Category: Government & Politics

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

 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…

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…

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…

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…

By Laura Rearwin Ward, founder California Independent News Alliance | publisher, Ojai Valley News News outlet owners, journalists and coalitions of organizations that have come together to support the nation’s most important journalism legislation to date were still in scramble mode this week, even as supermajorities in the California Legislature passed the Community NEWS Act,…

By John Fensterwald, EdSource The California County Superintendents organization failed to persuade legislative leaders to intervene in its dispute with State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. The county superintendents had sought to introduce emergency legislation to thwart Thurmond from carrying out a threat to take over oversight of financially stressed Sacramento City Unified from the Sacramento County…

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ The Truth in Disclosure Act, the bill that proposes forcing private corporations to report their historical ties to chattel slavery, passed out of the California Legislature and has now moved to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto. Authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), Assembly…

Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media Black voting rights advocates in California convened virtually Aug. 28 after a federal court temporarily blocked new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail ballots, a ruling civil rights leaders described as an important but temporary victory ahead of the November election. The restrictions are tied to President Donald…

Gretchen A. Peck | E&P Magazine California lawmakers have sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a sweeping new plan to bolster local journalism, approving the Community NEWS Act (AB 2222) with bipartisan supermajorities in both chambers. The “NEWS” in the Community NEWS Act is an acronym for “Newsroom Employment and Workforce Sustainability.” The bill was first introduced…

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar…

By James Farr | OPINION CONTRIBUTOR BLACKPRESSUSA—A secret Sacramento deal would protect Southern California Edison’s profits while Black ratepayers across California absorb the cost—and the governor holds the only pen that matters. You Gonna Let My Good Air Out? By late afternoon in August, the west-facing wall of the house in Oak Park has been…

By John Fensterwald, EdSource Since last October, the California School Boards Association has pressed the Legislature to take greater responsibility for narrowing California’s immense student achievement gap.   That gap is the disparity — by 30 percentage points or more — in test scores and other measures between low- and high-income students and between Black…

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, trailblazing former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer endorsed Supervisor Connie Chan for Congress. Boxer started her career on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, including as its first woman President, before representing San Francisco for over 30 years in the U.S. House and Senate. Her endorsement adds to the growing momentum behind…

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Aug. 22 designed to protect immigration service providers and humanitarian volunteers from targeted harassment, doxing and violence. Authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Assembly Bill (AB) 2624, the Privacy for Immigration Support Services Providers Act, establishes an address confidentiality program modeled after…

Washington, DC — Representative Dave Min (CA-47) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court majority’s decision on mail-in voting: “This is the most corrupt and out of control Supreme Court in history. While this decision, as Sotomayor notes, does not hold that Trump can stop mail-in voting, it does allow Trump to continue to…

By Edward Kissam Rather than the “worst of the worst” that Trump promised to target on his 2024 campaign trail, immigration authorities are increasingly using AI-driven surveillance tools to find and arrest whoever is easiest to catch. A strategy described by Trump “border czar” Tom Homan as one of “shock and awe” saw masked immigration…