lost eight uninsured vehi-cles and a trailer.

"The county is doing a goodjob cleaning up. I understand itwill take a little time and the vol-unteers have to work in the heat,"

Williams said.Williams said he was grateful

he saved his suits during the fire,so he could still wear proper attirewhen attending church.

Team Rubicon responds todisasters all over the country.During the pandemic, the non-profit was helping during thequarantine by manning foodbanks and COVID-19-testingsites. In June, the Team Rubiconcompleted a fire-mitigation proj-ect in Idyllwild, Kothlow said.

Team Rubicon's national oper-ation at Grand Prairie, Texas,monitors and responds to hurri-canes. The organization is bothvolunteer- and donation-basedand does not charge for its servic-es. Those interested in learningmore about the Team RubiconDisaster response can visitwww.teamrubiconusa.org.

Supervisors Approve Niland-Related Decisions

More than $1 million in debrisremoval and housing help for theNiland fire victims was approvedat the Aug. 4 Imperial CountyBoard of Supervisors meeting.

Republic Services/AlliedWaste is removing an estimated7,500 tons of ash and debris fromthe Niland fire site after the super-visors ratified a $600,000 agree-ment with the waste-managementcompany.

In the second half of July, firedebris clean-up began withasbestos and household hazardouswaste identification and removal.The second phase of the Nilandfire clean-up is the solid wastedebris removal and disposal stage,according to Jeff Lamoure,deputy director of environmentalhealth for Imperial County.

The Niland site has an esti-mated 7,500 tons of structural ashand debris that needs to beremoved from 41 parcels,Lamoure said. However, that is aconservative estimate based onstate wildfire disaster debrisremoval data.

The Cal OES estimates theNiland fire clean-up will costabout $2.8 million, according to aletter to the Board of Supervisorsfrom Public Health DirectorJanette Angulo. The county is pur-suing two paths to mitigate thefiscal impact, including grantfunding opportunities and reim-bursement of up to 75 percent ofcosts through the CaliforniaDisaster Assistance Act. The sec-ond source of reimbursement isconditioned on the governordeclaring a state of emergency forthe fire.

The supervisors also voted toutilize $350,000 from fiscal 2018-2019 state CommunityDevelopment Block Grants tohelp with clean-up and housingfor those displaced by the fire.The original grant was for a hous-ing rehabilitation program inNiland.

"With that program we wouldbe able to do two or three housingrehabilitation programs, which isbasically to replace a house withanother one to meet the standardsand to assist the family," saidEsperanza Colio-Warren, deputycounty executive officer.

"In light of the Niland fire, welooked into other options to seewhat is the best option to assistthe community. Working with thestate, they are allowing us to use$55,000 for temporary assistanceof the residents affected by thefire and also to assist with thetrash containers and the disposalof that debris," Colio-Warrenexplained.

"...We're not moving or takingmoney away from any communi-ty," she added. "This is remainingin the same community, and it'sgoing to help more families thanthe original application."

The board voted 4-0 to addtemporary assistance and disposalcosts to the original $350,000grant resolution. SupervisorRaymond Castillo left the meetingbefore the vote.

In its final action Aug. 4 relat-ed to the Niland fire, the boardapproved another $100,000 fromthe public benefit program to beutilized toward emergency hous-ing, vouchers, debris removal andsimilar projects for the townshipof Niland.

Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 3

School................from page one

three hours instructed for tran-sitional kindergarten and kinder-garten, three hours and 50 minutesadvised for grades first throughthird, and four hours expected forall other grades.

"One big shift this fall will bethat (all high schoolers) will expe-rience live online classes with theirteachers," Arevalo said. "They'llalso have the same amount of classperiods; they will just be 30 min-utes each."

These minimum time frameswill include both live interactionbetween teachers and students, aswell as homework and independentlearning, according to the release.Holtville High students' schoolschedule will generally includelive interactive lessons in themorning, a break for lunch, fol-lowed by independent homeworkwith teacher consultation timeavailable in the afternoon if neces-sary.

"It's our hope that by startinglive online classes in the morning,it will give our students, teachersand community a sense of normal-cy," said Arevalo.

In contrast from March, whichsaw the state provide schools withvery few parameters, this fall ses-sion will require schools to keepstudents actively engaged in theireducation while ensuring theymonitor student attendance duringlive interactive lessons and throughthe completion of homework inorder to receive state funding forthe upcoming school year.

"It's a big shift, but live classesshould still be able to allow teach-ers to show presentations, call onnon-volunteers, check on students'understanding and have them writeand turn in assignments,"explained Arevalo.

Holtville Unified officials alsostated they would do their best tohelp parents and students with"extenuating circumstances" andhave asked parents to contact theirchildrens' teacher or principal torequest accommodations. Thatbeing said, students will be expect-ed to keep up with their education,even if it is through distance learn-ing in accordance with state guide-lines.

Following similar models,Imperial Unified School Districthas also informed its communitythat attendance and performance inindividual online courses will befactored in their students' require-

ments, according to the district'sInstructional Distance LearningPlan.

"The methods for receivinginformation, submitting documentsand receiving instruction may bedifferent, but expectations forschool will remain consistent withwhat students would normally beexpected to achieve," the districtstated in a FAQ sheet sent to theImperial community. The first dayof school for Imperial Unifiedschools is Aug. 17.

Likewise, the Central UnionHigh School District will be con-ducting daily live classes betweenstudents and teachers while dis-tance learning, explained WardAndrus, superintendent for theCentral Union district.

"Unlike the fourth quarter ofthe 2019-2020 school year, movingforward we will have a daily classschedule to follow for all our 'dailylive interaction' as required by thenew state laws," noted Andrus.

Central's district will also haveto take and report daily attendanceand participation in the daily activ-ities, Andrus confirmed.

"Schools are developing plansto follow up with those that are notparticipating regularly," he stated."We are working to re-establish thedaily routine of learning."

The first day of school forCentral Union High SchoolDistrict is Aug. 10 for Southwestand Central Union high schools.The first day for El CentroElementary School District schoolsis Aug. 24.

Although a majority of localschool districts are preparing theirstudents and parents for the firstever online-only first day ofschool, they are also planning ahead for how a transition back intothe classrooms might look.

Unfortunately, those plans aretentative and will likely changethroughout the course of the fallsession as districts work with localpublic health officials to best pro-tect their community during theongoing pandemic.

Additionally, district superin-tendents can only apply for a waiv-er from the local health officer toopen elementary schools betweenthe grades of transitional kinder-garten up to sixth grade for in-per-son instruction in a county on themonitoring list, according to theCalifornia Department of PublicHealth.

Holtville High School

Imperial County Tourism Questions Remain asLocals Wait for Info About Dunes, Dove Hunting

BY ELIZABETH VARIN

Tourists typically flock intothe Imperial Valley for dove-hunt-ing season in September or ridethrough the dunes starting inOctober, bringing with them anincredible infusion of cash into thelocal economy.

However, it's unclear how thecoming seasons will look due toCOVID-19 concerns.

The Imperial County Board ofSupervisors is asking state andfederal officials about plans foropening public land and potentialhunting restrictions.

The board sent letters Aug. 4to the U.S. Bureau of LandManagement, CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Wildlifeand California Department ofParks and Recreation abouttourism concerns amid the pan-demic.

"Although Imperial Countyhas implemented all state-mandat-ed guidelines and best practicesand has adopted some stricterhealth orders than the state in itsefforts to stop the spread ofCOVID-19, we are still greatlystruggling in the battle against thevirus," reads a section from allthree letters.

Each letter continues that"there is a sense of reluctance toencouraging additional visitors toour community," with things like

dove-hunting season and off-road-ing at the dunes.

"The letter does not say any-thing specific asking for any spe-cific direction," saidIntergovernmental RelationsDirector Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter."It's mainly requesting from thestate and federal agencies what aretheir plans with this new situationthat we're currently in. Are theyplanning to continue? Are theyplanning to close? If they're plan-ning to continue what are thosemitigation plans?"

As of Aug. 4, Bureau of LandManagement has already tem-porarily closed the Hot SpringsDay Use Area, which is managedby the El Centro Field Office.Other areas temporarily closed inthe region include the DesertDiscovery Center, Big MorongoPreserve, Coachella ValleyPreserve and various camp-grounds in the Palm Springs area.

These are "unprecedentedtimes," American SandAssociation Executive DirectorNicole Nicholas Gilles said.

"I just wish I had a crystal ballto see what is going to be happen-ing," she said in a phone interviewAug. 4. "It's just going to be up tothem."

As of the end of July, Bureauof Land Management officials atthe El Centro Field Office toldGilles they were moving forwardas if the dunes were staying open,

she said. Those officials are wait-ing to hear from higher-ups formore direction.

Even if federal lands stay openthis year, social distancing andother guidelines will have to beadhered to, she added.

The Imperial Sand DunesRecreation Area, which includesthe Glamis area in the north andthe Buttercup Valley area in thesouth, has been estimated tocumulatively attract more than amillion visitors a year. Most ofthose people are off-road enthusi-asts.

The dunes provide a huge eco-nomic impact to the area, accord-ing to Gilles. People shop at localstores and get groceries beforeheading to the dunes.

There are not only concernsabout federal and state plans.

Supervisors' Chairman LuisPlancarte was also concernedabout the large-scale annual eventoff-road vehicle maker Polaris hasbeen holding near the GlamisBeach Store for several years. Hewanted staff to contact the compa-ny and ask what their plans are.

Polaris, based out of Medina,Minn., purchased the GlamisBeach Store from the estate oflongtime owner Eugene LeBlancin 2018.

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Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 4

March for Marilyn Calls for Justice in Cazares CaseBY JAYSON BARNISKE

About 150 people holdingsigns and waving rainbow flagsmarched on Main Street on theway to Plaza Park in Brawley onAug. 1 to call for justice in theMarilyn Monroe Cazares murdercase and create awareness aboutthe sanctity of all life.

"I am here marching for jus-tice for Marilyn. I want people toco-exist. It does not matter if youare straight, gay, lesbian, or trans-gender … We just want to be ableto work, be free and pursue happi-ness and that's what we want foreverybody," said Angela Soto,transgender support group coordi-nator at the Imperial Valley LGBTResource Center in El Centro, asshe marched to the Plaza Parkwith the large group of activists inthe 100-plus degree weather.

A transgender woman,Marilyn Cazares' body was foundburned in the 1100 block of MainStreet on a couch in front of anabandoned building in Brawley onJuly 13, the victim of an apparenthomicide. The Cazares familyalleges Marilyn's death was theresult of a hate crime.

The "I Am Marilyn" marchwas organized by the IV LGBTResource Center along with thesupport of the Cazares family. Themarch started in front of the stateDepartment of Motor Vehiclesoffice on the east side of Brawley,near the site of where Marilyn'sremains were found stabbed andburned.

"We are rallying aroundMarilyn because she is from here.Her family is from Westmorland.She was living in Brawley as ahomeless transgender woman andquite often times, I see myself asbeing fortunate," Soto said. "Ihave a job and a family, but Icould see how easily I could have

been homeless and what kind of alife would I lead if I was in herposition?"

Soto said she has heard noth-ing but good things about MarilynCazares and that she was a peace-ful law-abiding citizen who didn'tpanhandle and was just living herlife.

Several local and San Diego-based social rights groups attend-ed the march, including the IVLGBT Resource Center, ImperialValley Black Lives Matter, the I.V.Social Justice Committee, PFLAGof San Diego County, ProyectoTrans Latinas of San Diego, andPride of San Diego.

Shortly after the marchbegan, a transgender womannamed Franya, who commuted toattend the event from San Diegoon behalf of Proyecto TransLatinas, spoke with a CalexicoChronicle reporter.

"We are happy to be here par-ticipating in this march helpingMarilyn. It has been a trend thattransgender people are beingassassinated left and right becausethere is no justice," Franya said."This is a good way for us tospread the word and have a voice.We support all human rightsbecause at the end of the day unityis power."

Franya said it touches herheart to know that she was at themarch for Marilyn and feels shedid make a difference by partici-pating.

"We found out about thisevent through Facebook and didn'tthink twice about coming," Franyasaid.

Fernando Lopez was born inBrawley, raised in El Centro andtoday he is the executive directorof San Diego Pride.

"I grew up in this town and Ileft because the homophobia Ifaced. People like our teachers,parents and institutions of faith

echoed out disgusting vitriolicsentiments of homophobia andtransphobia," Lopez said. "It gotto a point when I was in juniorhigh and high school here, wewould get death threats at ourhome. When we would call thecops, they didn't care. When wereported it to the principals, theyturned their backs and said it wasour fault.

"This is why I left the Valleyand turned to a life of activism inSan Diego. When I return toBrawley today and see everyonegathered in direct opposition tothis hate, it means the world tome," said Lopez, who could nolonger hold back tears.

During the march, I.V. SocialJustice Committee chairpersonMarlene Thomas greeted aCalexico Chronicle reporter with afist bump.

"Remember what I told youbefore about how we need everyBlack life to matter so that all livescan matter? It is the same withtrans lives. Every trans life has tomatter before all lives can matter,"Thomas said briefly before rejoin-ing the march.

When the activists reachedPlaza Park, organizers used theKiwanis Kiosk as a stage toaddress the crowd. Brawley resi-dents commuting past the eventhonked their horns to show sup-port.

"Our family would like tothank local law enforcement whohave dedicated countless hours inthis case to get justice forMarilyn," said Mindy Garcia, thevictim's aunt, as she addressed thecrowd at Plaza Park.

"To feel dignified in spite ofthe limitations put by society,Marilyn courageously lived hertruth beautifully. Today she is hon-ored as a human being. Thank youso much for coming," Garcia said.

Several other Cazares familymembers spoke briefly during theevent, describing Marilyn's lifeand recounting the many ways shetouched their lives.

"One thing I want everyoneto know, whether you knew her asNate or Marilyn, is that she was ahuman at the end of the day," saidAustin Christianson, a childhoodfriend of Cazares' as he addressedthe crowd from the kiosk.

"Everyone deserves to betreated equally and that is whatMarilyn's life taught me," saidChristianson.

Stella Jimenez addressed thecrowd on behalf of state AssemblyMember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella. Jimenez is Garcia'slocal representative.

"This evening our communi-ty gathers to honor the life ofMarilyn Cazares. Many heartswere broken by this tragedy andwe must continue to seek justicefor Marilyn," Jimenez continuedto read Garcia's message to thecrowd. "Everyone should feel safeto be who they are, and love whothey want to love."

Tomas Oliva, local represen-tative for Congressman JuanVargas, D-Chula Vista, also spokefrom the kiosk.

"It is shameful and unaccept-able that we see this happening inour community in 2020," Olivasaid. "This horrific murder hap-pened right here in Brawley and it

sent shock waves through us all.""I had the honor of meeting

Marilyn," said Tommy Clinton,executive director of Trans Healthand Wellness in Cathedral City.

Clinton commended theCazares family for educatingthemselves in terms of pronounusage and making a sincereattempt to be respectful.

"Love is education. We haveto learn to be intolerant of gay, les-bian and transphobia," saidClinton, before mentioning thatCazares was the sixth trans personto be murdered in the nation inJuly.

Brawley police announced ina press release July 28 that thedepartment had requested assis-tance in the homicide investiga-tion of Cazares from the FBI, theDepartment of Homeland SecurityInvestigations Unit, and theCalifornia Department of Justice.

The request for assistancewas result of information gatheredduring the course of the investiga-tion regarding a need for "digitalevidentiary resources needed inthe investigative effort," policestated.

"This is still an active murderinvestigation and we cannotrelease any information regardingthe case at this time," saidBrawley police Cmdr. BrettHouser in a July 28 interview withthis newspaper.

"As soon as we reach a pointin our investigation when we caninform the public of the results ofour investigation, we will immedi-ately announce that information tothe community," Houser said.

A BANNER commemorating Marilyn Monroe Cazares, a transgender woman who was killed July13, is held up by her sister, Aubrey Cazares (center), at the start of an Aug. 1 march seeking justicefor Marilyn that started near the state Department of Motor Vehicles office on Main Street on theeast side of Brawley, close to the site where Marilyn's burned remains were found. The march endedat Plaza Park in the center of the city. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO

ROSA DIAZ, chief executive officer of the Imperial Valley LGBTResource Center, speaks Aug. 1 during a rally at Plaza Park inBrawley that her center helped organize along with the family ofslain transgender woman, Marilyn Monroe Cazares who waskilled July 13. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO

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BY JAYSON BARNISKE

Officials with the ImperialValley Continuum of Care Councilwant the public to know it hasallocated and executed contractsto use all $4.86 million it receivedin state emergency homeless fund-ing it received more than a yearago, contrary to recent accusa-tions.

In June 2019, the county ofImperial received millions of dol-lars through the state HomelessEmergency Aid Program, to bedisbursed through the ImperialValley Continuum of CareCouncil, whose it was to accept,score and award the funding tolocal agencies.

It has been a long and compli-cated process, and one of themajor complications in accessingthe actual HEAP dollars has beenthe fact that local non-profitorganizations that help the home-less are required to spend themoney first, invoice the IVCCCand then get reimbursed twoweeks later, according to CCCofficials.

All of the HEAP funds allocat-ed to Imperial County would bespent by the June 30, 2021 cutoffdate, Paula Llanas, assistant direc-tor of Imperial County SocialServices Department, which man-ages the CCC, responded withouthesitation.

"Absolutely. We will spend allthe money allocated to help thehomeless population from theHEAP grant before the deadline,"Llanas said during a July 31 inter-view. "It is a complicated processand that hinders our ability to

access the money, but it will notstop us from utilizing these fundsto help the homeless."

In fact, a groundbreaking isplanned later this month for a 29-unit transitional-housing project inHeber utilizing $3 million ofHEAP funding, said Llanas andLes Smith, chairman of the nine-member CCC executive board.

Members of the CCC went onthe offensive last week after mem-bers of the El Centro City Councilon July 21 blasted their policechief, who is on the IVCCC exec-utive board, for being a member ofa "bureaucracy of waste."

Council members JasonJackson and Cheryl Viegas-Walker were most vocal. Jacksonfumed, calling Project Safeguard'shotel vouchers a waste becauseinevitably participants end upback on the street. Without a tran-sitional housing facility in theImperial County, all efforts to curbthe local homelessness issuewould be in vain, Jackson said.

Viegas-Walker took off thegloves when slamming theIVCCC for giving hotel vouchersto "couch surfers" and not to thechronically homeless.

El Centro has reason to beconcerned about homelessness:IVCCC data shows the city has thelargest population of homeless inthe county. Of the 71 peoplehoused through multiple housingvoucher programs, 49 individuals,or 69 percent of the total awardedvouchers, are in El Centro.

Project Safeguard ExtendedThree Months

Project Safeguard is a voucherprogram specifically for the coun-ty's chronically homeless. It gives

priority to those 65 years or olderor people who have pre-existingmedical conditions.

"All of the people we havehoused with vouchers throughProject Safeguard met (U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment's) definition of ahomeless person," Llanas said."We have an exit strategy for all ofthese people. Our goal is alwayspermanent housing or housingwith a relative."

HUD's definition for homelessis an individual or family wholacks a fixed, regular, and ade-quate nighttime residence.

Llanas assured that theIVCCC has gone to extensivelengths to vet any "couch surfers"from participating in ProjectSafeguard. She also clarified thatthe requirements to be eligible forthe HEAP grant include givingassistance to both the chronicallyhomeless and those in risk ofhomelessness.

"We assess the individualindependently when they call intoour hotline," Llanas said. "Ourgoal is to get people off the street.We have to do some preventionwork. Project Safeguard is aboutchronic homelessness and theHEAP grant also covers those inrisk of going into homelessness."

The definition HUD gives forimminent risk of homelessness isan individual or family about tolose a primary nighttime residencewithin the next two weeks withoutan alternative residence.

"A lot of the people who workwith us have chronic issues and ittakes us a while to build rapport.They need a little time to realizethat we are trying to help them,"IVCCC's Smith said during theJuly 31 interview.

"We are happy to announcethat today we found out that theIVCCC received funding from thestate to continue the ProjectSafeguard for an additional threemonths," said Smith, which makes36 rooms available for this demo-graphic.

For those in search of housingassistance who do not meet thecriteria to qualify for ProjectSafeguard, the IVCCC recom-mends the client to other programslike Imperial Valley'sWomanHaven, a Center forFamily Solutions or HousingHeroes in Yuma, Llanas said.

Nuances of the HEAP GrantLocal nonprofits sent their

applications to the state for HEAPgrants through the IVCCC. Thirty-two original applications request-ed a total of $17 million. Thirteenof the 32 applications wereapproved for $4.5 million inHEAP funds, of which $3.7 mil-lion have been awarded, Llanassaid.

The largest portion of the grantwas awarded to the CRPAffordable Housing andEconomic Development LLC for$2.6 million to build a transitionalhousing project in Heber, the onebreaking ground later this month.

Some of the other larger recip-ients of HEAP funds were:WomanHaven Therapy Services,which received $220,000;Imperial Valley College receivedtwo grants for $215,985 and$242,971; Imperial CountyWorkforce and EconomicDevelopment got three grants for$100,000, $300,000, and$392,000; Neighborhood Houseof Calexico was approved for$130,000.

Even though these contractshave been allocated by the IVCCCand executed by the county Boardof Supervisors, the nonprofits stillhave to spend their own moneyfirst and report back to the IVCCCto be reimbursed, said Llanas, whoexpects the grant money to bespent long before the June 2021deadline.

"The thing people do notunderstand about these grants iswhen the state turns the money tothe county, the county is liable topay the money back if It is spentimproperly," said Llanas, beforementioning that only 5 percentHEAP grant funds could be used

for administrative fees."Every grant has reporting

requirements and some of the non-profits are having issues keepingtheir accounting up to date,"Llanas said. "Many of these non-profits are using the HEAP fundsas rental assistance or to pay utili-ties and these invoices will comein to the IVCCC on a monthlybasis."

Spread the Love Charity ofBrawley applied for $144,000 inHEAP grant funds in 2019 andreceived the money in April andhas since used the money to pur-chase a new van, portable showersfor the homeless, paying utilitiesfor its Brawley location and help-ing pay utilities for its clients.

Imperial County BehavioralHealth Services received$350,000 in HEAP grant funds,department director AndreaKuhlen said in an Aug. 4 inter-view.

"We funded a communityservice worker to do outreach anda mental health rehabilitation tech-nician, who will do care coordina-tion," said Kuhlen, addingBehavioral Health Services alsoprovided rapid rehousing and foodvouchers with grant funds.

Although the HEAP grantrequired applicants to complete acomplex funding mechanism, itwas easy for Behavioral HealthServices to mobilize and utilizethe capital, Kuhlen said.

"HEAP was not designed to bea solution for long-term housing,"she explained. "I don't know whyEl Centro commented negativelyabout the grant. Our time would bebetter spent working together tofind a permanent solution."

Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 5

Tourism.........from page threeSince 2012, Polaris has staged

its annual two-day Camp RZRevent at the Glamis Beach Storearea in October. The promotionalevent attracts tens of thousandsfrom around the West who gatherto hear live bands, see trick-ridingdemonstrations and take part inpromotional events geared aroundoff-road-vehicle equipment, espe-cially the RZR, a four-wheel-drivegolf-cart-like vehicle.

Additionally, District 4Supervisor Ryan Kelley askedcounty staff to follow up withCattle Call Rodeo officials, whohe said have been contacting himtrying to find out more about what

the future may hold."They can't plan for or start to

print tickets because there proba-bly won't be a public venue orgeneral admission," he said.

Rodeo officials have told himthere are talks of having a rodeo-type of event without a crowdwatching, but it's unclear what thatwould look like.

"For the continuation of some-thing like the tradition of CattleCall, losing one year, suspendingan annual event that has a traditionin our community, can be devas-tating for them for sponsorships,"Kelley said.

IVCCC: Contrary to Accusations, HEAP Funds Helping the Homeless

A makeshift shelter belonging to a homeless person is shown atStark Field Park in El Centro. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO

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BY CELESTE SILVA ALVAREZ

When Martha Singh's youngnieces asked to join her at apeaceful protest she was attend-ing in solidarity of ArmySpecialist Vanessa Guillen, sheknew she had to bring them.

"They asked to be here, that'swhy it's so important," saidSingh, the president of MANA deImperial Valley. "Amplify thevoice of Vanessa and the manywomen who are brave enough,courageous enough and fearlessenough to go out there and talkabout their situation."

Singh was among a handfulof community members whospoke out during the event organ-ized by the Sure Helpline CrisisCenter in the middle of the ElCentro town square near SeventhStreet and Main Street on theevening of July 31.

"We know a small group isnot going to make a big change,but there is so many big cities andpeople walking and protesting …now is the time to say me too,"explained Margaret Sauza, exec-utive director of Sure Helpline.

Guillen first caught the atten-tion of the nation following herdisappearance from her post atFort Hood in Killeen, Texas inlate April. Two months later,when the 20-year-old's remainswere discovered dismemberedand burned, several advocatesacross the nation launchedprotests, rallies, and demonstra-tions to demand justice forGuillen.

Additionally, Guillen's fami-ly, friends and fellow soldiershave raised allegations thatbefore she was killed she hadbeen sexually harassed by ArmySpecialist Aaron Robinson, whoallegedly killed her with a ham-

mer in the armory room after shetold him of her plans to file acomplaint against him.

A federal complaint allegesthat Robinson, 20, killed Guillenwhile on base, hid her body in alarge box and attempted to dis-member and burn her remainswith the help of his girlfriend, 22-year-old Cecily Aguilar. Daysbefore charges were announced,Robinson fatally shot himselfwith a pistol as police approachedhim and authorities have sincearrested Aguilar.

A federal grand jury indict-ment charges Aguilar with onecount of conspiracy to tamperwith evidence and two substan-tive counts of tampering with evi-dence. She faces up to 20 years infederal prison for each count.

"We want to show that we docare and have people realize theycan speak up about sexual harass-ment without the fear they'll bemurdered," explained Sauza.

Sauza was among the first tospeak at the podium in front of aprojector and posters displayingphotos of Guillen. She had beenespecially inspired by Guillen'sgrieving mother, Gloria, who hasmade several impassionedspeeches on behalf of her daugh-ter.

"We are here to give a voiceto Vanessa Guillen and her fami-ly," said Sauza. "We all need tounite because we all have fami-lies."

Sauza also spoke out againstsexual harassment and sexualassault in the military bydemanding change in the way themilitary handles such reports andin the way they treat victims.Other activists have alsoexpressed outrage at the lack ofanswers and action from the mil-itary when the disappearance ofGuillen was first announced.

"We should create safe

avenues for victims that report,"Sauza said. "We are not againstthe Armed Services, we areagainst the way it is being han-dled."

Members of the ImperialValley Social Justice Committeeand the local Black Lives Mattermovement also spoke during theevening protest to request a con-gressional hearing be conductedto investigate the Army's han-dling of Guillen's death.

"If we really want toacknowledge and recognizeVanessa and the other men andwomen in the military … there'sone powerful way we can do thatand that's on Nov. 3rd go out andvote," said Marlene Thomas,chairperson of I.V. Social JusticeCommittee. "Your vote is yourpower."

El Centro City CouncilMember Tomás Oliva also tookto the podium to honor Guillenand echo Thomas' plea for com-munity members to register tovote.

"The people who make thedecisions for you are chosen byyou," said Oliva. "There is noplace for this type of behavior inthe military, there is no place forthis behavior in our communi-ties."

Following a round of speech-es, community members lit can-

dles, and watched portions of apress conference held byGuillen's mother as she spokeabout her daughter.

"I think it's good that they arenot letting this go under the rug,"said 13-year-old Brittany Goff."It's a serious situation. … I knowwe are a small town, but wethought it was right that wecome."

Brittany and her twin sister,Bailey, were the young niecesthat had asked their aunt MarthaSingh to bring them to the

evening protest after learning ofthe event.

"When we found out whathappened to Vanessa it wasshocking," Bailey said. "This is abig deal ... what happened wasn'tright and no one should touchanyone inappropriately."

The evening protest conclud-ed around 8 p.m. with a prayerthat gathered more than 30 com-munity members together tohonor and mourn the death ofGuillen.

BY ELIZABETH VARIN

Imperial County is movingforward with a goal of eliminat-ing health and mental healthinequities.

The county Board ofSupervisors approved a healthequity resolution and formed anad hoc committee to look intoissues of health inequality in the

Valley.The resolution was brought to

the board by the two supervisorswho will sit on the committee,Supervisor Ryan Kelley andboard Vice Chair, SupervisorMichael Kelley.

"The goals are to addresssome of the inequities that wehave in Imperial Valley and tobring attention to that inside ofImperial County, but outside as

well," Ryan Kelley said. "Onething that is very well known tomyself is the limit of practicingproviders in the Valley and theaccess and availability of health-care professionals in this Valley.I'm hoping that through thisaction we're able to bring someattention, some direct focus onestablishing a residency programand recruitment to increase thenumber of providers."

Imperial County is ranked thelowest in the state for overallhealth factors by the RobertWood Johnson Foundation, citedRyan Kelley.

Those factors that drivehealth include health behaviorslike adult obesity, teen births,excessive drinking, access toexercise opportunities and more,according to the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation website. Thearea also faces little access to pri-mary care physicians, with a ratioof 4,250 patients to one doctor.

Nearly a dozen people madecomments to the board support-ing the resolution, includingDaniela Flores, one of thefounders of the Imperial ValleyEquity and Justice Coalition.

It is a collaborative documentthat includes input from commu-nity health advocates throughoutthe Valley as well as governmentleaders, she said. And it address-es inequities that have beenbrought to sharp focus with theCOVID-19 pandemic.

"We also believe that thesecollaborations will help bring inresources that are needed toaddress these deep health andmental health disparities andinequities that all of us here livethrough and live with every sin-gle day," Flores said.

The resolution will help putthe area on a new path that couldlast for the next 100 years, addedComite Civico del ValleExecutive Director Luis Olmedo.However, the hard work willbegin after the board approvesthe resolution, he said.

Ryan Kelley and MichaelKelley have been meeting withcommunity members concernedabout health issues, especiallyafter the COVID-19 pandemicstarted, said Michael Kelley.With something like this, "there'snothing better than to have thecommunity involved as we move

forward," he said.The board approved the reso-

lution with a 4-0 vote. SupervisorRaymond Castillo had left themeeting before the vote.

In Other Decisions Aug. 4The supervisors also

approved the second reading ofan ordinance to repeal a previ-ously-not-enforced ordinancethat barred county officers andemployees from living outside ofthe county. Supervisors LuisPlancarte and Ryan Kelley bothmentioned getting a lot of com-ments about the board's previousvote on July 28 to allow countyemployees to live outside of theUnited States.

The board voted 3-1 toapprove the new ordinance. RyanKelley voted against the ordi-nance as he did during the firstvote the week before.

Before the Aug. 4 vote,County Counsel Adam Crookadded that repealing the ordi-nance regarding residency doesnot waive requirements for coun-ty employment. Employees stillhave to be able to legally work inthe U.S.

Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 6

CLASSIFIED ADS

Imperial County Aiming to Eliminate Health Inequality

LUIS OLMEDO, executive director of Comite Civico Del Valle,addresses the county Board of Supervisors on Aug. 4 before theboard adopted a health equity resolution that established theImperial County Health Equity Committee that will collaboratewith county departments and community stakeholders. VIDEOSCREEN CAPTURE

El Centro Protest Demands Justice for Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen

A SIGN ABOUT Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen hangs at the ElCentro Town Square during a peaceful protest for the slain sol-dier organized by Sure Helpline on July 31. CORISSA IBARRAPHOTO

Need to publish your legalnotices, call us.760-339-4899

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Holtville Tribune, Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 7

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE

Public Notice

Imperial County Department of Public Works Request forProposal (RFP) for Resident Engineer and Material Testing

Services for:Winterhaven Drive Over California Wasteway, Bridge No. 58C-0094, Seismic Retrofit Project in Imperial County; Federal AidProject No. BHLSZD-5958(014); County Project No. 58C-0094

The County of Imperial Department of Public Works is requestingresponses from qualified consulting firms to provide the followingservices for the subject Federally Funded Project:1. Resident Engineer and Construction Inspection Services.2. Material Testing Services - Acceptance Testing.3. Material Testing Services - Independent Assurance Testing.

The Request for Proposal is available for review and download at theCounty of Imperial Department of Public Works Web site athttps://publicworks.imperialcounty.org/ under the section titled"Projects Out to Bid".

Qualified entities along with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise enti-ties are invited to submit written responses for consideration in accor-dance with this Request. These services will be conducted under acontract with the County of Imperial. All proposals should be sub-mitted before the due date of 4:00 p. m. August 26, 2020 to:

John A. Gay, P. E.Director of Public Works

c/o Lorena Alvarez, Engineering TechnicianCounty of Imperial

155 South 11th StreetEl Centro, CA 92243

For additional information regarding this Notice please email JoseCastaneda, Administrative Analyst III of the County of ImperialDepartment of Public Works at [email protected] .

Legal 8966 Publish: August 6, 2020

Public Notice

Imperial County Department of Public Works Request forProposal (RFP) for Resident Engineer and Material Testing

Services for:Rio Vista St. from Holt Ave. to Heil Ave. (South Side)

Improvements in Seeley - Imperial County; Federal Aid ProjectNo. CML-5958 (106); County Project No. 6365

The County of Imperial Department of Public Works is requestingresponses from qualified consulting firms to provide the followingservices for the subject Federally Funded Project:4. Resident Engineer and Construction Inspection Services.5. Material Testing Services - Acceptance Testing.6. Material Testing Services - Independent Assurance Testing.

The Request for Proposal is available for review and download at theCounty of Imperial Department of Public Works Web site athttps://publicworks.imperialcounty.org/ under the section titled"Projects Out to Bid".

Qualified entities along with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise enti-ties are invited to submit written responses for consideration inaccordance with this Request. These services will be conducted undera contract with the County of Imperial. All proposals should be sub-mitted before the due date of 4:00 p. m. August 26, 2020 to:

John A. Gay, P. E.Director of Public Works

c/o Lorena Alvarez, Engineering TechnicianCounty of Imperial

155 South 11th StreetEl Centro, CA 92243

For additional information regarding this Notice please email JoseCastaneda, Administrative Analyst III of the County of ImperialDepartment of Public Works at [email protected] .

Legal 8968 Publish: August 6, 2020

Public Notice

Imperial County Department of Public Works Request forProposal (RFP) for Resident Engineer and Material Testing

Services for:Rio Vista St. from San Diego Ave. to Holt Ave. (South Side)

Improvements in Seeley - Imperial County; Federal Aid ProjectNo. CML-5958 (105); County Project No. 6321

The County of Imperial Department of Public Works is requestingresponses from qualified consulting firms to provide the followingservices for the subject Federally Funded Project:1. Resident Engineer and Construction Inspection Services.2. Material Testing Services - Acceptance Testing.3. Material Testing Services - Independent Assurance Testing.

The Request for Proposal is available for review and download at theCounty of Imperial Department of Public Works Web site athttps://publicworks.imperialcounty.org/ under the section titled"Projects Out to Bid".

Qualified entities along with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise enti-ties are invited to submit written responses for consideration inaccordance with this Request. These services will be conducted undera contract with the County of Imperial. All proposals should be sub-mitted before the due date of 4:00 p. m. August 26, 2020 to:

John A. Gay, P. E.Director of Public Works

c/o Lorena Alvarez, Engineering TechnicianCounty of Imperial

155 South 11th StreetEl Centro, CA 92243

For additional information regarding this Notice please email JoseCastaneda, Administrative Analyst III of the County of ImperialDepartment of Public Works at [email protected] .

Legal 8967 Publish: August 6, 2020

FICTITIOUS BUSINESSNAME STATEMENTFILE NO.: 20-419The following person is conductingbusiness as:Trending Sensation621 Desert Rose St.Imperial, CA 92251County of ImperialFull Name of Registrant:Alejandro Huezo621 Desert Rose St.Imperial, CA 92251This business conducted by: AnIndividualRegistrant commenced to transactbusiness under the FictitiousBusiness Name (s) listed above on:January 1, 2020.I, Declare that all of the informa-tion in this statement is true andcorrect.Signature: Alejandro Huezo,OwnerThe filing of this statement doesnot of itself authorize the use inthis State or a Fictitious BusinessName in Violation of the Rights ofanother under Federal, State orCommon Law.Filed with the Imperial CountyClerk-Recorder on: July 30, 2020.NOTICE: This statement expireson: June 29, 2025. A new statementmust be filed prior to the expirationdate.Chuck Storey/County Clerk-RecorderElise Puyot, DeputyLegal 6374 Publish: August 6, 13, 20, 27,2020

NOTICE OF PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION

Notice is hereby given that a Presidential General Election will be held in the districts listed below onNovember 3, 2020and that the offices for which candidates may be nominated for said election are as fol-lows:

County Board of Education Trustee Area 3 1 Seat 4 yrsCounty Board of Education Trustee Area 4 1 Seat 4 yrsCounty Board of Education Trustee Area 5 1 Seat 4 yrsImperial Community College Trustee Area 1 1 Seat 4 yrsImperial Community College Trustee Area 3 1 Seat 4 yrsImperial Community College Trustee Area 4 1 Seat 4 yrsImperial Community College Trustee Area 6 1 Seat 4 yrsBrawley Union High School 3 Trustees 4 yrsCentral Union High School 3 Trustees 4 yrsCentral Union High School 1 Trustee 2 yrsCalexico Unified School District 2 Trustees 4 yrsCalipatria Unified School District 4 Trustees 4 yrsHoltville Unified School District 2 Trustees 4 yrsImperial Unified School District 2 Trustees 4 yrsSan Pasqual Valley Unified School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsBrawley Elementary School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsEl Centro Elementary School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsHeber Elementary School District 2 Trustees 4 yrsMagnolia Union Elementary School District 2 Trustees 4 yrsMcCabe Union Elementary School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsMulberry Elementary School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsSeeley Union School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsWestmorland Union Elementary School District 3 Trustees 4 yrsHeffernan Memorial Healthcare District 3 Directors 4 yrsPioneers Memorial Healthcare District 2 Directors 4 yrsHeber Public Utility District 2 Directors 4 yrsImperial Irrigation Division 2 1 Seat 4 yrsImperial Irrigation Division 4 1 Seat 4 yrsPalo Verde County Water District 2 Directors 4 yrsPalo Verde County Water District 2 Directors 2 yrsCalexico Unified School District Measure "Q" $47,000,000 School BondCity of Brawley Measure "R" Utility TaxCity of Brawley Measure "S" Shall the City Clerk Be Appointed Not ElectedCity of Calipatria Measure "T" Utility Tax

The qualifications for these offices required under the principal act under which these districts areorganized are that candidates be registered electors residing within the boundaries of the district or divi-sion thereof.

Declaration of Candidacy for eligible persons desiring to file for any of the elective offices areavailable at the Office of the Registrar of Voters, 940 Main Street, Ste. 206, El Centro, Monday thruFriday, 8:00 to 5:00 pm, commencing July 13, 2020. Declaration of Candidacy must be filed in the officeof the Registrar of Voters no later than 5:00 pm on August 7, 2020 by appointment only.

If a Declaration of Candidacy for any incumbent elective officer of a district is not filed by 5:00pm on August 7, 2020, any person other than the person who was the incumbent on the 88th day shallhave until 5:00 pm on August 12, 2020 to file a Declaration of Candidacy for the elective office.

If pursuant to Education Code 5328 a district election is not held, the qualified person or persons nomi-nated shall be seated at the organizational meeting of the board, or if no person has been nominated or ifany insufficient number is nominated, the governing board shall appoint a qualified person or persons, asthe case may be, at a meeting prior to the day fixed for the election, and such appointee or appointees shallbe seated at the organizational meeting of the board as if elected at a district election.

Appointments to each elective office will be made by the supervising authority of the district pursuant toElection Code §10515 in the event there are no nominees or an insufficient number is nominated, thesupervising authority shall appoint a qualified person or persons, as the case may be, at a regular or spe-cial meeting held prior to the Monday before the first Friday in December in which the election is held.

The Polls will be open between the hours of 7:00 am to 8:00 pm, on Election Day, November 3,2020.

Notice is further given all ballots will be tallied at a central counting center located at ImperialCounty Registrar's Office, County Administration Building, 940 Main Street, Rm. 206, El Centro.

Notice is further given, that beginning at 9:00 am on October 6, 2020 absentee ballots will beprocessed for counting, pursuant to Election Code §15101.

ABOVE NOTICE GIVEN THIS 4th day of August, 2020.

DEBRA PORTERRegistrar of VotersCounty of Imperial

Legal 8969 Publish: August 6, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICENOTICE OF PETITION TOADMINISTER ESTATE OF:Jose Luis Armando Valdez, Jr.

CASE NUMBER: EPR000756To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors,contingent creditors, and personswho may otherwise be interested inthe will or estate, or both, of: JoseLuis Armando Valdez, Jr.A Petition for Probate has been filedby: Karla Medina in the SuperiorCourt of California, County of:IMPERIALThe Petition for Probate requests thatKarla Medina be appointed as per-sonal representative to administer theestate of the decedent.The petition requests authority toadminister the estate under theIndependent Administration ofEstates Act. (This authority willallow the personal representative totake many actions without obtainingcourt approval. Before taking certainvery important actions, however, thepersonal representative will berequired to give notice to interestedpersons unless they have waivednotice or consented to the proposedaction.) The independent administra-tion authority will be granted unlessan interested person files an objec-tion to the petition and shows goodcause why the court should not grantthe authority.A hearing on the petition will beheld in this court as follows:Date: August 21, 2020Time: 8:30 a.m.Dept. 9Address of court:Superior Court of California, County of Imperial939 West Main Street El Centro, CA 92243If you object to the granting of thepetition, you should appear at the

hearing and state your objections orfile written objections with the courtbefore the hearing. Your appearancemay be in person or by your attorney.If you are a creditor or a contin-gent creditor of the decedent, youmust file your claim with the courtand mail a copy to the personal rep-resentative appointed by the courtwithin the later of either (1) fourmonths from the date of firstissuance of letters to a general per-sonal representative, as defined insection 58(b) of the CaliforniaProbate Code, or (2) 60 days fromthe date of mailing or personal deliv-ery to you of a notice under section9052 of the California Probate Code.Other California statutes and legalauthority may affect your rights asa creditor. You may want to consultwith an attorney knowledgeable inCalifornia law.You may examine the file kept bythe court. If you are a person inter-ested in the estate, you may file withthe court a Request for Special Notice(form DE-154) of the filing of aninventory and appraisal of estateassets or of any petition or account asprovided in Probate Code section1250. A Request for Special Noticeform is available from the courtclerk.Attorney for petitioner:Ryan D. Childers1430 Broadway StreetEl Centro, CA 92243(760) 353-3484Filed: August 3, 2020Superior CourtCounty of Imperial Clerk of the CourtBy Astridd Weirner, DeputyLegal 6375Publish: August 6, 13, 20, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE

Page 8: CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO Team Rubicon's Military Vets Aid Niland … · 2020-08-06 · Team Rubicon's Military Vets Aid Niland Fire Clean-up Effort BY JAYSON BARNISKE ... board has gone

month or longer after the individ-ual initially tested positive. There'salso a delay in reporting deaths. Weconfirm that the deaths are due toCOVID-19 by reviewing death cer-tificates," said Paula Kriner, epi-demiology department managerwith the Imperial County PublicHealth Department, during the July27 weekly press conference onCOVID.

Public health officials are cau-tious to put a more concrete aver-age timeline to the delay in report-ing, but between initial sicknessand death, compounded by post-mortem investigations and therelease of death certificates, therecould be anywhere from roughlyfour to eight weeks lag timebetween detection of the virus,which shows up in the local dataalmost immediately, and a deathmaking the dashboard.

That's a pretty wide swing intime, yet it's slightly reassuring inthat a decrease in the daily leapsand bounds of those dying fromCOVID-19 complications are actu-ally decreasing, too, and the num-bers will likely begin to reflect thisonce the time it takes to verify thedeaths syncs up with the number ofdecreasing positive cases.

"While receipt of death certifi-cates is a factor in the delay, thereare a variety of other factors thatcontribute to the lag in deathreporting as well. Like the PublicHealth Department, other agenciesinvolved in the death investigationprocess (i.e. mortuary, coroner, andCalifornia Department of PublicHealth) are being heavily impactedby this pandemic and, as a result,are experiencing lag times," wroteAndrea Bowers, a spokesperson forcounty public health, in a July 30follow-up email attributed to addi-tional information from Kriner.

"The time that it takes for thePublic Health Department toreceive notifications and follow upon information received from allagencies involved is taking longerthan usual. Our department contin-

ues to work in collaboration withlocal and state partners in an effortto provide accurate counts asquickly as possible," Bowers stat-ed.

When asked to further recon-cile the recent decrease in positivetesting numbers and the increasesin reported deaths, Bowersresponded:

"It's not uncommon that thosewho pass away from COVID(were) diagnosed much earlier onand have been hospitalized for alengthy period before succumbingto it. This, along with all the thingsmentioned (before), factor into thedifferences you're seeing in thedecreasing positives and the ongo-ing reporting of deaths," she stated.

Simply put, we're seeing thedeaths that are the results of surgesin illnesses reported a month to sixor more weeks ago, such as thelarge increases in positive casesthat started to be seen afterMother's Day weekend on May 10and other holidays.

So, it's likely the numbers ofreported deaths will slow in a sim-ilar time frame in the future, reflec-tive of the decreasing positive testswe're witnessing today.

A significant downward trendin positive cases and hospitaliza-tions is relatively recent forImperial County. It was just over afull week ago that Dr. ChristianTomaszewski, El Centro RegionalMedical Center's chief medicalofficer, reported that the curve wasflattening at the hospital.

Since then, Imperial Countyhas continued to fall in the rankingsin the state for COVID-related hos-pitalizations and testing positive.What was once No.1 or No. 2 in thestate in multiple categories for sev-eral weeks in May, June, and partsof July, is down several rungs com-

paratively."We no longer have the highest

case rates in the last 14 days per100,000 (residents)," county PublicHealth Director Jeanette Angulotold the county Board ofSupervisors during a departmentalreport on COVID on July 28.

"There's actually nine countiesabove us," she said. "The samewith the testing positivity rate;there are eight other counties thathave higher rates than us."

Covering epidemiological sta-bility in the county, Angulo told theboard that the county's goal fornumbers of positive cases is 100cases per 100,000 residents. In theweek prior to July 28, the countywas in the 200s to 300s per100,000 residents, from a highrange of 700 to 800 cases per100,000 residents for severalweeks.

In terms of seven-day averagepercentages - another marker thestate wants Imperial County andother California counties to reach -the goal is less than 8 percent test-ing positive. Angulo said in theweek prior to her report, the per-centages were between 14 percentto 19 percent, down from the high20 percents to the low 30 percentsfour and more weeks ago.

"So, we are making someprogress," Angulo told the board.

What's more, all of those num-bers have continued to decline inthe days following her presenta-tion.

The number of total positivecases between July 28 and Aug. 1only increased by 220 cases, fewerthan 100 new positives a day.

With the percentages, on Aug.1 Imperial County reached a low of12.02 percent, with the county inthe 13 percents on July 30-31.

County Public Health officialshave not said the curve has flat-tened like Dr. Tomaszewskideclared, nor have they acknowl-edged whether the county is on theother side of the peak for goodwhen asked, but all indications are

that is the case."I am cautiously optimistic,"

county Public Health Officer, Dr.Stephen Munday, told the countyboard.

He said with emergency roomvisits, intensive-care unit admis-sions and out-of-county transfersall down, "we hope these are har-bingers of better things to come."

To better explain the largewaves and chunks of deaths behinda delay in reporting, though, justlook at the death data for yourselfon the dashboard.

When the raw data gets updat-ed on that ominous display of num-bers, such as the big 220 referencedat the start of this story, the gaps inindividual deaths per day and totaldeaths also get updated in finerdetail on the lesser-viewed "deathstimeline" tab. The "deaths time-line" has a line graph charting totaldeaths on the same grid as a bargraph charting deaths per day.

One can clearly see, when theline graph is removed (try it foryourself on the desktop version),deaths per day have been zero toone or two consistently since mid-July. Larger surges of five or moredeaths per day began around mid-May and lasted through mid-July,consistent with positive casesurges.

To be certain, the numbers ofdeaths due to COVID are continu-ing to have an effect in the countyin other ways.

Although the spike in casesmight be behind us, those whohave died of COVID up to thispoint have left behind a visibleresult at Frye Chapel and Mortuaryin Brawley, where coroner's offi-cials and medical examiners dotheir death investigations andwhere the county's COVID deadare stored.

Frye Chapel, for all intents andpurposes, functions almost as acounty morgue.

Outside the mortuary are fourhuge refrigerated trailers that holdthe dead, many if not all of which,are COVID cases.

Managing owner Sheila Krugercould not immediately be reachedfor comment for this story, but shehas spoken about the situation atFrye Chapel before with the media.

In mid-June, the mortuary washolding more than double the num-ber of dead it had held the previousyear, Kruger told KQED, a publicbroadcasting news site from theLos Angeles area.

"We are bursting at the seams,literally," she said at the time.

Understanding the Numbers, orWho is Dying?

The death of Carmen OrtizHuerta to COVID-19 complica-tions checks all the boxes of justwho in the community is dyingfrom COVID.

It's not even clear whether herdeath has been reported in the dataon the dashboard as of Aug. 1 dueto privacy issues, but we do knowshe had all the factors that madeher death seem almost inevitablewhen her family first heard she hadtested positive for the virus.

"We knew she wouldn't recov-er. She had everything goingagainst her," her daughter GloriaGranillo said during an Aug. 2interview, the same morning hermother's obituary appeared in alocal newspaper for the first time.

She was elderly, at age 88, wasa 20-year colon cancer survivor,and had co-morbidities of diabetesand high-blood pressure.

What's more, she was a resi-dent of Imperial HeightsHealthcare & Wellness Centre inBrawley, the site of an outbreak, orcluster, of COVID cases amongresidents that was first reported tothis newspaper by facility medicaldirector Dr. George Fareed on June19, after he began to see patientstest positive starting June 14.

From there, in the ensuingdays, it was revealed that at least90 positive COVID cases were tiedto the county's three skilled nursingfacilities, Imperial Heights,Imperial Manor in the city ofImperial, and Valley ConvalescentCenter in El Centro, combiningboth positives of residents/patientsand staff members working at thefacilities.

Huerta tested positive forCOVID-19 on June 23 and wastaken to Pioneers MemorialHospital on June 24 and transport-ed to Scripps Mercy Hospital inSan Diego on June 25, where sheremained for three weeks beforeshe died there July 15, Granillosaid.

As of July 27, some 29 deathshad been reported out the skillednursing facilities, according tocounty Public Health DepartmentNursing Manager Steven Solis.

"Last week (prior to July 27),two facilities reported zeroCOVID-19 residents from ourweekly testing. So yes, it has beenimproving. And the challengesremain with all skilled nursingfacility staff being compliant to teston a weekly basis at testing sitesand reporting the results to theirsupervisor," Solis said.

Cumulatively since July 31,there have been 17 deaths reportedfrom Valley Convalescent, zerofrom Imperial Manor and 12 fromBrawley's Imperial Heights,according to the state Public HealthDepartment website, which tracksdata from skilled nursing facilities.There have been 96 total staffmembers infected and at least 67residents/patients infected, also asof July 31.

Yet old folks in old folks'homes are not the only ones dying,clearly. Who exactly is dying, byand large?

"About 60 percent of all deathsare in individuals who are 70 yearsof age or older. And many havepre-existing conditions such as dia-betes, hypertension, or asthma.And some immunocompromised,which puts them at great risk.Older individuals, of course aremore vulnerable," Kriner said July27.

"Most of the deaths occur inhospitals, both in county and out ofcounty. Some of the cases areamong residents of skilled nursingfacilities. And we've had a coupleof recent cases who have died intheir homes," she added.

On further analysis, the lion'sshare of those who are dying, as ofAug. 1, were Imperial County resi-dents between the ages of 60 and89, right in Carmen Huerta's agerange.

Some 73.18 percent - nearly

three-quarters - of all deaths are inthat range (161 of 220), with 53deaths between age 60-69, 54between age 70-79, and 54between age 80-89.

Although Granillo's motherwas in that age range, so isGranillo, and she has certain pre-existing conditions herself thatmakes her susceptible.

"It's scary. … I'm scared of itand I'm sick of it," said Granillo,who is 65 years old and is a cancersurvivor who works in a facilitythat has also seen more than its fairshare of COVID cases.

Granillo works in administra-tion at Centinela State Prison,where she said a correctional offi-cer recently died from COVID-19.

"We're tested every two weeksand we wear masks every day, allday long," she explained.

It isn't known how many moredeaths might be attributed to thelocal state prisons, but Centinela iscertainly a hotspot for cases amongstaff and inmates. As of Aug. 2,according to the CaliforniaDepartment of Corrections andRehabilitation website, Centinelahas had 74 employees test positiveand 23 return to work. A total of 39inmates have tested positive, 21considered active cases and 18resolved.

For Calipatria State Prison, 55staff members have tested positiveand 25 have returned to work. Forinmates, 25 total positive caseshave been recorded: 13 active, fiveresolved, and seven positiveinmates released from custody.

Where is Mexico in the Mix?During the July 28 county

board meeting, as public healthwas wrapping up its presentationand everyone was cautiously cele-brating the improved numberslocally, Dr. Munday did mentionMexico.

"I hear through the grapevinethat the numbers in Mexicali areimproving as well," he told theboard.

Although it's been difficult tofind an accurate dashboard modelfor Mexicali and Baja Californianumbers, the state's website doeskeep running totals.

As of Aug. 2, Mexicali hasreported 1,230 deaths, 6,928 posi-tive confirmed cases, with 181active cases and 497 suspectedpositive cases. For Baja Californiaaltogether, there have been 2,628deaths reported, 13,384 positiveconfirmed cases, with 468 activecases and 1,043 suspected positivecases.

The number of active casesdoes seem to be down substantiallyfor Mexicali.

On July 24, Mexicali hadreported some 1,170 deaths and6,628 confirmed total positiveCOVID cases. That's a change of60 deaths over a little more than aweek and 300 total positive cases.

For the entire state of BajaCalifornia, some 2,480 deaths and12,649 COVID-positive caseswere reported as of July 24. That'sa change of 148 deaths over a littlemore than a week and 735 totalpositive cases.

Bloomberg News Servicereported some weeks back thatmore than 43 percent of all hospi-talized COVID cases in BajaCalifornia had resulted in death.

It couldn't immediately bedetermined whether Mexicali andBaja California's cumulative num-bers indicate improvement or not.

U.S. Death Data and WhatPeople Believe

Social media is aflame withincendiary comments questioningwhat constitutes a COVID deathand whether the numbers arefudged. The comments haveappeared on local COVID pagesand on any variety of local publica-tions' stories or updates on COVIDdata.

Many people in this country

don't trust the death numbers andthink the data is being doctored tosome degree. As of Aug. 1, theCenters for Disease Control andPrevention reported 152,970deaths in the United States attrib-uted to COVID-19.

An Axios/Ipsos poll from July21 found that 31 percent ofAmericans believe the COVIDdeath toll is less than what's beingreported, while 34 percent believethe actual death toll is higher thanthe official number. A lot of whatpeople think is being filteredthrough political affiliation andwhere they get their news, accord-ing to the poll.

Simply put, people who thinkthe numbers are inflated tend to gettheir information from conserva-tive media, the poll states.

Actually, a study publishedJuly 1 by Virginia CommonwealthUniversity and Yale Universityresearchers in the Journal of theAmerican Medical Associationfound that coronavirus deaths arebeing undercounted, "reflecting acommon view held by publichealth experts and epidemiolo-gists," according to an article inForbes.

It's hard to know the truth wheneveryone, even medical profession-als, seem to have an opinion.

A local woman, who asked thather name not be used, works at anImperial County golf course whereshe comes in contact with anynumber of people who chat her upafter a round or two.

Recently, in the last two orthree weeks, she said she wasspeaking with a physician fromSan Diego who does work in theImperial Valley a couple days aweek.

As they chatted about COVID,the woman said the doctor told hernot to be too concerned about coro-navirus cases in the Valley, that thenumber of positive cases and espe-cially deaths were being overreported, especially at hospitalsacross the country due to federalreimbursements.

"He said, 'I'm a doctor and Iknow a lot of the deaths that arebeing added as COVID are notCOVID,'" the woman explained."He said, 'The hospital gets federalfunds for every COVID patientwhether they live or die.'"

That's an opinion or idea thathas been going around for sometime, and Adolphe Edward saidhe's been hearing these false per-ceptions and assumptions formonths.

As chief executive officer of ElCentro Regional Medical Center,Edward knows all about howexpensive it is to treat COVIDpatients and what lies ahead for hishospital when he reports a death orthe treatment of a COVID patient.

COVID is costly, and over a13-week period, ECRMC hadincreased expenses of $2.5 milliontied to treating COVID patients.Much of that comes from the factthat patients are hospitalized longerand require significant amounts ofadditional staffing, from extra ICUnurses to additional respiratorytherapists because the virus oftencomes with intubation and ventila-tor usage.

In fact, Edward said, ECRMCwill report monetary losses for Julyand August, and likely inSeptember, due to COVID.

But it isn't simply a matter oftelling the government you haveCOVID patients and/or deaths andthe waiting for the federal dollarsto roll in.

"Hospitals cannot inflate ourdeath rates and anything that isCOVID," Edward said during abrief interview Aug. 2.

He said the federal governmentmade it known months ago that anyexpense related to COVID or anypatient or death related to COVIDwould be under intense scrutiny by

Holtville Tribune Thursday, August 6, 2020 PAGE 8

Death Analysis..........................................................................from page one

FOUR REFRIGERATED TRAILERS holding the remains ofthose who have died of COVID-19 stand outside Frye Chapel andMortuary in Brawley on Aug. 1. CORISSA IBARRA PHOTO

CARMEN ORTIZ HUERTA, age 88, is shown in her room atImperial Heights Healthcare & Wellness Centre in Brawley in May.Huerta, who died in a San Diego hospital on July 15 from COVID-related complications, was caught up in the outbreak, or cluster, ofcases at Imperial Heights in June. She died after a three-week battlewith the illness. PHOTO COURTESY OF GLORIA GRANILLO