Category: Government & Politics

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media   Gov.-elect Xavier Becerra met privately with Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) on Nov. 5 before the three appeared together at a news conference at the State Capitol. It was the first joint public appearance by the “Big Three”…

Bo Tefu | California Black Media      Gov. Newsom: Capital Punishment Is Inconsistent With California Values; Public Safety Goals Gov. Gavin Newsom says capital punishment is inconsistent with the state’s legal values and public safety goals, defending his decision to commute all 548 death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.  In an…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — Mississippi Democrat Scott Colom holds a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in a high-stakes U.S. Senate race that remains too close to call. A longtime prosecutor from Columbus, Colom seeks to become the first Black person to represent Mississippi in the Senate since Reconstruction. Scott Colom,…

By Sunita Sohrabji About 90% of Black voters backed Democratic House candidates in 2026, compared with roughly 80% who supported Kamala Harris in 2024, according to the AP Voter post-election poll, with 61% saying they cast their vote specifically to express opposition to President Donald Trump. Similar voting patterns emerged among Latino and Asian American…

By BlackPressUSA Newswire TEXAS METRO NEWS — Former Houston City Council member Dr. Letitia Plummer has made history as the first Black person elected to serve as the Harris County Judge. The Spelman College alumna defeated Republican Orlando Sanchez in the general election for Texas’ most populous county, receiving approximately 62% of the vote. Plummer…

Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media Black candidates are leading in 17 of the 24 state and federal contests in which they appeared on California’s Nov. 3 General Election ballot, according to semi-official results counted as of midnight. The Associated Press (AP) has declared 10 of them winners, including Secretary of State Shirley…

WASHINGTON – Following a terrifying and deadly Halloween weekend marked by widespread gun violence across the country, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released statements responding to a devastating series of shootings over Halloween weekend that targeted young adults, teenagers, and families in at least…

By Diana Lambert, EdSource As they head to the polls on Election Day Tuesday, California voters have the power to shape the future of the state’s education system and to determine who pays for it.  Among the decisions they face are the choices for governor and superintendent of public instruction, as well as two propositions…

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media After the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 labor contract expired June 30 and talks with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration stalled, the union stepped up its efforts to secure a new agreement, saying its demands had gone unheeded.  On Oct. 21, thousands of state employees represented by…

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ The Oakland branch of the NAACP and the Oakland/Berkeley chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) have issued a joint statement condemning what they describe as harassment, intimidation and discrimination targeting Black women in politics.  Founded in 1968, BWOPA is a California-based nonprofit advocacy and membership…

Elena Guerra-Camacho, senior at Aquanis High School and chair of League of Women Voters, San Bernardino new Youth Engagement Committee received Proclamation from Council Member Denise Davis, City of Redlands on October 20, 2026, for her leadership in engaging high school students from various high schools throughout the county of San Bernardino educate their peers,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

 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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…