California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793 into law on Aug. 28. The legislation is one of the country’s strongest restrictions on flavored tobacco. The bill makes it a crime for any retailer or individual to sell a flavored tobacco product or any tobacco product flavor enhancer in the state. Violation will be punishable by a fine of $250 for each infraction. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2021. ?
“I have been expressive in terms of my absolute condemnation of this tobacco industry that continues to find ways to target our youth,” Newsom said before signing the bill.
“And it will be a point of deep pride and personal privilege — as a father of four and as someone who’s had many, many family members die at the hands of the tobacco industry — to sign that bill. I can’t be more explicit. I can’t wait until it becomes law in the state of California.”?
SB 793 breaks “Big Tobacco’s death grip,” on longtime users hooked on nicotine, said Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), who is the author of the bill. He said that the addition of fruit and other alluring flavors to the products are tactics tobacco manufacturers are using to entice a new generation of smokers — the youth.?
“The action by Gov. Newsom and by the California Legislature this week is a huge win for our kids and the health of our communities,” Hill said in a written statement. “SB 793 will save lives.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 7 out of 10 African American youth between ages 12 and 17 who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes. In addition, African American adults have the highest percentage of menthol cigarette use compared to other racial and ethnic groups, the CDC says.
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), agrees with proponents of the bill and condemns notions that menthol-flavored cigarettes are strictly associated with the Black community.?
“I too rise in support of SB 793. I am insulted that the tobacco industry would make an effort to have us believe that mentholated cigarettes are a part of Black culture,” she said. “Someone wants to save us and our children and finally focus on African Americans.”
Some individuals and organizations opposed to the bill say they are concerned about the bill’s narrow focus. While menthol cigarettes are included in the ban, shisha tobacco — used in hookah water pipes, premium tobacco, and loose-leaf tobacco — is exempted. ?
The Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) say the bill is discriminatory because merchants will continue to sell some other adult tobacco products that are not popular among African Americans and other minorities. ? In addition, other opponents of SB 793 say the new law could possibly start a new wave of illegal activities, such as the underground sales of the banned products out of “backpacks or the trunk of a car,” said representatives of Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternative Association (CASAA). ?
“While activists are claiming victory, California residents already know that the foundation of an informal nicotine market is already in place,” CASAA said in a written statement after Newsom signed the bill. “It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that young people, those whom this legislation is supposed to protect, will now have more access to products intended for people who smoke.”
On Aug. 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new framework for re-opening businesses in California counties shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state will move away from the previous “watch list” system and use a new four-tiered classification system to determine which counties can open.
At the Aug. 28 press conference, Gov. Newsom said, “We wanted to make adjustments based upon the input we received from county health officers, input we received from experts, our own experience here in the state of California, to adjust the frameworks from the old monitoring list to a more dynamic list that we hope is not only more dynamic, but is much more simple to understand. Stringent, though, nonetheless in terms of its application but statewide in terms of its consequence.”
The tiers are color-coded: yellow for minimal COVID-19 spread, orange for moderate spread, red for substantial spread, and purple for widespread COVID-19 transmission. Nearly all businesses in yellow counties are allowed to reopen indoor operations, as long as face-covering and physical distancing requirements are followed. In purple counties, nearly all businesses have to close or severely limit indoor operations.
According to the state COVID website, as of Aug. 30, the majority of counties in the state are widespread or purple.
Within the new system, the color of the county is determined by the number of new daily coronavirus cases and the testing positivity rate. Counties that are considered widespread or purple have more than 7 daily new cases per 100,000 residents or a higher than 8% positivity rate among those tested.
Most business in widespread counties are allowed to remain open as long as they are outdoor only, including restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and places of worship. Bars and schools must remain closed, and non-essential offices must operate remotely.
Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, released a statement responding to the state’s new COVID-19 reopening framework.
“Unfortunately, [Gov. Newsom] has also sent a long term signal to the business community that they will likely not be able to operate at a sustainable level until spring 2021 at the earliest. As the rest of the country begins on a path to economic recovery, we are gravely concerned that California will see a wave of permanent job loss, especially since the Legislature has not passed any policies that will help businesses adapt to this ‘new normal,’” the statement read.
According to the state website, COVID-19 data is reviewed weekly with tiers updated on Tuesdays. To move to a less restrictive tier, the county has to meet that tier’s requirements for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s new daily cases or testing positivity rate increases for two consecutive weeks, it will move to a more restrictive tier.
Through all the chaos of the COVID-19 crisis, Wendy Raquel Robinson says she has managed to hold it all together. The actress, known for her roles in several films and television shows, says she has several reasons to be grateful, too.
Among them is the return of “The Game.” On Aug. 15, Netflix began streaming the popular comedy-drama, which debuted in 2006 and aired on the CW until 2009. In 2011, BET began developing and airing the show until its series finale in 2015. Robinson played Tasha Mack in the series, the confident, funny and straight-shooting mother of the show’s star Malik Wright, who actor Hosea Chancez played.
“I’m thankful for so much — so much to appreciate even in the midst of this pandemic,” she told California Black Media.
Robinson, who lives in Southern California, says she understands how unexpected events can upend your entire life. In 2007, she lost everything in a tragic fire that engulfed her Pasadena home and burned it to the ground.
“I get home. I’m met by the Red Cross, fire trucks. It was a power outage. After the power came back, it sent an electric surge to my house and two other houses. That ignited the fire that burned our houses,” she remembers that painful experience.
Even more distressing than the destruction, Robinson says, was what she had to go through during the aftermath. A swarm of insensitive adjusters showed up at the scene of the disaster, scrambling to put in bids to help her with her insurance claim. She had to call the police.
The city of Pasadena also did not take responsibility for the fire and, although it took her three years to rebuild, she was only insured for one year. Also, Robinson says she only received an insurance payment that equaled one third of the value of the property she lost.
“It destroyed so many things I cherished. It uprooted my entire life. I lost my dog and I lost her car. Photos. Archival items from my career. Some of those things you cannot replace,” she said.
Robinson says that’s why having a plan for when disaster strikes is always a good way to protect yourself and your family.
“We have to make sure all of us — and everyone we love — are prepared for emergencies,” she said.
That’s why Robinson has lent her image, voice and likeness to a statewide emergency preparedness awareness campaign called Listos, which means ready in Spanish.
“Emergency preparedness is not government’s responsibility alone. Solutions can’t be top-down – they have to come from the bottom up,” said Gov. Newsom Aug. 20 when he announced the state’s $50 million investment in the campaign.
“We need more focus on building resiliency within California’s most vulnerable communities for the destructive and deadly wildfires ahead,” the governor continued. “We’re empowering non-profit organizations and emergency responders to work together to prepare for emergencies because California is at its best when we look out for each other.”
An ad featuring Robinson has been published in African American-owned newspapers across the state and she has recorded public service announcements for radio stations serving Black listeners in the Los Angeles area, where the largest number of African Americans in California live.
Robinson’s voice and likeness will also appear in an animated video that will be published on internet and social media platforms targeting African Americans around the state.
“It can be devastating,” said Robinson who has won NAACP Image Awards 11 times for her acting roles.
Robinson, who was born in Los Angeles and earned her bachelor’s degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C., has taken on several television and film roles. One of her most well-known characters is Regina “Piggy” Brier, the principal of the fictional Booker T. Washington High School on the WB sitcom “The Steve Harvey Show.”
“Now, I realize that taking steps to prepare for a disaster, natural or otherwise, that might happen to you — and, yes, it does traumatize you — is not only smart. It is necessary.”
Listos provides 5 steps to help Californians prepare for emergencies. They are: make a plan; pack a go-bag with things you need; build a “stay box” for when you can’t leave; and help friends and neighbors get ready.”
Besides the media public awareness campaign, some community-based organizations will lead efforts to reach out to African Americans centered in three disaster-prone areas of the state where Californians with some of the lowest average household incomes live: Alameda, San Francisco and San Bernardino counties. The community-based partner organizations are: Building Resilient Communities (San Bernardino County); Community Health Action Network (San Bernardino County); the French American Church for the New Covenant (Alameda County); Ivoire Alliance (Alameda County); and Mother Brown’s Kitchen (San Francisco).
Last week, Gov. Newsom also announced the appointment of Karen Baker, 57, as his Senior Advisor for Disaster Volunteering and Preparedness at the Office of Emergency Services. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger first appointed her to become the country’s first Secretary of Service and Volunteering in 2008.
“We know that people who are socially isolated or live in poverty, have language barriers, or other access or functional needs challenges, need to be the top priority for preparedness campaigns,” Baker said. “Taking care of each other, showing courage when it matters most, is what we do in California.”
??”Sister Bey” as she was affectionately called by many, was born and raised in Philadelphia. She was an only child and her mother passed when Sister Bey was only 2 years old. She was raised by her father and paternal Aunt. Sister Bey was a bright child and always a fast learner.
She attended South Philadelphia High School and later completed basic Nurse’s Training. She had two daughters as a teen mother and was married for a short while, yet remained determined to follow her dreams.
One of Sister Bey’s deepest passions was her love of music. She was a talented vocalist and pianist and toured for several years during the 1950’s along the East Coast and Canada. Jazz music was close to her heart and she truly admired the esteemed vocalist, Sarah Vaughn.
A pivotal turning point took place in Sister Bey’s life in the late 1950’s when she was introduced to the teachings of the great Moorish leader and teacher, Noble Drew Ali. Once Sister Bey embarked on her life course as a Moor, she never looked back. As an adherent of these teachings, she advanced to many levels of knowledge, wisdom and trainings, even unto the coveted title of Governess. Sister Bey is credited with “nationalizing” many newcomers to the Moorish teachings and truly lived the faith admirably.
Sister Bey was a woman of many gifts and talents; she had a keen mind and intellect and was one who won almost every debate she ever took on! She was a splendid cook and her culinary talents were known and appreciated by many. However, in the mid 1980’s she was fortunately blessed with the opportunity to acquire WPEB Community Radio Station. Once again Sister Bey had something into which she could channel her enormous passion and undaunting spirit.
She served as executive director of the station for over 18 incredible years and provided entree and training for many in the field of radio broadcasting and communications. WPEB Radio was a perfect vehicle for Sister Bey to maximize and further develop her many talents. She was an excellent broadcaster, strategist and marketing analyst and one of her favorite programs that she developed was “The Widow”.
Sister Bey was acknowledged throughout the Delaware Valley in her time, as a memorable female leader in the field of radio broadcasting and communications.
During the later years of her retirement, Sister Bey had some health concerns which increased over time but she never let those health issues deter her strong spirit. She did her best to enjoy the good things in life and pursued what she valued: remaining socially conscious and active, enjoying recreation at Atlantic City and Philadelphia area casinos where she was very “lucky”, attending gospel and other music events, dinners with close friends and associates and always making time for her greatest love; studying and pursuing more knowledge, wisdom and understanding.Sister Bey’s life motto was: “Uplifting fallen humanity through communications, the key to unity”.
She will be lovingly remembered in the community, friends, family, two daughters, and six grandchildren.
His choice to occasionally reveal what will happen in the future, and when He does, like trumpeters on the castle wall, as someone chosen by God as a watchman, I must proclaim the full counsel of God, which includes both sovereign wrath and supreme love. So for those of you wondering why I’m always talking about repentance and destruction, I cannot pick and choose what it is that I must speak about. As a watchman, addressing the wrath of God is never optional —it is a divine mandate. God demands it! Why? Because an essential part of God’s moral perfection is His hatred of sin. Like I said before, always to me first and then to whomever may receive it.
Listen, we are not living in ordinary times. We are nearing the end of an age. A world-shaking crisis is inexorably building and will, in the near future, explode the appearance of normalcy that still pervades. The progression of disturbing news stories that you may read about or hear about in the News, is not random and inconsequential. In fact, they foreshadow remarkable key trends and specific events that will change everything we are familiar with very soon! Open your eyes to understand the significance of today’s news and where it is all leading. For as the Apostle Peter wrote about Bible’s prophecies: “So we have seen and proved that what the prophets said came true. We will do well to pay close attention to everything they have written, for, like lights shining into dark corners, their words help us to understand many things that otherwise would be dark and difficult.… For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God” [2 Peter 1:19–21]. I speak not on my own accord, but the Holy Spirit. That time will be the worst time of trouble this earth will ever experience [Matthew 24:21; Jeremiah 30:7; Mark 13 Luke 21; Ezekiel 36, and Daniel 12, and elsewhere.
Therefore, Jesus commands us to watch and to be ready. “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” [Luke 21:36]. Our entire life is about to change. Soon, mankind will suffer through the most devastating, bloody war in human history—called, in biblical terminology, the “Great Tribulation.”[Matthew 24:21-22]. We are now approaching that time, and these things are now being revealed. [Daniel 12:10,].
If you consider yourself a follower of Jesus, then you should pay close attention to His instruction to you: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” [Luke 21:36].
Here is what the prophet Jeremiah said about this same time: “Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel [whose modern descendants include the United States, Great Britain and other nations of northwestern Europe] and Judah.… For thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great so that none is like it…” (Jeremiah 30:4–7).
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” [Matthew 24:30].
“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” [Revelation 6:17]
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He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. [Revelation 22:20].
Nationally syndicated talk show host and author Wilmer Leon believes despite what most political polls are saying and making history at their convention, Democrats still face an uphill battle to defeat President Donald J. Trump in November’s election.
The host of Sirius/XM’s “Inside The Issues” says there are flaws in Democrats’ political strategy and the prospects for voter suppression are real.
He also believes many of the policies are already in place that are designed to deny and discourage minorities the chance to vote or not to have their votes counted.
As the author of “Politics: Another Perspective,” the political scientist and former Howard University professor gives the Republicans credit for their ability to “stay on message” and their marketing strategy gives them an edge in the race.
He joins Mark Gray in this edition of “The Gray Area” podcast to discuss how the last two months of the 2020 campaign will affect the future of the nation.
The U.S., which has both the largest number of infections and deaths from COVID-19, is lagging far behind other countries which have far fewer resources, concluded three eminent physicians and global health experts speaking at news briefing for the nation’s ethnic press.
Speakers at the briefing, organized by Ethnic Media Services, included Dr. Ashish Jha, Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, Dr. Tung Nguyen, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Nirav Shah, senior scholar at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.
The U.S. leads the world in both COVID infections and mortality rates. 5.3 million U.S. residents have been infected, while more than 167,000 have died. Nguyen said the number of new infections had jumped by a staggering 66 percent over the past five weeks.
“America may have the worst response of any country in the world to this pandemic,” said Jha, noting that there is an incredible amount of misinformation spread through social media and a lack of leadership.
“We’ve had leadership both at the federal level and at many state levels that have largely adhered to that misinformation and promoted that misinformation. They have failed to take science as the primary guiding principle,” he stated.
“This is almost all about biology and math and if you decide you’re going to ignore both the biology and the math of this virus, it is unlikely that you’ll end up doing very well and that’s what we have seen pretty consistently,” said Jha.
He dismissed notions that authoritarian countries do better, citing Russia and Brazil, which are pandemic hot-spots.
Jha discussed why some East Asian countries have been effective in controlling the spread. Vietnam, which has had just a handful of deaths, took on the virus early, banning travel to and from China, and instituting a very aggressive contact tracing regime. South Korea has relied heavily on testing, while New Zealand has been aggressive with lock-downs. Japan has not done a lot of testing, but has had universal masking.
Jha castigated the U.S.’s “half-hearted” approach to the pandemic, stating one approach must be deployed effectively. “You don’t have to be a wealthy country to do well,” he said. “Take the virus seriously and let biology and math drive the decision making.”
Shah, who also serves on the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2030, said the U.S. is making a false choice between lives and livelihoods. “You can have both,” he said.
Shah discussed early warning systems — smart thermometers that allowed for home testing with results immediately delivered to a database via the Internet to determine COVID hot-spots. He advocated for broad and efficient testing, noting that, currently, U.S. residents must wait for at least five days for COVID test results to come back, at which point they are inefficient. Low-cost rapid antigen tests could deliver results in about 15 minutes, he said.
The U.S. must also become more effective in quarantine, said Shah, noting that some countries remove infected people from their families and put them up in hotel rooms to control spread in tightly-packed families.
Data reporting must become more effective, said Shah, noting the U.S. is doing a “horrible” job of daily reporting infection and mortality rates. In late July, hospitals were told to use a new platform for reporting data, administered by HHS. The old platform was administered by the Centers for Disease Control.
The new system has been plagued with inaccuracies. “We really need to start to think about a fundamentally different approach to this that protects privacy and still allows for public health to do its work,” said Shah.
About 169 treatments and 39 vaccines are currently in the pipeline, but neither therapies nor a vaccine will be available on the marketplace until at least the summer of 2021, said Shah.
“I’m not going to be getting on a flight to Russia and rolling up my sleeve for their vaccine,” said Shah. Russia announced Aug. 11 that it had developed the world’s first COVID vaccine at the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow. Critics of the vaccine noted it has only been tested on 76 people.
A number of studies are looking at the re-purposing of the BCG vaccine, which is widely used in India and other Asian countries as a prevention against tuberculosis.
Shah suggested that vaccines need to be tested on at least 30,000 people before determining efficacy.
Nguyen, the founder of the Asian American Research Center on Health, discussed the findings of a new study released by the CDC Aug. 14: “Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The study found that 40 percent of the 5,000 people surveyed said they had experienced mental health issues during the pandemic. Almost 11 percent had considered suicide.
Young people between the ages of 18 to 24 reported alarming rates of mental health issues and self harm. 75 percent of young people surveyed reported experiencing some form of mental health disorder during the pandemic. An alarming 25 percent had thought of suicide.
22 percent of essential workers and 30 percent of unpaid caregivers had considered suicide, according to the report.
Nguyen said that the mental health epidemic will worsen in the coming months. “I’m now viewing the covid-19 pandemic as being more than about a single disease caused by a single virus.”
“We are witnessing the beginning of associate epidemics, such as mental illness, bad outcomes in many other diseases, and a terrible change in the social determinants of health such as income, employment, and housing,” he said.
The shouting is over. The 2020 Democratic National Convention was well crafted, programed and designed. The Democrats told the stories of the candidates.
President Bill Clinton reminded us of another time when he was President. Hillary Clinton reminded us that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris could win by 3 million votes and still lose. Trust me she knows what she’s talking about.
President Barack Obama gave us a strong and forceful lesson on constitutional law. He powerfully presented in unprecedented terms how Trump as President, just didn’t have it. He pulled no punches. He stated, “I never expected Trump to embrace my vision or continue my policies, I did hope (for the sake of our country) that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously.” “Trump has shown no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get more attention he craves.” He said that Joe and Kamala will rescue the economy and deeply cared about Americans, together they would get the pandemic under control.
Michelle Obama gave it to us middle of the road, southside girl style, stating the facts of the case and telling it like older generations use to say “T-I-S!” Wearing a “Vote” necklace, Michelle called Trump by his name and said “Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country.” We watched a moving documentary on democracy.
Vice President Hopeful Kamala Harris
The highlight of the convention was the introduction of Kamala Harris. We heard of her background being raised as a Black woman born of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. Her mother, a biologist and cancer researcher, raised her and her sister as a single parent, and her father left the family when she was 5 years old. Her mother is deceased. Her dad is an economics scholar and was the first Black male to gain tenure at Stanford University.
Kamala Parents: Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris
As we listened and watched Kamala accept the Democratic nomination for vice president, we wondered if we were watching a future president. She could make astounding history as the first woman and the second Black in the Oval Office. Wow. This could really happen in our lifetime. A lady from Howard University could possibly lead the White House. Hello to all of the AKA’s.
Harris meets ambivalence with some Black men as they question her deeds as a prosecuting attorney in California. She locked many of them up. She will be questioned, yet she was only doing her job. But, would you rather have Trump? That’s the legitimate question.
Dr. Jill Biden will make her very own history as First Lady, community college professor and super mom if Joe’s elected president. She promised that she wouldn’t leave her students, not even for the job at the White House. She will be the first First Lady with outside employment. Let’s see how that works and who enrolls next semester.
Finally candidate, former vice president Joe Biden. Joe presented himself in a strong speech, perhaps the best in his 47 years of public service. It wasn’t a convention speech but felt like a fireside chat. He was compassionate, elegant, dignified and real. He told his story about his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania where he knew real life causalities, from his Dad’s loss of job, to the accidental tragic death of his first wife and daughter.
His political journey has been from being the youngest Senator to being possibly the eldest President. When he lost his first wife and daughter in a tragic car accident in 1972, he commuted to work every day via Amtrak to and from Washington, DC every day (the trip’s about 90 minutes) and tucked his kids in bed nightly, as they got through the pain. He did this for 36 years. He lost his son, Bo, to brain cancer. You could hear Biden’s pride of his son the solider, as he went into public office, yet the agony lingers as he tell us, you never get over it. If you don’t identify with that, you are heartless.
During his speech, Biden pulled at your heartstrings as he spoke about his personal stuttering. He introduced to a young boy he met on the campaign trail, with the same problem. Biden told the 13-year-old boy how to conquer his speaking issue. “Kids like me are counting on you to elect someone we can all look up to” he said.
The convention was staged beautifully. It was different. It’s messages deliberate. Zoom was used at its best especially during the home spun roll calls. No fanfare, no balloons or confetti, no applause, no tears, and no cheers. Taped speeches were controlled and purposeful as they were delivered with everyone talking straight to the American public, from their living rooms to ours. It was cozy, casual and comfortable.
As perfect as the Democratic National Convention was, its speakers missed a few things. They missed telling us their plans on what they will do with program and policy for the future of America. Many of them ran against Trump, but did they run for a Democratic platform? We assume it will be better with Biden’s seniority and his lovely family but what should we expect? In the days to come we need to hear the Biden-Harris platform and not just see pretty faces and storytelling.
What about the eradication of racism in this era of Black Lives Matter? What about the economy, as we face a changing face of culture with the pandemic? What about police reform? What about education? Kids have missed a full year of school. We need to hear policy positions.
I like the idea very much that the future Vice President is in place. Kamala will represent a new generation. She will be groomed to assume office if need be. I like that Biden knows his way around the White House from his vice presidency days. I like the fact that he knows the Senate and can cross the aisle to get things done. I like his seniority very much. He can hit the ground running with vigor and energy as an expert surgeon. Experience matters. Biden’s experience matters.
Enters Trump…
And now comes the movement of Trump. He plans on appearing all four days of the Republican National Convention. His talks will be bold, pompous, filled with greatness and illusions of grandeur. His will be a scene from a patriot play that speaks in code to the ways of yesteryear, filled with America great slogans.
The rose garden has a new look for the television screen. Trump will tell us with boundless optimism how great he is, as he plays the political hand that has destroyed the Republican Party. He takes us backwards to a place we won’t go, as he disrupts even the post office. He challenges the system in a bold crazy way with his lovely fashionable family at his side as main speakers of the Trump parade.
His presidency is a virtual reality show. The last three years of his presidency has been flawed and Trump will tell us of the many hoaxes during his last three years.
Trump is not to be discounted, ignored or dismissed. He is ruthless and enjoys the attention of being president. He’s nothing but outrageous – from challenging birthing and calling people out of name. It’s nothing but a good hand of playing “signifying monkey.” His tactics work for him, because they are so daring. He’s like the drunk in the bar that everybody laughs and listens to, but nobody puts him out. They do nothing but give him another drink so that he can be more outrageously offensive.
Trump is not to be under estimated. He is a master of the media. He is bold. He’s an escaped convict running desperate. He’s a pied piper. All of his men have been jailed for their wrongdoing. Trump will pardon them as he can. Trump is telling us loud and clear if he loses it will be because the Democrats cheated. Perhaps the U.S. marshall will be called to remove him from the White House.
Trump with his many conspiracy theories, tells us that the post office will fail us, especially with mail-in votes. So what does he do? He removes the mailboxes off the streets and destroys the sorting machines. He has no fear. He tells us that even if he looses, he will not leave the White House. We look in disbelief and wonder, what on earth will he do next as he mounts his campaign for a second term. How much more offensive can he be? What other lunatic tactics and alien-like methodology will he use in a second term? Mrs. Obama has warned that it could get worse. This will only add to more fodder for books written about his ill and zany ways.
These are amazing times that we live in. As society changes daily, we watch old ways become new. We watch with fright and astonishment as we cope with a world pandemic, that the leader of the free world cannot embrace. He tells us it will be all right eventually, rather than pay attention to the science of the matter. Yet Trump will try and take credit for everything once a cure is found for COVID-19.
As we pray, we better damn sure get out to vote, at all cost. The vote is the only thing we can do to save America. Vote Trump out. Vote for Joe Biden. We HAVE to save our democracy. America’s at stake, please STAY woke. The best thing that can happen to American democracy is to tell Trump “You’re FIRED!”
Los Angeles County Chief Executive Officer Sachi A. Hamai, who agreed to temporarily postpone her retirement to help lead the County through the initial phase of the COVID-19 emergency, announced that she will retire at the end of August 2020.
“This has been a challenging and tumultuous period for our County and its residents, and it has been an honor to help lead our workforce in its unprecedented response to COVID-19. While we still have a long way to travel on our road to recovery, our budgetary and public health situation is beginning to stabilize and I believe the time is right for me to continue with the retirement plans I first announced last October,” Hamai said. “I am confident that our Board of Supervisors, along with our department heads and exceptional workforce, will successfully lead Los Angeles County through recovery and into a healthier, more equitable future.
“This week marks my 32nd year of County service. Although the challenges of the current moment are immense, I also reflect proudly on accomplishments during my tenure that have positioned us to meet today’s challenges from a position of fiscal strength—including our strongest-ever credit ratings and substantial investments in our rainy day funds.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served. I will never forget the incredible fellow employees who have partnered with me every step of the way.”
Members of the Board of Supervisors thanked Hamai for her public service—including her decision to postpone her retirement in order to help the County navigate one of the most difficult periods in its recent history.
“I want to thank our CEO Sachi Hamai for her unwavering commitment and dedication to Los Angeles County, most recently evidenced by her willingness to postpone her retirement to help us navigate the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger. “The Board of Supervisors is fortunate to have had Ms. Hamai at the helm of our CEO operations for the last several years. Her leadership and keen fiscal sense, coupled with her collaborative spirit, have greatly benefited Los Angeles County as a whole, and all of our residents and businesses throughout the region.”
“Sachi Hamai has demonstrated steady leadership during this unprecedented moment in the County’s history,” said Board Chair Pro Tem Hilda L. Solis. “She has managed the day-to-day operations of this country’s largest municipal government with singular focus. I thank Sachi for her years of service to our County residents, and in particular, for her dedication these past few months in responding to this public health crisis.”
“CEO Sachi Hamai has been an exceptional leader in moving Los Angeles County forward,” Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas said. “Her budgetary acumen, coupled with her commitment to serving the underserved, has enabled us to invest deeply in some of the most important priorities of our time, including justice reform and the fight to end homelessness, while maintaining the fiscal prudence that has earned the County its highest-ever credit ratings. She has been a mentor and role model to a generation of County leaders, including women and people of color, and her legacy as a collaborative, results-oriented CEO will continue to shape the workings of Los Angeles County government well into the future.”
“Every County CEO needs to be a political wizard, a genius with money, and a long-distance runner,” Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said. “Sachi gets an A+ in all three, plus being a mentor and a champion for women and people of color in government leadership. I am so grateful for her more than three decades of service, and can’t imagine the County without her.”
“We owe Sachi Hamai a great debt of gratitude,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Not only did she postpone her hard-earned retirement to guide the County through this unprecedented crisis, her careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars throughout her tenure kept our budget sound and balanced so that the Board’s priorities were always doable. She has been an incredibly effective leader and has accomplished so much for the County’s ten million residents over her 32 years of service.”
The Board has appointed Chief Operating Officer Fesia Davenport to serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Eric Garner’s mother Gwendolyn Carr says, for Black Men, selling a single cigarette, known as “loosey,” can lead to an arrest, a prison sentence or even death.
Six years ago, a police officer put her son in a chokehold and strangled him to death for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes on Staten Island, a borough of New York City.
Now, Carr is speaking out in a new video against California Senate Bill (SB) 793, which she says will create the same circumstances – the illegal sale and use of menthol cigarettes and aggressive, racially-biased law enforcement — that led to her son’s death. If the Senate passes the bill and Gov. Newsom signs it into law, it would ban the sale of menthol tobacco and other flavored cigarette products.
“A new law would criminalize menthol cigarettes, which Black people smoke almost exclusively, giving police officers another excuse to harm and arrest any Black man, woman or child they choose,” Carr says in the video opposing SB 793. “A bad law has consequences for mothers like me.”
Carr is not alone in her opinion of the bill. Across California, there is opposition to SB 793, which, if passed, would become the country’s strongest restriction on flavored tobacco products, including Newport, Kool and Salem cigarettes — three brands Blacks disproportionately smoke.
Old and young, faith leaders, retired law enforcement officers, and civil rights activists came together to protest SB 793. At protests in Los Angeles and Sacramento on Aug. 20, they called out the inherent discrimination coded into the language and spirit of SB 793, which California Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) authored.
“The goal of this protest is to ensure we are heard,” said Rev. K.W. Tulloss, President of Baptist Ministers Conference Los Angeles and co-founder of Neighborhood FORWARD, a community-based social action organization. “SB 793 is a bad bill that’s not good for California. The unintended consequences of this legislation are real. Bills like this take us backward.”
But on the same day of the protests, the Assembly Appropriations Committee passed the bill, sending the bill to the full Assembly for consideration.
The rallies were two in a series of three held against SB793. The first one was held in front of the home of California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood).
Like Carr, people and organizations that oppose SB 793 say it is discriminatory because some adult tobacco products — those preferred by Whites – are exempted from the ban.
Meanwhile, the tobacco products preferred by African American adult smokers, menthol cigarettes, are included in the ban. Exemptions in SB 793 include shisha tobacco, which is used in hookah water pipes, premium tobacco, and loose-leaf tobacco.
The retail sale of flavored handmade premium cigars with a minimum price of $12 are also not prohibited under this bill.
Some California residents say that the exemptions for certain kinds of tobacco nearly mirror laws that unequally penalized people for selling or possessing the same amounts of crack cocaine and powdered cocaine.
In 1986, the federal government passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which mandated stiffer punishments for people who sold crack cocaine, the rock form of the drug, which more Blacks used. Penalties for possessing or distributing cocaine powder, preferred by Whites, were much lighter. Distributing just five grams of crack triggered a federal mandatory minimum prison sentence of 5 years. But it required 500 grams of cocaine for a distributor to receive a federal prison sentence of the same length of time – a 100:1 disparity.
Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) agree that the bill has a racist element to it. They say the bill demonstrates clear discrimination and preferential treatment between two tobacco products preferred by two different cultural groups.
“We will not and cannot stand for more policies that resemble another Black tax yet find a way to make concessions and amendments for certain groups,” Rev. Tulloss said. “Hookah is exempted, yet menthol cigarettes are not. The Speaker can make this bill fair and that’s all we’re asking.”
Existing law prohibits a person from selling or otherwise furnishing tobacco products to a person under 21 years of age. It also prohibits the use of tobacco products in county offices of education, on charter school or school district property, or near a playground or youth sports event.
If SB 793 passes, each violation of the law would be punishable by a fine of $250.
“Using candy, fruit, and other alluring flavors, the tobacco industry weaponized its tactics to beguile a new generation into nicotine addiction while keeping longtime users hooked. SB 793 breaks Big Tobacco’s death grip,” said Hill said after the Senate voted 33-4 to advance the bill to the Assembly last month.
An estimated seven out of 10 African American youth ages 12 to 17 years smoke menthol cigarettes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, African American adults make up the largest percentage of menthol cigarette users compared to other racial and ethnic groups, the CDC says.
The coalition of SB 793 supporters include the Office of Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the Common Sense Kids, who are all bill sponsors.
“SB 793 coauthors, cosponsors, African American thought leaders in government, health, the faith community, science, the arts and among our youth, as well as other supporters, have provided strong counterpoints to the obfuscation,” Hill stated. “We are confident that together we can ensure the strongest tobacco control restrictions in the country become California law.”
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