The Soboba Sports Complex gymnasium was filled with excitement as anxious family members waited for kindergarten students from the Soboba Tribal Preschool to enter the room on June 5. Before that moment arrived, a slideshow featuring all 21 youngsters in their caps and gowns followed by group photos of them in classroom activities was punctuated by cheers and applause.

After the children were seated on the stage, teacher Laura Aldrete welcomed families and friends to the Kindergarten Class of 2023 celebration. “First, we would like to thank Tribal Council for helping and supporting our Kindergarten. Thank you to all of our families for their love, support and encouragement,” she said. “We would like to thank the staff and the teachers. This year has been one to remember but we made it!”

Even though Aldrete and teacher’s aide Mayra Barrientos were only with the class for the past couple of months, due to personnel changes, they said it was a privilege to have worked with such an amazing group of kindergartners.

“Ms. Mayra and I wish the kindergarten class all the best in their new journey and what awaits them,” Aldrete said. “We know you will achieve great things because we know you can.”

Students who successfully completed kindergarten and are headed off to first grade in the fall are Penelope Alcala, Aaron Arenas, Joseph Bentiste, Xwáyish Briones, Demi Cervantes, Jena Davis, Freddie Duran, Koba Lindsey-Gallardo, Manalice Garcia, Zeppelin Godinez, Liam Grant, Charlie Mae Hunter, Nikolas Lara, Luciano Marquez, Hailey Medina, Mila Nunez, Notóomo Salgado, Samuel Shaheen, Journey Silvas, Kenai Silvas and River Valenzuella.

Preschool Director Donovan Post welcomed everyone to the ceremony. He thanked families for choosing to enroll their children at the school and for supporting them and the school throughout the year and thanked staff for all their efforts. “Our number one goal was to be here for these kids day in and day out,” he said. “I’d also like to thank Sierra Vivanco who was our kindergarten teacher at the start of the year. She worked with us for a few years, and she did an amazing job. We appreciate all the efforts that she gave to us during the time she was with us this year. Ms. Laura and Ms. Mayra are an amazing team that have stepped up and taken over so now we have a great foundation for how everything can be better in the future.”

Wayne Nelson provided a blessing and with the Intertribal Bird Singers invited the children to join in during two social songs. Young boys played gourd rattles they had made earlier in the school year and many of the young girls were wearing bird skirts under their graduation gowns that Noli Indian School students had helped them create.

The class performed a song about how they had learned to read, write, listen, tie their shoes and be kind to friends this past year. Then each student was called to the front of the stage to receive their diploma and a personalized certificate to showcase what made them shine. Their favorite memories and future plans were also shared. Some aspire to be superheroes and others are looking to become firefighters or police officers.

Not surprisingly, most students cited playing with friends outdoors or in the classroom as their favorite memory about school. Some said they enjoyed the bus rides they took to the Soboba Sports Complex for special events throughout the school year and several others said doing their homework was their favorite part of school.

Graduates and their individual accolades are Penelope, Rockstar Reader; Aaron, All-Star Athlete; Joseph, Master Mathematician; Xwáyish, Perfect Penmanship; Demi, Fabulous Friend; Jena, Future Teacher; Freddie, Loyal Listener; Koba, Thoughtful Thinker; Manalice, Delightful Dancer; Zeppelin, Spectacular Scissor Skills; Liam, Handy Helper; Charlie Mae, Stellar Smile; Nikolas, Incredible Illustrator; Luciano, Splendid Storyteller; Hailey, Numbers Ninja; Mila, Alphabet Ninja; Notóomo, Outstanding Observer; Samuel, Technology Wiz; Journey, Happy Heart Hero; Kenai, Enthusiastic Explorer; and River, Incredible Imagination.

Gloria Vivanco had a front-row seat to watch her great-grandson Aaron Arenas graduate from kindergarten. With two children and seven grandchildren, Vivanco said Aaron is the oldest of her 11 great grandchildren, with three more babies expected soon.

Soboba Elder Alice Helms proudly watched her great-great-granddaughter Manalice Garcia receive her diploma and be laden with balloons and plush toys by many family members after the ceremony.

Soboba Tribal Preschool Office Manager Amber Lopez said if she had one word to use to describe this year’s class, it would be perseverance. “They had a lot of changes this year and still came out on top. I am very proud of them for all their hard work and focus,” she said. “I will miss my morning chats with them as I walked them down the hall to their classrooms; it was one of the many highlights of my day. I wish them all the happiness and success for their future.”

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Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, were arrested at their Costa Mesa residence, the California Highway Patrol announced Sunday, June 6.

Eriz has been charged with murder and discharge of a gun into an occupied vehicle. Lee has been charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact, and a misdemeanor count of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. Eriz also faces sentencing enhancements.

Lee was driving, according to prosecutors, and Eriz is suspected of firing the gun.

The criminal complaint was filed by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.

Eriz faces a maximum of 40 years to life if convicted of all charges, according to the District Attorney’s Office, and if convicted on her charges, Lee would face three years in state prison and a year in county jail, the Orange County Register reports.

Prosecutors recommended $2 million bail for Eriz and $500,000 for Lee. They were held on $1 million bond each after their arrests on Sunday.

Authorities said the boy’s mother was driving a Chevrolet Sonic approaching State Route 22 from the 55 near Chapman Avenue. A road-rage incident ensued after “a perceived unsafe lane change,” according to the CHP. Leos was sitting in the back seat of the Sonic when a gun was reportedly fired from a station wagon, believed to have been a late-model Volkswagen Golf SportWagen. The bullet went through the trunk of the Sonic and the boy’s booster seat, striking him in his back.

CHP said after the shooting, the suspect vehicle continued north on the 55, then traveled east on State Route 91 toward the city of Riverside. Authorities said the driver was female and the passenger was male.

The boy’s mother was driving him to kindergarten, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Monday, authorities said they found what they believe were the gun and the vehicle, the Register reports. The Volkswagen is registered to Lee’s father and was located at Eriz’s grandmother’s house in Whittier. The gun, believed to be registered to Eriz, was allegedly found at Eriz’s workplace.

Truecrimedaily | Contributed

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — All 4-year-olds in California could go to kindergarten for free under a new proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration, part of a broad new education spending package made possible by the state’s surprise budget surplus.

That surplus means California will have $93.7 billion to spend on public education this year, money calculated by a voter-approved formula. That’s $36 billion more than the state had to spend last year, and it is $17.7 billion more than the governor’s initial estimate in January.

Newsom will announce on Wednesday that he wants to spend part of that money to expand the state’s transitional kindergarten program to all 4-year-olds by the 2024-25 school year. Details of the plan were provided by an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan had not yet been formally announced.

“It’s really acknowledging how important schools are in our everyday life,” said Assemblyman Phil Ting, a Democrat from San Francisco and chair of the Assembly Budget Committee. “For many families, schools are a place where they get food, they get health care, they get social services. It’s acknowledging that schools are no longer a place where we just get educated, they’re really a community hub for many of our neighborhoods.”

Newsom and the state’s legislative leaders originally thought California would have a massive budget deficit this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Legislators and Newsom had approved a budget last year that raised taxes and cut spending to cover that shortfall, including delaying more than $12.5 billion in payments to public school districts.

But the shortfall never happened. The pandemic mostly affected lower-wage workers, while those with higher salaries kept their jobs and kept paying taxes. Combined with a surging stock market and the state’s progressive tax structure, Newsom announced Monday that the state would have a $76 billion surplus.

The surplus is good timing for Newsom, who will face a recall election later this year fueled by anger over his handling of the pandemic. This week, Newsom has announced a bonanza of new spending proposals, including returning $8.1 billion to taxpayers in the form of tax rebates and spending $12 billion to tackle the state’s homelessness problem.

Newsom’s plan would eventually open California’s two-year transitional kindergarten program to students starting at age 4, the Newsom administration official said. The proposal fulfills a promise by Newsom and legislative leaders to pay for universal 4-year-old kindergarten in California.

About 91,000 students are enrolled in transitional kindergarten right now. If Newsom’s plan is approved, that would increase to about 250,000 students by 2024-25, the administration official said.

Previous proposals have concerned some local school officials, who have expressed concerns that they would run out of teachers. Teacher retirements increased 26% during the second half of 2020, according to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System. A state survey found that 56% of those who retired cited the difficulty of teaching during the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom’s plan would address that problem by giving $1.1 billion to some school districts to hire more staff, the administration official said. To be eligible for the money, at least 55% of a district’s enrollment would have to be made up of either low-income students, children learning English as a second language or kids in foster care, the official said.

California does not require anyone to go to school until age 6. But school districts are required to offer kindergarten program for students who turn 5 by Sept. 2 of each year and a two-year transitional kindergarten program for students who turn 5 by Dec. 2. Newsom’s plan would eventually make all children who turn 4 by Sept. 1 eligible for the transitional kindergarten program, the official said.

Parents won’t have to send their 4-year—olds to kindergarten. But school districts will have to offer it.

The plan would be rolled out in phases, making more children eligible for kindergarten each year until the plan is fully implemented in the 2024-25 school year. The Newsom administration says it will cost $2.7 billion per year by that time.

The governor’s plan would also spend $3.3 billion to expand incentive programs for teachers, including a program that gives grants of up to $20,000 to teachers who work in high-need public schools, the official said.

In addition, Newsom wants to pay for an after-school program and six weeks of summer school for districts with high concentrations of low-income students, children learning to speak English and kids in foster care. The programs would be available for students up to 6th grade, the official said.

It would cost $5 billion by the time it’s fully implemented in the 2025-26 school year, and it would apply to about one out of every three public school students, or about 2.1 million children, the official said.

California is also scheduled to get billions in coronavirus aid funding from the federal government, part of a $1.9 trillion relief package President Joe Biden signed earlier this year.

Newsom wants to use $2.1 billion of that money to start college savings accounts for students from low-income families and students who are learning to speak English or are in foster care, the official said. Each student’s account would get $500. Children who are homeless or in foster care would get $1,000.

About 3.8 million students would be eligible for the money this year. The state would start to pay for the program next year. The Newsom administration said it would cost about $170 million to keep it going, with an estimated 320,000 students coming in each year.

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Soboba Fire Station No. 1 opened its doors and shared information with Soboba Tribal Preschool kindergartners and Pre-K students on Oct. 11 as part of Fire Prevention Month. The goal of the national event is to raise awareness about fire safety and help ensure kids know what to do in the event of an emergency.

The 43 children were divided into four groups that rotated between visiting the living quarters, learning about why firefighters wear certain gear, getting to use the fire hose and seeing the inside and outside of two fire trucks that were available. A third truck was away assisting with a fire.

The department’s newest truck was put into service in September. It is a Pierce 107-foot Ascendant heavy-duty Tiller Ladder Truck that has a 1,500-gallon per minute Waterous mid-ship pump and a 300-gallon water tank.

“This is the only ladder truck staffed full time 24/7 in the San Jacinto Valley,” Soboba Fire Chief Glenn Patterson said.

He added that all Soboba Fire personnel have been trained to use this apparatus, which included more than 100 hours of classroom instruction, practical lessons and hands-on tactical training for each firefighter. Patterson said firefighting efforts at numerous buildings in the area would require this type of truck, such as the Soboba Casino Resort hotel, Soboba Tribal Administration, Hemet Valley Medical Center and multi-story apartments, retirement homes and motels.

“We also upgraded the truck with Fire Research Corp scene lighting to increase firefighter safety at night and during heavy smoke conditions,” Patterson said.

At the firehouse, the crew did its part to help teach and reinforce lessons the students were learning in their classrooms all week long.

“Call 9-1-1, don’t run, don’t hide,” most of the kids shouted back when Captain Howard Maxcy Jr. asked them what to do if they see flames or smell smoke.

Firefighter Glenn Lindsey was suited up so the children would know not to fear similarly dressed firefighters in the event they ever encounter one in their home. Maxcy described each part of the uniform and all the tools that were attached. He showed the kids how a hand-held thermal energy camera can help rescuers find people when visibility is obliterated by heavy smoke.

“We are the only fire station in Southern California who has a thermal energy camera incorporated into our masks – all 21 of them,” said Maxcy, who has been a firefighter for more than 20 years. “It’s one of the things we thought was important to have. We’re lucky to have frontline equipment like this and our new ladder truck.”

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Engineer Rob Cisneros gave the grand tour of the living quarters and explained that most of the movies shown on the big screen television were training films so they could learn how to be even better firefighters. He also told the kids that firefighters are always learning even after they complete the fire academy and paramedic school.

Students in all grades spent the week incorporating fire safety into their curriculum as they learned key words and the importance of dialing 9-1-1 if they see a fire. Lessons in math, colors and reading all had a firefighting theme.

“We’ve been doing the ‘stop, drop and roll’ drills with them all week,” said Ana Garcia, who teaches the three-year-old students. “We did art projects to help them identify parts of the trucks and equipment and we read lots of books about firemen and what they do.”

A visit to the preschool by the department for the younger children (two- and three-year-olds) earlier in the week was delayed when the crew had to respond to an emergency call.

Clementine Swan wore an authentic miniature firefighter uniform to school and teacher Amanda Vallin said she brought another one to share with her classmates.

“All week we’ve been talking about community helpers and firefighters; our letter of the week was F,” said Vallin, who has been at the school for three years.

Lindsey said he’s known many of the preschoolers since they were babies, being a Soboba tribal member himself. He said he likes being able to show them what he does and hopes they look to him as a role model and will want to become firefighters someday.

“It’s good for us to give back and let them see what we do out here,” he said. “It also helps them feel comfortable if we have to go out to a fire. A lot of them recognize me so they know they can trust firefighters.”

After returning to campus to eat lunch, the children were still exhibiting signs of excitement from their field trip, all raising their hands when asked who had fun.

“I liked doing the water hose,” said Tulóvat Temanxwanvish, 5. Takoda Nunez liked the ladder truck best and Atreyu Valenzuella liked “all of it.”

Muukumikat Gonzalez enjoyed trying the fire hose, too, but added that he also had fun exploring the giant trucks and “checking everything out.”

“I learned that I have to go to school to learn about being a firefighter,” five-year-old kindergartner Kali Valenzuela said.

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