Category: Government & Politics
Xavier Becerra Hosts Meet-and-Greet with Black Leaders in L.A.
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra met with Black elected officials and faith, labor, civic and community leaders in South Los Angeles on Oct. 15, outlining his priorities for working families, education, housing and health care. He also pledged to defend diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs against…
Federal Agents Search Ilhan Omar’s Home Just 22 Days Before Election
By BlackPressUSA Newswire Federal agents searched the D.C.-area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday, taking the extraordinary step of executing a criminal search warrant against a sitting member of Congress just 22 days before Election Day, as the Trump administration investigates allegations involving her family’s immigration records. The search immediately drew accusations of…
20 Years of California Climate Law: Gov. Newsom and Former Gov. Schwarzenegger Lead Milestone Celebration
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger celebrated two decades of the state’s landmark climate law on Wednesday, Oct. 14, highlighting California’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while growing its economy and expanding clean-energy investment. The Democratic governor and Republican former…
Broad Public Confidence in Elections in the U.S. – but Partisans Differ Over Concerns About Access, Security
Share of voters planning to vote by mail is lower than in recent years, particularly among Democratic voters WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 20, 2026) – American voters are generally confident the upcoming midterm elections will be run and administered well, that election workers will handle ballots securely, and say the outcome will be clear after all…
Sounds “Desperate”: Secretary of State Shirley Weber Calls Out Trump’s Sudden Switch on Mail-In Voting
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media California Secretary of State Shirley Weber says President Donald Trump’s recent change in rhetoric on mail-in voting ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections signals desperation. During an Oct. 10 virtual media briefing attended by about 50 reporters, Weber provided information about the November general election and responded…
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
Bo Tefu | California Black Media California College Students Can Now Access Up to $306 a Month in Food Benefits Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Oct. 09 that California has simplified eligibility requirements for CalFresh, making it easier for hundreds of thousands of college students to receive up to $306 per month to purchase groceries. Under…
Confused by the Propositions on Your Ballot? A California Election-Law Attorney Explains the Foolproof Way to Read Them
Kaufman Legal Group attorney George Yin breaks down the state’s own Voter Information Guide — and the 75 words voters actually see on the ballot when they decide how to vote on a proposition — ahead of the November election. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12, 2026 — Every election, the same thing happens. Even sharp, engaged…
Controller Malia M. Cohen Reports September Receipts Exceeded Budget Projections by $2.9 Billion
California’s September receipts outpace estimates by 14.4 percent, while year-to-date expenditures also exceed projections SACRAMENTO — State Controller Malia M. Cohen has released the State’s September 2026 cash report, showing that California’s General Fund receipts totaled $22.9 billion for the month, exceeding projections in the 2026-27 Budget Act by $2.9 billion, or 14.4 percent. September’s…
Covered California for Small Business Announces Rate Change and New Carrier for 2027 Amid Record-High Enrollment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California for Small Business (CCSB) announced a statewide weighted average rate change of 8.6 percent for small-business employers and their employees and the addition of Western Health Advantage as a new carrier for the upcoming 2027 plan year. As of September, 82,905 Californians receive coverage from plans offered through Covered California…
Voting is underway: Voters encouraged to cast ballots early
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has delivered ballots for approximately 1.2 million active registered voters to the U.S. Postal Service for the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election. Voters do not need to wait until Election Day or for their ballots to arrive in the mail to vote. Early voting…
Voting is underway: Voters encouraged to cast ballots early
SAN BERNARDINO, CA — The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters has delivered ballots for approximately 1.2 million active registered voters to the U.S. Postal Service for the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election. Voters do not need to wait until Election Day or for their ballots to arrive in the mail to vote. Early voting…
Newsom signs ‘Nation-leading’ journalism bill
CINA | California Independent News Alliance With 1160 bills on his desk this year, Governor Gavin Newsom held a press conference Wednesday Sept. 30 to publicly sign AB 2222 — The Community News Act — into law. Newsom said he has watched the “hollowing out of local news,”remembering his days as board supervisor, and then…
As Supporters Amplify Message, Dem Heavyweights Show Up to Fight Voter ID Proposition
Antonio Ray Harvey and Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media With Election Day approaching on Nov. 3, California Republicans are intensifying efforts to build support for Proposition (Prop) 39, portraying the voter identification measure as a way to strengthen election security and public confidence. Democratic leaders and voting rights advocates are mounting a…
Poll: Becerra Widens His Lead Over Hilton; Californians Split on Wealth Tax
By Bo Tefu, California Black Media Democrat Xavier Becerra holds a 22-point lead over Republican Steve Hilton in California’s governor’s race, while voters remain closely divided over a proposed one-time tax on billionaires, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll. The September PPIC survey found that 60% of likely voters support Becerra,…
Asm. Corey Jackson Announces Launch of 24-Hour Childcare in His District
By Bo Tefu, California Black Media Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) has secured $2 million in state funding to launch a proposed childcare special district serving families in Moreno Valley and Perris, paving the way for a system designed to provide childcare 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Moreno Valley-Perris Childcare Special…
Who Gets to Build California? Small Contractors Seek a Bigger Share of the Infrastructure Boom
Edward Henderson | California Black Media William Jackson knows that ability alone is not enough for a small contractor to secure public infrastructure work. “You’ve got to know where to go,” said Jackson, president of Global Electric, a Southern California electrical company. “And then when you go through, you have to have the resources in…
Gov. Newsom Signed These Black Caucus Members’ Bills Focused on Ballot Counting, Drones and Public Health
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation authored by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-Inglewood) that establishes uniform procedures for handling vote-by-mail ballots cast in person without identification envelopes. Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 1420 on Sept. 19 as part of a broader election-protection package. Richardson introduced the measure after her…
On Your November Ballot: Prop 38 Would Allocate $8.4 Billion to Immunology and Immunotherapy Funding
Austin Gage | California Black Media California voters will decide in November whether Proposition (Prop) 38 should authorize substantial state funding for immunology and immunotherapy research. The initiative would fund immunology and immunotherapy research aimed at harnessing the body’s immune system to develop new treatments, medical procedures and potential cures for diseases such as cancer,…
Voter Education Roadshow Helps San Bernardino County Voters Get ‘Election Ready’
Registrar of Voters will make five informational stops across the county ahead of the November 3, 2026, General Election SAN BERNARDINO, CA (September 11, 2026) – The San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters is launching the Voter Education Roadshow, bringing its traveling voter education exhibit to five locations in advance of the November 3, 2026,…
Election Watch 2026: 85% of Eligible Voters in California Are Registered
By BlackPressUSA Newswire California enters the 2026 election cycle with a large pool of registered voters, as 85% of eligible adults were registered to vote as of May, according to a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California. The report found that 23.2 million of California’s 27.3 million eligible adults were registered. Voter…
Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed
Asm. Isaac Bryan’s Bill Banning California Police From ICE Side Jobs Reaches Newsom’s Desk Bo Tefu | California Black Media A bill by California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) that would prevent state and local police officers from taking second jobs with federal immigration enforcement agencies is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom after clearing the…
Padilla: Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Unconstitutional Attack on Mail Voting
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with jurisdiction over federal elections, released the following statement after the Supreme Court’s ruling rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to implement mail voting restrictions ahead of the November elections: “This unconstitutional attack on mail voting…
California’s Legal Cannabis Market Hits $8 Billion as State Touts Progress on Fighting Drugs, Crime
Bo Tefu | California Black Media California’s legal cannabis market has generated nearly $8.4 billion in tax revenue since 2018 as the state ramps up enforcement against illegal drugs and touts declines in crime, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Sept. 2. The cannabis revenue includes nearly $4.5 billion in excise taxes and nearly $3.4 billion…
How Trump’s proposal to strip tax-exempt status affects California private schools
By William Melhado, EdSource A proposal by the Trump administration to revoke the tax-exempt status of private schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs could make it harder for independent schools to raise money and maintain programs intended to broaden access for minority students. Nonprofit and tax law experts say the proposal, announced by the…
Women Learned Their Jail Strip Searches Were Recorded. Their Outrage Changed the Law
TEXAS METRO NEWS — Suzanne Garcia, arrested in 2020, underwent a strip search at La Plata County Jail in Colorado. She later learned that this search, along with dozens of others, had been recorded by an officer’s body-worn camera. In 2022, Garcia was informed by a reporter that La Plata County Jail commander Edward Aber…
