Category: Government & Politics

Sacramento, CA – On June 21, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued its long-anticipated decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc.  In this case, the Court was asked to revisit the issue of sales and use tax remittance by out-of-state retailers. In two earlier decisions, the Court had held that an out-of-state retailer’s obligation…

Washington, DC – Although poll taxes and literacy tests have been illegal for many decades, blacks are still being denied their rights to fully participate in elections today, according to the black leadership network Project 21. While the techniques used now to restrict the black vote are more subtle and sophisticated, Project 21 says, the…

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson released a statement today on the Trump administration’s policy of separating families seeking asylum from human rights abuses, violence, and crime. “I am saddened and angered by the treatment of families and young children at our southern border,” said Torlakson. “Families who come to the United States seeking economic…

Marine Corps veteran Quintin Sherard has been living on the streets of Victorville since 2015, the same year that the County of San Bernardino’s Board of Supervisors approved a strategy to reduce its population of homelessness veterans. The Board then supported the formation of the Homeless Veteran Community Planning Group (HVCPG) – a group of…

ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court today ruled that the at-large electoral process used by Missouri’s Ferguson-Florissant School District violates the Voting Rights Act. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the lawsuit on behalf of the Missouri NAACP and several African American parents and residents. “The courts have ruled yet again that the Ferguson-Florissant…

Lawsuit charges that Trump Executive Orders constitute executive overreach, violate separation of powers WASHINGTON, June 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has filed a second lawsuit challenging two executive orders issued by President Trump that would curtail the rights of federal workers. [The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest…

At this moment of painful developments regarding how migrant children are being treated by the United States government, The Sentencing Project lends its voice to the millions of Americans who are rising up to challenge these abhorrent policies. The punitive orientation of these policies to address social problems is an extension of historical practices that…

Sacramento – The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), led by its Chairman, Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), declared victory in securing funds related to the Caucus’ budget priorities. The CLBC was able to negotiate constructively with legislative colleagues in both the Senate and Assembly, as well as Governor Jerry Brown, to pass California’s remarkable $199.3 billion…

Ivanka Trump travels to California to headline fundraisers for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Devin Nunes, in response DNC Deputy Communications Director Sabrina Singh released the following statement: “Children are being detained and separated from their families while senior administration official Ivanka Trump attends glamourous fundraisers for congressional Republicans today. On the other…

New Online Maps Show Results for Lead Testing at Public Schools SACRAMENTO — The State Water Resources Control Board has released a new map-based web tool that shows which public schools in California have had their drinking water tested for lead. “Our newly developed website allows the public to search the status of lead testing…

WASHINGTON, DC – Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), issued the following statement Monday regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, holding that the process at issue – failure to vote as the basis for canceling voter…

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona), member of the powerful Rules Committee, announced passage of a legislative proposal she introduced to assist local airports, like Ontario International Airport, remove unused military facilities. Ontario International Airport shared space with the Ontario Air National Guard Station, which remained in operation for decades to provide training…

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union joined Color of Change, Free Press, and over 35 other organizations to call for the release of the unredacted Department of Homeland Security memos known as the “Race Paper” and the “Growing Frequency of Race-Related Domestic Terrorist Violence.” Memos like these inform the activities of law enforcement officials…

Sacramento – The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) will host a free seminar for nonprofit and exempt organizations on Thursday, June 14, 2018, in Apple Valley. Local nonprofit leaders and tax practitioners are encouraged to attend and learn how state tax laws apply to the operation of their organizations. Representatives from the…

SB 1288 Supported by Broad Coalition of Labor and Patient Advocates SACRAMENTO – Legislation authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) that will protect patient safety and reinforce nurse staffing ratio requirements passed from the California State Senate earlier today. In order to enhance hospital patient safety, Senate Bill 1288 would require the California Department…

WASHINGTON–In response to today’s Supreme Court ruling that companies can force workers into arbitration to prevent them from pursuing class actions against their employers, AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement: “The court’s shameful attack on these fundamental rights is just another blatant attempt to strip power away from working people. Class actions, like…

BURLINGAME – Eric Heins, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association (CTA), issued this statement today about the governor’s May Revise to the 2018-19 state budget on the heels of California’s new ranking as the fifth largest economy in the world: “Educators welcome the good news today and appreciate Gov. Jerry Brown for his resolve…

(OAKLAND, CA) Following last month’s visit by educator Marshall Tuck, Assemblymember Tony Thurmond will visit San Bernardino on Saturday, May 12 to participate in the second in a pair of forums hosted by The Education Trust-West. The forums provide an opportunity for Tuck and Thurmond, candidates in the statewide race for Superintendent of Public Instruction,…

Board of Equalization Member Jerome E. Horton is working with Assemblyman Miguel Santiago to introduce legislation that will reduce the housing cost for renters. A full-fledged housing crisis has gripped California, marked by a severe lack of affordable homes and apartments for seniors and middle-class families – as a result of property values climbing to…

Sacramento, California – The California State Senate voted to pass SB 972 with bi-partisan support. The bill authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) would require public, charter, and private schools to print a suicide prevention hotline number and/or text crisis lines on student identification cards for grades seven through all…

By Alice George smithsonian.com April 30, 2018 Released 50 years ago, the infamous report found that poverty and institutional racism were driving inner-city violence President Lyndon Johnson constituted the Kerner Commission to identify the genesis of the violent 1967 riots that killed 43 in Detroit and 26 in Newark (above, soldiers in a Newark storefront),…

SB 820 Ensures Victims Are No Longer Silenced SACRAMENTO – The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed Senate Bill 820—which will ban the inclusion of secret settlements related to specified sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and sexual harassment—by a vote of 5-1. Authored by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), SB 820 will specifically ban secret settlements…