Category: Government News

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has reached a Conciliation/Voluntary Compliance Agreement with National Community Renaissance, National Community Renaissance of California, Desert Meadows Housing Partners, LP, Victorville Housing Partners L.P., and Cathedral Family Housing Partners, L.P., management agents and owners of four HUD-subsidized apartment complexes in…

Offices remain open. Customers encouraged to go online first Sacramento – The California Department of Motor Vehicles will continue its temporary suspension of    behind-the-wheel driving tests until at least January 4. The DMV previously announced a two-week suspension through at least December 28. The DMV is taking this step for the health and safety…

Cases Were Brought in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  (Washington, D.C.) – Four federal lawsuits filed by private plaintiffs in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin submitted notice of their intent to withdraw their claims today. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is involved in several of the post-election lawsuits that have been filed…

The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California endorses Yes on Propositions 15, 16, 17, 18, and 21 and No on Propositions 19, 20, 22, 24, and 25 for the election on November 3, 2020. The ACLU SoCal also endorses Yes on Measure J on the ballot in Los Angles County.  Here’s a summary of…

ATLANTA, GA – Today, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the state of Florida can condition voting rights on an individual’s ability to pay, reversing a lower court decision and prohibiting otherwise eligible citizens who owe fines and fees associated with a past felony conviction from voting this fall….

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Following today’s procedural vote in the Senate, in which Democrats stopped the advancement of a sham Republican police reform bill,  PFAW President Ben Jealous and Senior Director of Outreach and Public Engagement Diallo Brooks released the following statements: “We’re happy to see that a majority of Senate Democrats stood up and said ‘No’…

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2020—The American Immigration Council released new data on California’s immigrant population and their contributions to the state. The California state fact sheet includes data on population size, occupation, and tax contributions, as well as data on undocumented immigrants and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in the state. While the COVID-19 pandemic…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today became an original co-sponsor of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, legislation to address systemic racism in law enforcement and protect black and brown communities from discriminatory police practices. Congresswoman Torres, who spent 17.5 years as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Los Angeles Police Department,…

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Campaign, Muslim Advocates, NAACP, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, along with 110 additional organizations committed to racial justice and civil rights, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open a full and thorough hate crimes investigation…

Washington, D.C. — As governors around the country begin to reopen their economies, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress finds that workers of color are more likely than their white counterparts to have serious underlying medical conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. The analysis finds that at least 28 percent of…

WASHINGTON – In the interim emergency relief package that was recently signed into law and replenished the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with $310 billion, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chair of the House Financial Services Committee, led the fight to target $60 billion of those funds towards small, minority, and women owned businesses. The bill, which…

Lawmakers Call for Much-Needed Protections for Medical Workers as they Combat Pandemic WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today led 76 lawmakers in calling for next COVID-19 stimulus package to include survivor benefits, commiserate compensation, and workplace protections for medical personnel as they comeback coronavirus. Torres, who successfully advocated for direct assistance for…

NEW YORK (April 19, 2020) — Amid reports that massive restaurant chains and businesses that continue to operate received funds intended for small businesses shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, the National Urban League today demanded the next legislative package include specific funding pools for legitimate small businesses truly threatened by the crisis. “Struggling small businesses…

Washington, DC—Today, the House passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, legislation designed to help the American people combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease associated with coronavirus. The bill guarantees two weeks of paid sick leave for those affected by the virus; allows up to three months of paid family and sick leave; strengthens…

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Amid Donald Trump’s  use of the racist term “Chinese Virus” to describe the coronavirus,  and reports that a White House official used the term “kung flu” while discussing the coronavirus with an Asian American reporter, People For the American Way President Michael Keegan released the following statement:   “We condemn in the strongest…

OAKLAND, Calif., March 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Seven high school youth leaders from Oakland’s Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center will participate in the 2020 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama March 6-8 with Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The annual Pilgrimage was originated in 1998 by Congressman John Lewis and is a program of the Faith…