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 March 2024 | Est. 2013  

 

 

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InterChurch News


InterChurch News Service is a nonprofit work-in-progress to provide timely news and help meet the needs of the Riverside evangelical community. Our 2014 goal is to distribute a semimonthly news sheet to affiliate churches to supplement the website. 


2/26/14

The referendum to stop implementation of AB 1266, the legislative bill to allow transgender K-12 public school students access to bathrooms and locker rooms of their gender identity, failed to meet the required valid signature count, the Secretary of State's office stated yesterday with an accompanying 58 county spreadsheet.

Needing 504,760 valid signatures of the 619,387 signatures gathered to qualify the referendum for the November ballot, the "full check" count from 58 counties fell 17,276 signatures short with 487,484 valid signatures.

Pacific Justice Institute, the California-based law firm representing the proponents of the referendum, vowed to challenge each of the 131,857 invalid signatures.  

"Make no mistake, Pacific Justice Institute is committed to protecting the privacy of children," said Brad Dacus, president of PJI in a press release following the SOS findings. "We are ready to review and challenge every signature that was not counted towards the referendum of this impudent and in-your-face bill."

"Our children's privacy is worth doing all that we can," Dacus said.

Failing to qualify for the referendum would allow the law to be legally implemented immediately, although a legal challenge on the full signature count may continue to keep the controversial law on hold. 

Riverside County Registrar of Voters Chief Deputy Melissa Eichman, interviewed Friday by InterChurch News, stated her office hired help from the County "temp pool" to assist with the count, however did not know how many signatures remained to be validated to meet a Monday 5 p.m. deadline set by the Secretary of State.

Her office had completed the first round of validations, and what remained were questionable signatures, she said

Eichman was evasive about how many workers were checking signatures Friday.

"Not a good day to ask that question," she said.

Half the regular staff were off because of the County's 9/80 work schedule and staff in the office were working in other areas. There would be a full staff of 6-7 workers validating signatures on Monday, she said.

Riverside County had 42,051 referendum signatures to validate beginning January 8.

Asked if she had confidence the full count would be done by Monday, 5 p.m., Eichman said, "Absolutely."

By Monday, Riverside County had validated 32,188 signatures as registered voters, with 8,863 invalid signatures and 618 duplicates, or a 78.70 percent valid count of the total signatures collected.

San Bernardino validated 50,285 signatures of 63,459 collected, or a 79.2 percent validity rate. Orange County validated 46,878 signatures of 58,192 collected, or an 80.6 percent validity rate.

Los Angeles, with the lion's share of signatures to count, validated 100,315 of 130,978 signatures collected, with 30,663 invalidated and 2,210 duplicates, or a 76.6 percent validity rate.

Over all, 24 counties were at or above the 81.5 percent validity rate needed to meet the 504,760 valid signature target. The highest percentage was Alpine (100 percent with 1 signature). Others in the 81.5 percent or above range included Humboldt (84.0 percent/295 valid), Placer (83.8 percent/13,421 valid), and Contra Costa (83.5 percent/9,115 valid).

San Francisco had the 2nd lowest percentage rate of valid signatures: of 4,968 signatures gathered, 3,475 were valid, 1,493 invalid, 62 duplicated, or a 69.9 percent validity rate.*

*This article was revised and updated 2.27.2014.


2/20/14

Limit the reach of Sacramento? A divided California -- a six state division -- is a new initiative among others cleared by the Secretary of State for circulation yesterday.

The proponent of the six state initiative, Tim Draper, a Menlo Park resident, cites California citizens as "poorly served by a representative government dominated by a large number of elected officials from a small part of our state," and that "the citizens of the whole state would be better served by six smaller state governments."

Draper's six new sovereign states -- subject to approval of Congress -- would be:

1. Jefferson: Butte, Colussa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Siskiyou, Shasta, Tehanna and Trinity counties.

2. North California: Amador, El Dorado, Marin, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.

3. Central California: Alpine, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.

4. Silicon Valley: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties.

5. West California: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and Ventura.

6. South California: Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. 

The required circulation signatures for the initiative are 807,614 (for a constitutional amendment) with a deadline of July 18th.

If the petition qualifies for the ballot, and wins, the federal government must approve the creation of six new states, and in that case, "all tax collections and spending by the existing State of California would end, with its assets and liabilities divided among the new states."

The initiative is rendered constitutional under California Constitution Article II Voting, Initiative and Referendum, and Recall, Section 1: All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require."

Other initiatives approved for circulation include:

1. "Redevelopment Agencies. Reestablishment." Repeals elimination of redevelopment agencies and allows local governments to reestablish redevelopment agencies and resume redirection of certain property taxes to redevelopment project (504,760 signatures required by July 21).

2. "In-Home Care Providers. Expenditures." Requires businesses providing in-home care services to spend at least 75 percent of their total annual home care service revenue on direct patient care. Limits administrative expenses, management compensation, and profit distributions collectively to 25 percent of revenue  (504,760 signatures required by July 21).

3. Marijuana Legalization. Legalizes limited amount of marijuana, including concentrated cannabis, under state law for personal use, cultivation, possession, transportation, purchase, donation, or consumption by persons 21 years and over. Requires Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to regulate and license commercial marijuana cultivation, transportation, sales,, and testing. Allows local governments to ban/limit number of marijuana businesses (504,760 signatures required by July 7).

For more information on California initiatives, go to www.oag.ca.gov, Site Navigation, Programs A-Z, Initiative Coordinator, Ballot Initiatives.  


2/20/14

San Diego County gathered 72,570 signatures during the 90-day referendum campaign to stop a January 1st implementation of AB 1266 -- the "School Bathroom Choice Bill" -- and put it on the November ballot.

Of the signatures gathered, 80.6 percent -- or 58,471 -- were deemed valid in the full signature count conducted by county election officials, according to a Secretary of State office "Full Check" release yesterday.

The Full Check count shows San Diego county election officials found 14,099 invalid signatures and 1,826 duplicated signatures of the 72,570 signatures.

The San Diego count with two other counties reporting leaves 390,521 signatures yet to be validated by 15 counties with just five days until the Monday, February 24th 5 p.m. deadline -- Riverside County among them.

The current valid signature percentage rate is 78.62 with an 81.5 percent needed to win the referendum. The valid signature count as of February 18th is 180,713 with 504,760 required to qualify for the November ballot.


2/14/14

February 24th is coming and 18 California counties have yet to turn in valid registered voter signature counts of the remaining 493,450 AB1266 referendum signatures.

The referendum to put on the ballot AB1266 -- the legislative law enacted to permit K-12 public school students to use bathroom and locker room facilities consistent with a student's gender identity -- is nearing a decisive signature count.

AB1266, "The School Success and Opportunity Act," referred to as "The School Bathroom Coed Bill," is under a February 24th deadline to validate over 600,000 signatures gathered during the referendum campaign.

But as of February 11th, the Secretary of State's office had received registered voter signature validations from just 40 of 58 counties, mostly the smaller populated counties with only 99,537 valid signatures of 125,894 voter signatures reviewed -- a 79.06 percent validity rate.

The 79 percent valid signature count is low as an 81.5 percent validity rate of the 619,344 signatures gathered in the referendum is needed to qualify for the ballot.

If the 79 percent trend continues, it is a significant drop from the random signature count by the SOS's office in early January stating a 95 percent validity rate.

But the valid signature percentage rate could change as larger populated counties -- Los Angeles (130,978 signatures), San Diego (72,542), San Bernardino (63,448), Orange (58,192) and Riverside (42,050) -- turn in their full counts.

The county elections officials in each county are responsible for validating the referendum signatures. If the January 24th, 5:00 p.m. deadline is not met, their signature count is lost.

The massive signature campaign was targeted to get AB1266 -- a legislative enacted bill signed by the Governor last year -- on the November 2014 ballot and stop implementation January 1st.

A total of 504,760 valid signatures are needed to qualify. The validation process began January 8th. The SOS's office is waiting for the larger counties to validate the 493,450 remaining signatures.


2/1/14

In recent days, Governor Edmond G. Brown, Jr., has appointed three Superior Court judgeships throughout the State - all Democrats.

Judgeship appointments, according to the Governor's press release on January 28, included: Keri G. Katz, 52, to a judgeship in San Diego Superior Court, who filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Alvin E. Green, Jr. on January 31st; Ferdinand P. Inumerable, 46, to a judgeship in the Ventura County Superior Court; and Elizabeth M Hill, 38, to a judgeship in the San Mateo County Superior Court.

The compensation for the judgeship position is $181.292.

Other Democrat appointments by the Governor on Tuesday included: Holly Pearson, 48, to deputy secretary and general counsel at the California Government Operations Agency ($136,500); Cynthia Cavanaugh, 58, appointed assistant deputy director of homeless and housing policy at the California Department of Housing and Community Development ($93,276); Susan Riggs, 40, appointed deputy secretary of housing policy at the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency ($129,996); Donna Norton, 56, appointed to the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians ($100 per diem); Cheryl Williams, 58, appointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board of California ($100 per diem); and Debra Woo, 57, appointed to the Dental Board of California ($100 per diem).



1/24/14

The California Secretary of State's office (SOS) issued a ballot measure update this week concerning two pro-life referendum petitions circulating late last year.

Each petition needed over 504,760 registered voter signatures to qualify for the 2014 November statewide ballot.

Failing to get the required signature count by the January 7th deadline:

1) "Referendum to Reimpose Different Standards on Clinics Providing Abortion Services than on Other Primary Care Clinics," was approved for circulation November 7th. The law -- approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor on October 9 -- repealed previous law imposed on clinics providing abortion services that required different (stricter) building and licensing standards than on other primary care clinics.

2) "Referendum to Overturn Law Allowing Specified Licensed Medical Professionals to Perform Early Abortion Procedures," was to challenge a law -- introduced by Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), approved by the Legislature and signed by the Governor -- permitting a nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant with a valid license and training to perform specified early abortion procedures.

Prior to this law, only a licensed medical doctor was permitted to perform an abortion in a licensed facility.

According to Political Blotter: "With dozens of new abortion restrictions enacted in other states ... California stood alone in passing laws to increase access."


1/23/14

Are local school districts implementing AB 1266, the controversial gender identity K-12 public school "Bathroom Choice Bill" effective January 1, 2014?

The "School Success and Opportunity Act," AB 1266's official title, is considered "on hold" by at least two law firms due to the massive referendum signature gathering to place the law on the ballet, yet "in effect" according to California Department of Education.

Temecula Valley School Unified School District (TVUSD) and Perris Union High School District (PUHSD) confirmed implementation of AB 1266 is on hold until the signature count is validated by the Secretary of State by February 26, 2014.

"We have not made any changes," said Melanie Norton, TVUSD Communications & Community Relations Coordinator of the district representing 29,000 K-12 students. "We are waiting to see what becomes of the referendum."

Perris Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Greenberg, said his district, representing 10,000 secondary and middle school students, is not specifically implementing AB 1266 law at this time pending the referendum signature count, but that he believes "AB 1266 is already embedded in Federal law."

"I'm not a lawyer," Greenberg said, "but I believe that AB 1266 is already embedded in Federal law."

"Regardless, it's not an issue," Greenberg said. "We have a handful of transgender students and have been able to address their concerns."

The district had already utilized an unwritten policy prior to AB 1266 allowing transgender students, or any student uncomfortable changing clothes in a locker room facility, to use a nurse's office.

"We didn't have a law to tell us to do the right thing for their kids," Greenberg said.

"I am not going to let some smart aleck in high school go into a locker room of the opposite sex," Greenberg said regarding parental concerns raised by AB 1266's vagueness on gender identity.

"We are not going to let transgender students rule the day," Greenberg said. "We respect diversity. We are not here to judge. They need a good education."

"We are not a circus," Greenberg said in response to a question of how some taxpayers feel about public education today -- that public education has become a circus with the focus on social issues rather than the three R's. 

"We are not endorsing the behavior," Greenberg said.

Greenberg said there has been some fallout among parents who say they will take their students out of public school if the law takes effect.

"We need their kids," Greenberg said. "We need the money. We don't want to have a situation with teachers -- with no students."


1/17/14

Lozano Smith, a law firm specializing in serving hundreds of California's K-12 school districts "in advising and counseling on complex and ever-changing laws," released a statement yesterday the "new gender identity bill is on hold."

"The question of whether implementation of AB 1266 is on hold during the signature review process," the press release states, "is a complicated matter."

"However, based on the text of the state constitution and applicable case law, we believe that AB 1266 is not currently in effect," Lozano Smith state.

"The California Constitution contains provisions allowing the electorate to prevent a bill from becoming law by gathering signatures to qualify for a statewide referendum vote to bar enactment," Lozano Smith state, and "the signature gathering effort to block AB 1266 has been completed, but the Secretary of State has yet to finalize the full signature review process, which now set to be certified by February 26, 2014."

AB 1266 is the controversial so-called "Bathroom Choice Bill" signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown that would allow K-12 public school students access to "use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."

The bill fueled what is considered to be the largest referendum signature gathering in California's history (620,000) to stop a January 1, 2014 implementation date of the law and put AB 1266 on the 2014 November ballot.

Lozano Smith caution K-12 school districts "should not conclude that the referendum provides a vehicle to deny any rights afforded to transgender students under current law."

Lozano Smith's full press release can be viewed at www.lozanosmith.com 


1/11/14

Contradicting the statements made by proponents of the monumental referendum to stop implementation of AB1266 --  the K-12 public school "Bathroom Choice Bill" -- the Department of Education states the law is, well, law.

"The law definitely went into effect on January 1," stated Giorgos Kazanis, Information Officer of the California Department of Education (CDE), Friday in a followup e-mail to Riverside InterChurch News Service.

"[AB1266] won't be suspended until the Secretary of State's office completes its processing procedure and files the referendum," said Kazanis. "Once the referendum has been officially filed then the law will be on hold."

Friday, Secretary of State (SOS) Debra Bowen Communications Director, Nicole Winger, said to Riverside InterChurch News Service the SOS "does not enforce education [law] implementation for the Department of Education," and is "involved only in the election process and validating the [signature] count."

Two proponents of the referendum, Privacy For All Students and Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), have issued statements that the law is "on hold" due to the overwhelming 620,00 signatures gathered prior the November 10 deadline.

The conflicting statements create a potentially litigious situation for K-12 public schools.

The law currently reads in Section 1. Section 221.5(f) of the Education Code: "A pupil shall be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."

The California Department of Education issued the following statement to Riverside InterChurch News Service:

"The Superintendent believes schools exist to serve every student -- and a major part of that is making sure they feel safe enough to learn. The aim is to give all students the same opportunity to succeed. The law has already inspired many conversations about student rights., and that's a good thing."

"That said," the CDE statement continues, "the legislation doesn't really specify a role for the California Department of Education, but we're open to hearing from districts that feel they need assistance."

The registered voter random signature count for the petitions reached 95 percent validity, and the SOS has 30 business days to validate 620,000 signatures since the announcement January 8th. 

Note: We originally published acronym for California Department of Education as DOE. The correct acronym is CDE. We regret the error.


1/10/14

A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives to recognize the right of a state to define marriage for the legal residents and will require federal agencies to look at a person's legal residence when determining marital status and federal law applications.

The "State Marriage Defense Act of 2014," was introduced Thursday by Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) to uphold the 10th Amendment which states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

"The 10th Amendment was established to protect state sovereignty and individual rights from being seized by the federal government," said Weber in The Christian Post. 

In August, the IRS ruled its agency would recognize same-sex marriages in states that do not recognize same-sex marriages.

"I drafted [this bill] to affirm the authority of the states to define and regulate marriage, as well as provide clarity to federal agencies seeking to determine who qualifies as a spouse for the purpose of federal law," Weber said.

Notes: The full article in The Christian Post can be read @ www.christianpost.com

Contact your U.S. House Representative ASAP to voice your position for "State Marriage Defense Act of 2014" -- we did! www.house.gov


1/10/14

The conscience of the nation is waking up.

Concluding an exhaustive survey of national abortion clinics, Operation Rescue reports 87 surgical abortion clinics closed in 2013 -- a 12 percent net decrease and 73 percent drop from a high in 1991 of 2,176.

The total number of surgical abortion clinics remaining in the United States is 582.

"These numbers show that the pro-life movement is gaining ground and that the abortion industry is collapsing," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, in the report.

The report cited several reasons for the decline of surgical abortion clinics: a decreased demand for abortion, increased pro-life sentiment, a flood of new state laws that establish abortion standards, increased enforcement of laws and retirement of aging abortionists (most of which are not being replaced). 

The full report, released December 23, 2013, can be read @ www.operationrescue.org


1/9/14

The referendum to put AB1266 -- the legislative bill signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown granting K-12 public school students access to bathrooms of their perceived gender identity -- on the November ballot, moved a significant step closer to reality yesterday.

A random sample validity test of 620,000 signatures conducted by the state has shown a 95% validity rate of registered voter signatures, according to Privacy for All Students, the organization sponsoring the petition drive.

The high percentage means the referendum enters the next phase: a full signature count of all petitions over the next 30 business days to reach the required 504,760 voter signatures.

"Thank you for the commitment you've shown," said Privacy For All Students in a press release. "The countless hours of work, your generous financial support and prayer has brought us to this point. We are grateful that so many people saw it as a priority to take a stand for the privacy of children in our California schools."

Supporters of the referendum include Pacific Justice Institute, Rescue Your Child.com, SaveCalifornia.com, KWVE 107.9 FM, Good News, etc., Christian Examiner and Assembly Member Melissa Melendez (R-Riverside).

Jack Hibbs, pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, spearheaded the petition drive among Calvary Chapels and affiliate churches in southern California. 

Gina Gleason, the AB1266 referendum proponent, told Flashreport (a political website), her success model: "The core of our qualification effort relied on trained volunteers. We carefully trained volunteers, and we utilized experienced people who've done this before."

"When signatures came into our office," Gleason said, "we carefully screened them and scrubbed petitions of obvious errors. The steps we took to scrub the petitions paid real dividends as our validity rate is tremendously high."

Hundreds of churches participated in the signature gathering and volunteers collected 400,000 signatures, according to Flashreport.

The "School Success and Opportunity Act" as AB1266 is titled by author Assembly Member Tom Ammaino (D-San Francisco, is supported by the ACLU of California, Equality California, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Transgender Law Center, among other organizations.


1/9/14

The proponent of a new initiative may begin collecting petition signatures for an amendment measure to restrict abortions for minors until 48 hours after physician or other authorized medical professional notifies her parent/legal guardian in writing, stated Secretary of State Debra Bowen in a press release.

The measure provides exceptions for medical emergency, parental waiver, or parental abuse documented by notarized statement from law enforcement, protective services, or certain relatives, according to the press release.

The proposed California constitutional amendment permits a judge to waive notice if minor appears personally in court and proves maturity or waiver is in her best interest.

Medical professionals who violate amendment would be subject to suit for up to 12 years from violation.

The proponent, John Smith, must collect 807,615 signatures by May 27, 2014 to qualify for the November 2014 ballot. Smith can be reached at john.smith.jsjs@gmail.com.

The Secretary announced approval to gather signatures for the petition on December 26, 2013.


1/8/14

Secretary of State Debra Bowen approved proponents of a new initiative to collect petition signatures for their measure which would add an amendment to the state constitution redefining "person" to extend constitutional protection of due process and equal protection to all fertilized human eggs.

The initiative proponents for the measure have until April 21, 2014 to collect 807,615 registered voter signatures to be approved for the November 2014 ballot. They can be reached at (510)225-4056.

The Secretary approved the petition November 22, 2013.


1/6/14

Despite no official word at press time from California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, the implementation of the public school K-12 assembly bill to allow students to choose restrooms, locker rooms and sports teams based on their gender identity, is on hold according to a coalition formed to overturn the bill.  

Privacy for All Students, a coalition of parents, students, nonprofit and faith groups, released a statement January 4: "PFAS is advising school personnel that the law [AB1266] was suspended based on the presentation of the [620,000] signatures and that the law will only go into effect if the signatures are determined to be inadequate [less than the 504,760 registered voter signatures required] or the voters approve the law on the November [2014] ballot."

California Assembly Bill 1266, as an amendment to Section 221.5 of the Education Code, states: "This bill would require that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records."

The bill was sponsored by California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) and signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown on August 12, 2013.


 

1/3/14

Judge Allen Sumner of the Sacramento County Superior Court issued a tentative ruling Thursday granting the writ petition of AB1266 referendum backers to have signatures from Tulare and Mono counties counted, a ruling considered a rebuke to Secretary of State Debra Bowen, according to a press release by Pacific Justice Institute.

The Secretary withheld what might amount to 5, 000 petition signatures from two counties as the county clerk office did not accept them until after the November 10th deadline -- although they were delivered over the Veterans Day holiday weekend. 

Regarding the January 1st implementation of the law which would allow transgender K-12 public school students access to restrooms, locker rooms and sports teams of their choice, Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) state the law is on hold.

"Quite simply, the law has not gone into effect because proponents have delivered more than enough signatures to place it on hold," stated PJI attorney Kevin Snider in the press release. 


1/2/14

AB1266, the highly controversial California state legislature bill signed by Governor Jerry Brown granting K-12 public school students access to restrooms, locker rooms and showers of their choice "irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records," has been put on hold, according to a press release by Pacific Justice Institute, a law firm monitoring the bill.

The "Bathroom Choice Bill" was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2014, but a vote count and lawsuit to validate over 600,000 California voters signatures for a referendum petition has stalled AB1266. 

The signed petitions were turned in to the Secretary of State from all 58 California counties.

Attorneys filed suit December 19th against state and county officials who "refused to accept signatures for the referendum," considering signed petitions turned in too late from Tulare and Mono counties, according to a Pacific Justice Institute press release.  


12/20/13

Nearly 11 million Americans are listed as unemployed, and a recent survey by National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) member churches found 32 percent have a specific ministry to address those without jobs. (1)

Churches can assist meeting the needs of their members and the community who are jobless with job boards, job clubs, resume workshops, vocational counseling and networking opportunities, according to an article published on the NAE website December 17th.

Also, unemployment can produce a high amount of stress and "lead to distrust of God's provision." The church can help by providing "regular opportunities for worship, fellowship and discipleship," which will help comfort and encourage "while developing discipline and character qualities that increase employability."    

By developing specific ministries in the church to address unemployment, it not only strengthens the members, but can serve as an outreach to the community.

The unemployment rate in Riverside County is 10.1 percent as of December 5, according to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Economic Research (FRED). The California unemployment rate for October was 8.3 percent compared with 7 percent for the nation, with the overall Inland Empire unemployment rate at 9.8 percent according to Employment Development Department (EDD), November 22, 2013.

The Inland Empire netted 19,600 non-farm jobs between September and October 2013, according to EDD.

Note: 1) www.nae.net "Ministry for the Unemployed."


12/5/13

Dr. Paul Crouch, who with his wife Janice co-founded in Costa Mesa what became the largest Christian television station with 26 networks throughout the world, died Saturday, November 30, according to his grandson Brandon Crouch. He was 79.

Dr. Crouch battled a heart ailment for ten years, according to previous reports. A private funeral, respecting his will, is to be conducted.

From 1965- 1970, Dr. Crouch worked in Riverside County while general manager and part owner of Corona radio station KREL-AM. He then moved on to manage two Christian radio stations in San Bernardino before founding Trinity Broadcast Network in 1973.

He is survived by his wife and their two sons and families. [www.tbn.org. Other sources (search: "Crouch"): | www.latimes.com | www.nytimes.com | www.usatoday.com/ | www.christianpost.com | www.npr.org | www.catholic.org]


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