Christopher Simmons
Christopher Simmons (aka Christopher Laird Simmons) has been a working journalist since his first magazine sale in 1984. He has since written for wide variety of print and online publications covering lifestyle, tech and entertainment. He is an award-winning author, designer, photographer, and musician. He is a member of ASCAP and PRSA. He is the founder and CEO of Neotrope®, based in Temecula, CA, USA.
News: Bank of Southern California NA Announces Senior Vice President Promotions
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Bank of Southern California, N.A. (OTC Pink: BCAL / OTCMKTS:BCAL), a community business bank headquartered in San Diego, Calif., announced the promotions of Margaret Rheinwald to Senior Vice President, Controller and Sharokin Badal to Senior Vice President, Treasury Services. The promotions reflect their years of service with the bank and their meaningful contributions to support the company's ongoing growth and expansion.
Cloudvirga helps raise $50K for cancer patients and wounded veterans with 2018 golf event
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Cloudvirga, a leading provider of digital mortgage software, helped raise more than $50,000 for wounded veterans and families affected by cancer as a corporate sponsor of the Finance of America Mortgage Charity Golf Tournament and Auction benefitting the Golden State Impact Project.
XG Communities announces advancement for City of La Puente’s small cell wireless and 5G strategy
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- XG Communities LLC and the City of La Puente, Calif. announced that approximately 1,500 street light poles are now available to wireless carriers and technology companies for small cell deployment. The street light poles are available on XG Communities' Site SeleX Platform.
Thrive Mortgage partners with Cloudvirga to give its loan officers an edge with customers
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Cloudvirga, a leading provider of digital mortgage software, today announced that full-service mortgage lender Thrive Mortgage LLC (formerly Georgetown Mortgage) is deploying Cloudvirga digital mortgage technology to loan officers across its more than 50 branch locations nationwide. The lender expects 70 percent of its loan production will be powered by Cloudvirga technology by the end of the quarter.
ReverseVision and STRATMOR Group Partner to Integrate First-Ever HECM Borrower Satisfaction Benchmark into MortgageSAT
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- ReverseVision, the leading provider of technology and training for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) industry, today announced it is partnering with leading mortgage industry advisory firm STRATMOR Group to develop the first-ever HECM borrower satisfaction benchmark as part of STRATMOR's MortgageSAT Borrower Satisfaction Program.
MAGLITE Flashlight and Video of Hero San Bernardino Sheriff Jim Considine on Display at National Law Enforcement Museum
ONTARIO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- The National Law Enforcement Museum will open to the public on October 13 in Washington D.C. and MAGLITE representatives and San Bernardino County Sheriff Lieutenant Jim Considine will be in attendance to experience this momentous occasion.
Imagine John Lennon at 78, Helping to End Hunger, One License Plate at a Time, with California Association of Food Banks
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Today would have marked the 78th birthday of John Lennon, and his legacy is still helping to "Imagine there's no hunger," in California, Florida and throughout the U.S. Yoko Ono Lennon has kindly authorized the use of the iconic self-portrait image to help the California Association of Food Banks and Feeding Florida in their ongoing fight to end hunger.
For Q418, The Mortgage Collaborative Expands Benchmark, Collaboration Labs and Working Group Member Engagement Initiatives
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's only independent mortgage cooperative, today announced that they have added and expanded upon several of their member benefits. With the continued growth of their national lender member network, TMC has increased the size and scope of their engagement programs to offer even more opportunities for their members to network and collaborate.
NEXT Future Transportation is initiating its own response to the global single-use e-Commerce packaging waste challenge
SAN JOSE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- NEXT Future Transportation Inc. ('NEXT'), The world's leading automated transportation innovator for Smart and Connected Cities is responding to and initiating its own response to the global single-use e-Commerce packaging waste challenge.
California Receives Top Grades in Digital Technology for 2018, One of Three States that Won Three Category Awards
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- California received an overall grade of A- from the Center for Digital Government’s 2018 Digital States Survey. The biannual survey benchmarks government use of digital technologies to improve service delivery, increase capacity and reach policy goals across all 50 states.
Cal State LA recognized with SCAQMD 2018 Clean Air Education and Outreach Award
LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Cal State LA has received a 2018 Clean Air Award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District for educating the public about energy efficient vehicles.
NEXT Future Transportation: Autonomous Transport Success Depends on Project Finance and Public-Private Partnerships
SAN JOSE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- NEXT Future Transportation Inc. ("NEXT"), the global leader in modular-electric vehicle solutions, today announced it will be participating in the International Project Finance Association ("IPFA Americas") conference, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles: Impacts and Implications, on Thursday, Oct. 25 at the office of Nixon Peabody LLC in Los Angeles.
L.A. Artists, Musicians, Poets and Performers to Salute Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center 50th at 2018 Gala
VENICE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- A historic lineup of L.A.'s leading artists, performers, poets and authors will salute Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center ('Beyond Baroque'), the city's legendary literary center, at its 50th anniversary "Bohemian Bacchanal" on Saturday, November 10. The gala event, located in the Venice Arts Plaza, features a dinner and will be highlighted by presentations honoring actor/poet Viggo Mortensen, a long-time supporter.
MAG Instrument Continues to Light Path to Breast Cancer Awareness, partnering with National Breast Cancer Foundation
ONTARIO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This month, Mag Instrument Inc. (MAG), the company that produces the iconic MAGLITE line of flashlights, is once again partnering with National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) to promote awareness of and raise funds to support the work of NBCF. In fact, 2018 will mark a decade that Mag Instrument Inc. has observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month and donated nearly $400,000 to NBCF.
EPIC Insurance Hosts its Fourth Annual Invitational Golf Tournament Benefiting Nonprofit The Joyful Child Foundation
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, has hosted its fourth annual EPIC Invitational Golf Tournament on behalf of The Joyful Child Foundation and its mission to keep children safe.
City of El Monte to Shed Light on Domestic Violence, October 2018 Declared as Awareness Month
EL MONTE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- The City of El Monte and local community leaders will continue supporting families and survivors of domestic violence by declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness month. As part of the proclamation, the City will light its Statue of Liberty in purple on Tuesday, October 2 at 7 p.m.
Director Troy Rowland to fly higher with ‘DangerMan Returns’ the Black Superhero Film Sequel
LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- It will be lights, camera and a lot of action as DangerMan, America's Real Life Black Superhero, gears up to shoot the sequel to his original film release. "DangerMan Returns" will be directed by Troy Michael Rowland, a veteran entertainment specialist whose credits include Disney, Amazon and TV One. Roger I. Tinsley, CEO/President of the DangerMan Education Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, will executive produce the film.
Hunter Peckham, Neuroprosthetics Pioneer, to Keynote 2018 Neurotech Leaders Forum in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Neurotech Reports today announced that the keynote speaker at the 18th annual Neurotech Leaders Forum will be Hunter Peckham, a pioneer in the field of neuroprosthetics, technology that restores movement for people living with paralysis.
Bank of Southern California, N.A. Names Helen Johnson Senior Vice President, Loan Administration Manager
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Bank of Southern California, N.A. (OTC Pink: BCAL / OTCMKTS:BCAL), a community business bank headquartered in San Diego, is pleased to announce that Helen Johnson has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Loan Administration Manager.
Freddie Mac Expands Digital Mortgage Solutions with DocMagic eVault to Store and Control eNotes
TORRANCE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- DocMagic, Inc., the premier provider of fully-compliant loan document preparation, regulatory compliance and comprehensive eMortgage services, announced today that Freddie Mac has implemented its SaaS-based eVault technology and SmartREGISTRY platform.
NEXT Future Transportation to participate in the 2018 World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China
SAN JOSE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- NEXT Future Transportation Inc. ('NEXT'), has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a global leader in the field of transportation innovation. Emmanuele Spera (CEO) of Silicon Valley startup NEXT Future Transportation Inc to present at the WEF Annual Meeting of New Champions.
NEXT Future Transportation autonomous Parcel Delivery Solution is world’s first Modular Mobile Parcel Locker
SAN JOSE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- NEXT Future Transportation Inc. ("NEXT" or "NFT"), the world's only modular electric vehicle solutions provider, today announced a groundbreaking automated logistics solution for Smart and Connected Cities. NEXT is proud to announce the introduction of its fully automated multiservice "online-to-offline" (O2O) platform.
Comedian Nina G is Challenging How People Think About Stuttering for Disability Awareness Month
OAKLAND, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- What do you do when you are professionally funny for a living AND use your own experience as a person with disabilities to crush stigma and change attitudes? Well, for stuttering comedian Nina G, you take it on the road in a series of presentations that are both funny and profound. Much like Hannah Gadsby's breakout Netflix special "Nannette," Nina G blends her comedy "material" with her real life experiences for a unique tour you can see live!
At 2018 GSX, SecuGen to Showcase New Unity Bluetooth Fingerprint Reader and U20-ASF-BT OEM Bluetooth sensor
SANTA CLARA, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- SecuGen, a world leading optical fingerprint device and technology vendor, is pleased to announce that it will be showcasing the soon to be released Unity Bluetooth fingerprint reader and the U20-ASF-BT OEM Bluetooth sensor at the Global Security Exchange expo in Las Vegas this month.
Calif. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano Honors Gordon Brush Mfg. Co. and CEO Ken Rakusin
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (CA-32) presented a Certificate of Congressional Recognition to Gordon Brush President and CEO, Ken Rakusin at a ceremony at the Company's 183,000 square foot manufacturing complex on Thursday, August 30, 2018.
Bank of Southern California, NA Names Laura H. Araluce VP, Branch Manager
ORANGE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Bank of Southern California, N.A. (OTC Pink: BCAL / OTCMKTS:BCAL), a community business bank headquartered in San Diego, is pleased to announce that Laura H. Araluce has joined the company as Vice President, Branch Manager. She will be responsible for growing Bank of Southern California's presence in Orange County.
Calif. Gov. Brown Signs Legislation to Revamp California Bail System
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Taking action to revamp California’s bail system, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Tuesday (Aug. 28) signed Senate Bill 10, the California Money Bail Reform Act, which preserves the rights of the accused, while prioritizing public safety.
Calif. Gov. Brown Announces Appointments for Aug. 27-28, 2018 including Department of Social Services
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has announced the following appointments Aug. 27-28, 2018: First, Todd R. Bland, 56, of Elk Grove, has been appointed assistant director of the Automation, Integrity, and Client Initiatives Branch at the California Department of Social Services, where he has been deputy director of the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division since 2011.
Calif. Gov. Brown Signs Legislation including AB 2782 California Environmental Quality Act
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This past week (Aug. 24), Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has signed the following bills: First,AB 1887 by Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) – Public education governance: service on boards and commissions.
Calif. Gov. Brown announces Appointments for Aug. 17-21, 2018 including Advisory Commission on Special Education
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This week, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Alexander Pal, 36, of Carmichael, has been appointed chief counsel at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, where he has been acting chief counsel since 2018 and served in several positions from 2013 to 2018, including assistant chief counsel and attorney.
Calif. Gov. Brown Signs Legislation for Aug. 2018 including Surfing as the Official State Sport
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This week, Calif. Gov. Brown signed numerous bills into law on Aug. 20, 2018, including Assembly Bill No. 1782, establishing surfing as the official state sport. List of additional bills signed follows.
El Monte CA 2018 Back-to-School Fair Provides School Supplies and More to 1,100 Families
EL MONTE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Families and children starting a new school year will have a brighter beginning thanks to the 2018 El Monte Back-to-School Resource Fair. Over 1,100 children received much needed school supplies on August 18 at the El Monte Valley Mall.
Calif. Legislature Approves McCarty Measure to Ban For-Profit Charter Schools – AB 406
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- The California State Legislature today approved AB 406 by Calif. Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), which would prohibit for-profit corporations from managing and operating charter schools in the Golden State. This bipartisan measure was approved by the State Senate on a 28 to 7 vote and by the State Assembly on a 49 to 15 vote.
ReverseVision Expands Support for its Proprietary Reverse Mortgage Technology Products
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- ReverseVision, the leading provider of technology and training for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) industry, today announced that it is offering a combination of enhanced software functionality and professional services to help mortgage lenders launch proprietary reverse mortgage products.
XG Communities LLC announces City of Whittier CA to establish new path to 5G using small cell infrastructure
WHITTIER, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- XG Communities LLC, a premier provider of wireless, asset marketing and wireless management services for cities and municipalities across the United States, announces their agreement with the City of Whittier, preparing the City for small cell applications.
EPIC Recognized Among Inc. Magazine’s 2018 Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that it has been ranked No. 2746 on Inc. Magazine's 37th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.
Finance of America Mortgage Gives Advisors and Borrowers a Cutting-Edge Experience with Technology from Cloudvirga
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Cloudvirga, a leading provider of digital mortgage point-of-sale (POS) software whose enterprise technology is powered by the intelligent Mortgage Platform, today announced that Finance of America Mortgage (FAM) will deploy the Cloudvirga Enterprise POS as its digital mortgage platform.
Calif. Gov. Brown Announces Appointments for Aug. 10-13, 2018 including to Community Colleges Board of Governors
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- On Monday (Aug. 13), Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Tamma Adamek, 53, of Sacramento, has been appointed deputy director of external affairs and media relations for the Complete Count Census. Adamek has been deputy director of communications at the Financial Information System for California since 2016.
Calif. Congressman Cardenas Legislation to Increase High School Computer Coding Signed into Law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, D.C. /California Newswire/ -- Last week, key priorities in the High School CODES Act were signed into law. The effort, led by Reps. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Pete Olson (R-TX) and Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), will help high schools throughout the country encourage computer coding education, establishing a pipeline between students and jobs that will strengthen America’s economy.
Calif. Gov. Brown Announces Appointments for Aug. 1-6, 2018 including University of California Board of Regents
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This past week, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments on Aug. 6: First, Laphonza Butler, 39, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the University of California Board of Regents. Butler has been president of SEIU United Long Term Care Workers Union since 2010.
Calif. Governor Brown Signs 2018 Tribal Compacts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. this past week (Aug. 2) announced that he has signed a tribal-state gaming compact between the State of California and the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, as well as amendments to the current tribal-state gaming compacts with the Santa Ynez Band of Mission Indians, the Karuk Tribe and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.
Calif. Congressman Tony Cardenas statement on the end of the Sinclair-Tribune Merger
SACRAMENTO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, D.C. /California Newswire/ -- The merger should have been a spike in the end zone for Sinclair, but the refs stopped them at the 1st yard line for unfair play, says Calif. Congressman Tony Cardenas (29th District of Calif.). It must have been a real upset for Sinclair. But not for the American public.
The Mortgage Collaborative Releases TMC Benchmark 2.0
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), the nation's only independent mortgage cooperative, today announced the release of its enhanced benchmarking solution for its lender members. In collaboration with TMC Preferred Partner LBA Ware, TMC Benchmark now has an improved user interface, augmented reporting dashboards and peer segmentation.
Cloudvirga Adds Digital Mortgage Integration with Insurance Provider Radian Guaranty
IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Cloudvirga, a leading provider of digital mortgage point-of-sale (POS) software whose enterprise technology is powered by the intelligent Mortgage Platform, has partnered with Radian Guaranty, a subsidiary of Radian Group (NYSE:RDN), to deliver instant and accurate mortgage insurance (MI) rate quotes and streamline the ordering of MI certificates for lenders.
Calif. Gov. Brown Announces Appointments for July 18, 2018 including to Medical Board of California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Today, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced the following appointments: First, Claire Tauriainen, 46, of El Dorado Hills, has been appointed general counsel at the California Housing Finance Agency, where she has been an assistant general counsel and single family team lead since 2007.
Calif. Gov. Brown Issues Legislative Update for July 16-18, 2018 – New Bills Signed for California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- This week, Calif. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that he has signed the following bills on July 18: AB 216 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) – Vote by mail ballots: identification envelopes: prepaid postage. (continued)
OpenClose Launches DecisionAssist Mobile for Originators at CMBA 46th Annual Western Secondary Marketing Conference
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- OpenClose(R), an industry-leading multi-channel loan origination system (LOS) and mortgage fintech provider, announced at the California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) 46th Annual Western Secondary Marketing Conference that it unveiled DecisionAssist(TM) Mobile, which provides fingertip access to the company's proprietary web-based product and pricing engine (PPE)
Cost-Effective GPS Distribution Over Fiber from Optical Zonu Corp: Optimized for C-RAN
LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- Optical Zonu Corp, a U.S. carrier-approved supplier of RF-Over-Fiber transport solutions and fiber monitored digital transport, has released a version of their GPS Fiber Transport specifically designed for providing the GPS connectivity for C-RAN hubs. This feature now offers 8 and 16 outputs with optional auto-switchover redundancy.
CandyLipz LLC Conducts Clinical Trial to Resolve Consumer Cupping Concerns from Lip Plumping System
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- When some customers showed concern over cupping marks after using the lip plumper manufactured by CandyLipz, LLC, the company quickly jumped into action. It hired a third-party independent investigative research vendor, Biometrix, Inc -, a company that has conducted clinical trials for major multinational biotech, dermatology, product manufacturers and more for 20 plus years - to prove that there was nothing to worry about.
Calif. Brown Signs Final 2018-19 State Budget with Record Rainy Day Fund, School Funding
LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ -- On Wednesday, seven and a half years after taking office and inheriting a $27 billion budget deficit, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed his final state budget, which fills the Rainy Day Fund to the brim and sends record funding to California’s classrooms.
