Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Authored by Assemblymembers Ash Kalra (D–San Jose) and Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D–Los Angeles), Assembly Bill (AB) 1157 — known as the Affordable Rent Act — failed last week to advance out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, marking the second consecutive year the rent control proposal has been halted in…
Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media A question recently emailed to the office of Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) was not about legislation, policy, or governance. Instead, it asked whether the “Louis Vuitton bag McKinnor was wearing last night “real or fake?” This wasn’t just a casual inquiry. Stella Yu, the CalMatters reporter…
by Seth Wispelwey Abolishing ICE, defunding and abolishing the police…this is the *moderate* position. Whether it’s ICE, Border Patrol, the city, county or state police or your local sheriff, their purpose is to be the violent, front-line stranglehold on a wholly unsustainable status quo that protects the few (white and wealthy) at the expense of…
by California Black Media Taking care of your health shouldn’t wait until you’re already sick. Medi-Cal gives California adults — including Black families, seniors, parents, and caregivers — access to free or low-cost care designed to help people stay healthy, not just treat illness. However, many Medi-Cal members are not using benefits they already qualify…
Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media Responding to recent fatal shootings and an uptick in misconduct and excessive use-of-force incidents by federal policing agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), California lawmakers are proposing some legal guardrails to prevent them and hold officers accountable. Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) recently authored legislation to…
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) last week praised California’s new law limiting when law enforcement officers may wear face coverings, calling it a critical step toward accountability and public trust in policing. The measure, SB 627…
by Tashi McQueen AFRO Staff Writer As the fight for civil rights continues to evolve, activists of today are raising questions about how far the nation has come since the era of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and where progress has stalled. Advocates, scholars and policymakers are assessing voting access, economic equity, education and criminal…
Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media California Attorney General Rob Bonta helped secure a $425 million settlement with Capital One that would provide restitution and improved interest rates for customers who were allegedly misled about their savings accounts, state officials announced Jan. 13. The settlement, which received preliminary court approval last…
Joy is the one word that comes to top of mind when Yan Searcy, dean of California State University, Northridge’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, thinks about comedian, actor and entrepreneur Cedric the Entertainer “He’s one of the rare comedians who operates from a disposition of joy. Not trauma. Not tragedy. Joy,” Searcy said,…
TEN FILMS SELECTED FOR INAUGURAL HBCU WEEK NOW STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL Original short films spanning multiple genres will begin streaming January 27 BALTIMORE (January 20, 2026) — Ten award-winning films by students and recent graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will premiere on January 27 as part of the inaugural HBCU Week NOW…
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer More than five decades after his assassination, King’s words still shape how the nation talks about justice and equality. Three activists shared how they believe King would respond to the challenges confronting Black Americans today. “It’s important to remember that Dr. King spoke of the three evils: racism, militarism…
A proposed constitutional amendment that would end the use of temporary congressional district maps after the 2026 election has officially entered circulation, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced that “the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on Jan. 12,…
Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Before a joint session of the California Senate and Assembly, Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his final State of the State address on Jan. 8, fulfilling a requirement of the state Constitution that the governor report annually to the Legislature. Several members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC)…
By Charlene Crowell As 2026 unfolds, affordability, which emerged as a critical issue last year, will become a more pressing concern for most people in America. A comment by a respondent to a recent student loan borrower survey by The Institute for College Access & Support (TICAS) summarized the complexity of the affordability problem for…
By Andrew Campanella All parents in California and across America want their children to thrive in learning environments that reflect their diverse interests, talents, and individual challenges. That’s why one in five parents last year enrolled at least one of their children in a new K–12 school. In fact, the process of moms and dads…
by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer The Department of Education (ED) has been forced to double back on its March 2025 decision to lay off hundreds of civil rights employees. In December 2025, the agency called back employees who worked in its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) because a massive backlog of discrimination complaints had…
By Nirvi Shah, The Hechinger Report SAN FRANCISCO — In a playground outside a YMCA, Mayra Aguilar rolled purple modeling dough into balls that fit easily into the palms of the toddlers sitting across from her. She helped a little girl named Wynter unclasp a bicycle helmet that she’d put on to zoom around the…
By BCP Staff If you’re hoping your athletic talents will lead you to endorsements during college or eventually to pro sports, signing with a sports agent might be an exciting first step — but it’s also serious business. That’s why the FTC is seeking information from universities about sports agents’ compliance with the Sports Agent…
By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media Sen. Monique Limón (D–Santa Barbara) was sworn in as the 50th president pro tempore of the California State Senate on Jan. 5 at the State Capitol, marking the occasion with a series of official and ceremonial events. Limón’s appointment in the Senate chambers marks a significant milestone…
By Bo Tefu | California Black Media Proposed California Initiative Would Force State Action if President Exceeds Two-Term Limit California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that a new initiative was cleared for circulation on Jan. 5, 2026, allowing the proponent to begin collecting petition signatures. The measure, formally titled “Requires State Response…
Pending SCOTUS case could make it harder for millions of Americans to vote by mail WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led their colleagues in filing an amicus brief in Watson v. Republican…
One Battle After Another emerged as a major winner, taking home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. The film continued its strong showing by earning three additional honors, including Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor, along with Best Director and Best Screenplay awarded to Paul Thomas Anderson. Taylor’s win stood…
Donna Bollinger This past year I continually heard myself repeating the same phrase: “My bar is really low.” I was describing advocacy work at the United Nations and the multiple issues confronting the world: conflicts and wars, gender-based violence, climate change, racism and incitement to violence, food insecurity, economic instability, rising nationalism, eradication of religious…
by Joshua Liston Zawadi As a Black father sitting in countless doctors’ offices alongside my partner, I often found myself invisible — treated like a visitor instead of a vital part of the care team. I watched professionals speak over me, around me, but rarely to me. Even with doulas and midwives present, their focus…
Most people reach for juice when swallowing pills because it tastes better than water. But certain juices — especially grapefruit, orange, apple, and cranberry — can turn everyday medications into overdoses, failures, or toxic reactions without you realizing it. The problem is that chemicals in the fruit can get in the way of the medicine…