Local

By Tanu Henry and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Last week, San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed issued a statement that reparations – particularly cash payments — for past injustices suffered by Black Americans who are descendants of enslaved people are best handled at the federal level.

Breed issued the statement after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ endorsement on Sept. 19 of a reparations plan submitted in June by an advisory board of Black leaders in the city.

The 400-page plan lists 115 recommendations, including individual payments of up to $5 million per eligible Black resident. It also calls for investments in Black-owned businesses, education, housing and attracting more Black residents to the city.

In her statement, Breed committed to undertake certain city initiatives to address inequity like a guaranteed income program and implementing a plan to allocate $60 million every year for investment in the Black community.

By Cynthia Adams, Carl Chan and Bishop Bob Jackson | Special to California Black Media Partners

We are shocked, perplexed, and furious that the City of Oakland forfeited millions of dollars in crime prevention funding by missing a state grant deadline. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Board of State Community Corrections approved awards for dozens of cities and counties – divvying up $267 million that Gov. Gavin Newsom touted as the largest ever single investment to combat retail theft.

San Francisco received $17.3 million from the state, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office received $2 million, the San Jose Police Department secured $8.5 million, and 52 other California cities and counties received money.

Oakland got nothing!

According to the Chronicle, the Interim Director of Oakland’s Economic Development and Workforce Department worked with City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and unnamed community organizations on a grant application but did not submit a complete application in time.

This is a devastating blow to citizens and small businesses who have been clamoring for crime prevention measures which could have been funded by the millions of dollars in grants offered by the state. This money could have been used for extra police patrols, squad cars, and automated license plate readers to track down suspected perpetrators of crimes.

We have demanded that the city declare a public safety emergency and focus its attention on securing resources from the state and others to combat mushrooming crime in Oakland. A major purpose of such an emergency declaration is to cause everybody in government to focus their time and attention on solving our public safety crisis.

The mayor responded that our demands were nothing more than political posturing. This debacle is clear evidence to the contrary. Our elected officials and government staff dropped the ball because they were not focused. And they must be held accountable!

We are tired of hearing excuses from the city government. How is it that San Francisco, the Alameda County DA’s Office, the San Jose Police Department, and 52 other California cities and counties can submit timely grants that award them millions of dollars, but Oakland cannot get the job done? This is especially troublesome when Oakland has the most dangerous and rapidly rising crime statistics in the entire Bay Area.

This was an epic failure. We desperately needed these grant funds, but we got nothing. As Carl Chan told the Chronicle, political promises mean little when the city fails to deliver, nor do excuses and empty promises that it won’t happen again.

Oakland residents are getting murdered, carjacked, and attacked in vicious strong-armed robberies. People are afraid to walk the streets, shop or go to restaurants. We need strong, effective leadership. Shame on all who failed to get desperately needed funding when all they had to do was submit the application on time.

About the Authors

Cynthia Adams is President of the Oakland Branch of the NAACP.

Carl Chan is Oakland’s Chinatown Community Leader.

Bishop Bob Jackson is the Senior Pastor of Acts Full Gospel Church

President Cynthia Adams can be reached at (510) 219-3840. Bishop Bob Jackson can be reached at (510) 567-1300.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On September 12, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state is making a $267,118,293 investment to combat organized retail crime.

This sum represents the largest-ever single investment ever made by the state to aid law enforcement in fighting crime. As part of a competitive grant process, the funding, if approved, would be allocated for 55 local law enforcement agencies across California.

The initiative, part of the Governor’s Real Public Safety Plan, is slated to be dispersed on Oct. 1, 2023, to police departments, sheriffs’ departments, and district attorney offices in every region of the state to prevent and investigate cases of organized retail theft and arrest and prosecute more suspects.

“Enough with these brazen smash-and-grabs. With an unprecedented $267 million investment, Californians will soon see more takedowns, more police, more arrests, and more felony prosecutions. When shameless criminals walk out of stores with stolen goods, they’ll walk straight into jail cells,” Newsom said in a statement.

The funding would be used to create fully staffed retail theft investigative units, increase arrests, install advanced surveillance technology, train loss prevention officers, create new task forces, increase cooperation with businesses and the community, target criminals in blitz operations, as well as crack down on vehicle and catalytic converter theft.

The next day, following the announcement of the grants, the Governor’s office held a news briefing featuring four law enforcement leaders whose offices will benefit from the program: California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee; San Francisco D.A. Brooke Jenkins; San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott; and Los Angeles County Assistant Sheriff Holly Francisco.

“I want to thank Governor Newsom for making this issue a priority, for allocating resources from our state to ensure we are able to set a new tone in the state of California: that this conduct is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Jenkins.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media
Former L.A. Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas has filed a notice of appeal challenging his convictions for voting in support of county contracts that would favor USC while accepting benefits for his son from the university.

The notice sets the stage for appellate arguments in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that could possibly go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to serve a prison term of three years and six months beginning Nov. 13. Marilyn Flynn, a former head of the USC School of Social Work, pleaded guilty to a bribery charge in the case, has been sentenced to 18 months of home confinement and ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.

In a statement, Alyssa Bell, a member of Ridley-Thomas’ appellate team said the lawyers who handled the former councilman’s 12-day trial in Los Angeles “laid the groundwork for what we believe to be an exceptionally strong appeal. We are already examining and analyzing several potential grounds that could result in reversal of Dr. Ridley-Thomas’ convictions.”

Those grounds included a claim that the government failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the jury’s guilty verdicts.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

A bill that could allow churches to build affordable housing on their parking lots and surplus lands passed the California Legislature on Sept. 11. If Gov. Gavin Newsom signs Senate Bill (SB) 4 thousands of unused urban lots could potentially be used for housing development.

“SB 4 will open up 170,000 acres of land for affordable housing. It’s a game-changer,” Sen. Scott Wiener (D–San Francisco) posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The bill successfully passed the Senate floor with 32 votes in favor and two against. In the Assembly, it received overwhelming support with just a single vote against it.

The bill applies to churches, mosques, synagogues and other faith organizations. The organizations utilizing their land for construction would be able to bypass local zoning restrictions or discretionary approval processes.

Opposition to the bill has come from some local governments and environmental justice organizations. The city of Beverly Hills argued that localities are better equipped to address the needs of their residents. Environmental justice organizations have advocated for more protections that would prohibit construction within specified distances of freeways, industrial areas and oil and gas facilities.

The bill was amended in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee to improve environmental protections near oil wells.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On Saturday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state is suing five of the world’s largest oil companies and their subsidiaries — including Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP — for “more than 50 years of deception, cover-up, and damage that have cost California taxpayers billions of dollars in health and environmental impacts.”

Newsom will be speaking at Climate Week events in New York City this week.

“California taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for billions of dollars in damages — wildfires wiping out entire communities, toxic smoke clogging our air, deadly heat waves, record-breaking droughts parching our wells,” said Newsom, referencing the civil lawsuit filed in Superior Court in San Francisco.

Bonta said the companies have known but not admitted that burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change.

“Enough is enough,” said Bonta. “With our lawsuit, California becomes the largest geographic area and the largest economy to take these giant oil companies to court. From extreme heat to drought and water shortages, the climate crisis they have caused is undeniable. It is time they pay to abate the harm they have caused. We will meet the moment and fight tirelessly on behalf of all Californians, in particular those who live in environmental justice communities.”

In a rebuttal, the American Petroleum Institute issued a statement arguing that Congress, not courts, should be responsible for establishing climate policy.

“This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of California taxpayer resources,” the statement read.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. and Edward Henderson | California Black Media

On September 13, the Board of Trustees of California State University (CSU) announced that it has appointed Dr. Berenecea Johnson Eanes to assume the role of president at California State University (CSU) Los Angeles.

When she assumes office on Jan. 8, 2024, Eanes will become the first woman to be president of a CSU school.

She will be succeeding Interim President Leroy M. Morishita, who has served in the position since the retirement of President Emeritus William A. Covino at the end of July 2023

“I am honored to join this outstanding university and its vibrant and diverse campus community,” said Eanes, who is currently President of York College, City University of New York – a position she has held since 2020.

“I look forward to engaging and collaborating with Cal State LA’s talented students, staff and faculty to continue the institution’s journey to new heights in student success, research, scholarship and creative activity, and community engagement,” she continued.

“A champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, Dr. Eanes is the ideal person to lead Cal State LA and continue to drive its powerful engine of social mobility,” said CSU Trustee Jack B. Clarke, Jr., chair of the Cal State LA Presidential Search Committee.

Eanes completed her undergraduate studies at Dillard University, obtained a master’s degree in social work from Boston University and earned her doctorate in social work from Clark Atlanta University.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Current and past members of Social Lites, Inc., along with over 100 family and friends were on sight on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at Jassan Banquiet Hall in San Bernardino to pay tribute to longtime resident of San Bernardino and honorary member, Ms. Edna Noble, at her 90th birthday celebration. Ms. Noble was among the charter members of this organization in 1956 to help young African American high school students through the Beautillion Program to continue their education beyond high school.

We salute Ms. Noble who was president of the Social Lites, Inc. in the late 60s when she took the lead with the establishment of the first $1,000.00 scholarship to California State University, San Bernardino. This was announced at the Social Lites, Inc. annual Ebony Fashion Show scholarship fundraiser.

Ms. Noble is a member of Temple Missionary Baptist Church who received recognition from City Council Member, Kimberly Calvin, Sixth Ward on behalf of Mayor Helen Tran along with a plaque from Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes of the California State Assembly presented to her from representative Prince Ogidikpe.

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — The Immigration Legal, Educational & Advancement Program (ILEAP), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the immigrant community in the Inland Empire, successfully concluded its two-week study abroad trip to Guanajuato, Mexico, from July 22 to August 4, 2023. This unique program was exclusively tailored for DACA recipients with Advanced Parole travel authorization, facilitated by Belen Gomez, founder of ILEAP and immigration attorney at The Law Office of Belen Gomez.

Under attorney Belen Gomez’s expert guidance, and with key collaborators, including the University of Guanajuato, the School for Entrepreneurship at CSUSB, and Undocuscholars, LLC and others; a select group of exceptional Dreamers embarked on this transformative journey. The Summer 2023 Study Abroad Program was meticulously curated to foster cultural diversity, enhance identity exploration, and provide unique educational experiences for personal and communal growth.

Participants delved into Mexico’s historical, educational, and linguistic systems, gaining a deep understanding of its society. The program featured a seminar on Mexican-U.S. border and immigration law/policy, a University of Guanajuato tour, traditional Mexican art workshops, therapeutic sessions for identity exploration and coping mechanisms, historical site visits, and immersion in the local arts scene.

“On May 8, 2023, I got the news that my Advance Parole had been approved by USCIS… Fast forward again, to July 27, 2023, I am at the TIJ airport using the CBX bridge to enter the USA ‘legally’… This journey has afforded me a fleeting view of the beauty held by the country of Mexico and its people, as well as the determination my parents possess to create a better life for my siblings, themselves, and me,” a Study Abroad Participant stated.

This program culminated in an independent study assignment, enabling participants to explore Guanajuato, or another part of Mexico, personally. This blend of structured educational activities and self-directed exploration contributed to a holistic and profound experience.

The program fee of $4200 covered educational courses, lodging, select meals, guided excursions, culinary and arts experiences, travel preparation sessions, and invaluable assistance from attorney Belen Gomez in obtaining Advanced Parole travel authorization for eligible participants.

As the trip concluded, Belen Gomez, founder of ILEAP, stated, “Our goal has always been to empower the immigrant community with the tools they need to excel and lead. This study abroad program is a manifestation of that commitment, offering Dreamers a chance to connect with their heritage, build leadership skills, and inspire their local communities.”

Applications for the Summer 2024 Study Abroad Program are now open, with a closing date of November 7, 2023. Eligible DACA recipients seeking personal and educational growth are encouraged to apply.

To sponsor or make a tax-deductible donation to support future trips, or to learn more about ILEAP and its programs, visit www.weareileap.org.

On Saturday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department celebrated the graduation of Academy Class 232.

The class fundraised and donated over $17,000, including $7,000 to their charity of choice, A Better Way, a Victorville nonprofit which provides services for domestic violence victims and survivors.

Congratulations, and thank you for serving and protecting our communities!