WSSN Stories

By Antonio? ?Ray? ?Harvey? |? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

On January 11, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, at a breakfast celebration held at the Grand Ballroom of the Town and Country Event Center in downtown Sacramento.

The annual CLBC event was attended by about 200 people, including members of the Legislature from diverse backgrounds, community leaders, staffers from the State Capitol, among other attendees.

“It was an honor to host this year’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day breakfast. The California Legislative Black Caucus put on another lively event with great discussion on ways we can honor Dr. King’s legacy and uplift all Californians,” CLBC Chair, Assemblymember Lori A. Wilson (D-Suisun City), posted Jan. 11 on the social media platform X.

At the breakfast, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), a member of the CLBC, served as the master of ceremonies at the breakfast held four days prior to the date that would have marked King’s 95th birthday on Jan. 15.

CLBC members Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) provided the invocation and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) led the Pledge of Allegiance. Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), Vice Chair of the CLBC, shared a message from members of the Black Caucus.

Bradford revealed a little unknown fact about Dr. King’s name. He was born Michael King, Jr., on Jan. 15, 1929. In 1934, his father, a pastor, traveled to Germany where he was inspired by Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther, Bradford said.

“As a result, King, Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son,” Bradford shared.

To the delight of the audience at the event, sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, vocalist Nia Moore-Weathers performed a powerful rendition of the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn written as poem by National Association for the Advancement of Color People (NAACP) leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.

Wilson held a 30-minute fireside chat with guest speaker Kwame Anku about Dr. King’s life, achievements, and vision, and the importance of building wealth in Black families and communities.

Anku is the founding managing partner and chief investment officer of Black Star Fund, an early-stage venture capital fund. He got the idea to start the fund on the urging of Roger “Prince” Nelson, the singer, songwriter, multi-music instrumentalist who passed away in 2016.

Anku was named the 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year by Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and was also among 21 distinguished recipients of the prestigious Aspen Ascent Fellowship awarded by the Aspen Institute. He said King’s famous 1963 address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the “I Have a Dream speech,” could have been more aptly titled “America, It’s Time to Look in the Mirror” reflecting its core messages of accountability and denied justice.

“We’re telling ourselves how great we are but we’re not living up to the promise that we’ve made to ourselves because that’s the bedrock of what we do when he said we have come here today to cash the check,” Anku told Wilson. “So, we’ve come to cash the check because this check guarantees us the riches of freedom and the security of justice. So now we’re not just cashing that check. Now, we are writing those checks.”

This year marks the 57th Anniversary of the CLBC. For nearly six decades, the CLBC has been a key advocate for issues such as fair housing and the prevention of homelessness.

Historically, the coalition of Black lawmakers has actively resisted redlining in banking and insurance in California, and fought against apartheid in South Africa, among other issues.

The CLBC plans to continue the legacy of Dr. King by developing legislation around its current priorities, which include pursuing reparations for eligible Black Californians, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and helping to ensure greater access to education and enterprise for African Americans. During the 2024 legislative session, the CLBC aspires to secure funding for critical programs and organizations working to enhance the lives of Black Californians.

There are 12 members of the CLBC serving in the California Assembly and Senate.

By McKenzie Jackson  | California Black Media

On a sunny December morning in Inglewood, Center Park was bustling. Among the people enjoying one of the city’s smaller green spaces, were two women on a Zoom call sitting at a picnic table.

“It’s really upkept, quite secluded,” one of the women said, appreciating the park.

“I’ve seen people mingle. I’ve seen soccer practices,” she added.

Just as the parkgoers in Inglewood cherish their outdoor public recreational facilities, these spaces are valued assets within communities and their proximity can influence real estate prices.

However, some advocates say the state is not developing and maintaining community recreational facilities equally. They point out that green spaces in neighborhoods where Black Californians live remain underfunded even though the state has invested billions of dollars over the last decade-and-a-half to improve them.

“They need to have a system to get money to the Black communities,” said Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., a Los Angeles-based businessman, civil rights activist, and philanthropist.

“They will tell you they have a system to make sure it’s not unfair, but the way they do the funding is not fair,” continued Bakewell, the only Black member of the California State Park and Recreation Commission. “Black people are not getting that money.”

Bakewell has expressed concerns the scoring system employed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program (SPP) to determine how funds are distributed does not benefit African American cities and neighborhoods.

Defending its operations and application process, the SPP says giving all Golden State residents — especially those living in disadvantaged areas — access to open outdoor spaces is its main goal.

State Parks Deputy Director for Community Engagement Sedrick Mitchell said SPP has, “placed green spaces in places where they weren’t before.”

SPP’s grants initiative, according to Mitchell, is the largest parks-related program in California history. It has funded $1.16 billion in construction, expansion, or renovation of 299 parks since 2009.

Center Park in Inglewood is one of 120 expanded or renovated parks. The park’s $2.7 million revitalization was completed in the early 2010s.

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SPP was created by Assembly Bill 31 in 2008, which included among its co-authors former California Black Legislative Caucus Assemblymembers Karen Bass (D – Ladera Heights), Curren Price (D – Inglewood) and Sandré Swanson (D-Oakland). Legislative actions have funded the program since.

The state park’s office of Grants and Local Services received $7.69 billion in park project requests from local jurisdictions, nonprofit groups, and other entities in SPP’s first four rounds. Over $6 billion of the projects went unfunded.

Applications are evaluated in a competitive process. Project approval is determined by a scoring system that awards a maximum of 100 points.

SPP says, the main qualifying criterion for funding is the ratio of park acreage per 1,000 residents living near the park, the median household income of those residents, and the number of residents living below the poverty line.

“If you have zero acres, you are likely to get the most points,” Mitchell explained. “If you have two acres, you are going to get less. The law requires us to look at two things — acres per 1,000 and income,”

Bakewell, who has been a parks commissioner for two years, said Seaside, a small city on the southern tip of Monterey Bay with a Black mayor and a significant Black population, per capita, should have received SPP funds to revitalize three parks.

The three parks are Stuart Park, Havana Soliz Park, and Lincoln Cunningham Park. All of them are in desperate need of revitalization, said Bakewell.

Seaside Recreation Services Director Dan Meewis said the decades-old parks are connected by deteriorating sidewalks that are walking paths for many grade school students.

“It’s a centralized hub for kids from a variety of neighborhoods,” he explained. “The walking trails

throughout the parks are horrendous, tripping hazards. We have a lot of elderly individuals that would utilize those parks to walk, but they feel they can’t use their walkers or canes.”

The city’s two applications for SPP funding, the latest in 2021, were denied.

Although Bakewell and Meewis felt Seaside’s applications fulfilled the funding criteria, Mitchell maintained they did not.

The only park Seaside listed on their applications was near, but not located in a severely disadvantaged area, said Mitchell.

Seaside’s proposals also did not show how citizens engaged in the brainstorming of how funding would be used.

Additionally, Mitchell says, state legislation directed the Parks’ initiative to prioritize funding for the creation of new parks over rehabilitations.

Mitchell and his staff met with Bakewell, Meewis, and Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby to review the city’s denied proposals. Meews said the meeting was beneficial.

However, he wished Seaside would have received guidance on how to improve their bid before their second application was rejected.

“We don’t have a lot of the dollars the bigger cities have, so we really needed that funding,” he said.

Oglesby was frustrated with the process.

“Every time we went for it, they said we don’t have enough points to receive the grants,” he noted. “The criteria seemed to change every year. I’m not saying that as a complaint. I’m talking facts.”

Mitchell said an area’s racial or ethnic makeup plays no part in how SPP monies are dispersed. He said $150 million has been awarded to communities with large African American populations.

SPP’s fourth round of funding, which began in late 2021, awarded $548.3 million to 112 projects. Parks received $2.42 billion in grants and $1.87 billion in requests were denied.

In late December, SPP announced an additional $41.9 million in grants provided by the 2023-24 state budget would be directed to eight projects, including a $936,060

renovation of Zela Davis Park in Hawthorne and a $7 million renovation of Van Buskirk Park in Stockton. The residents around both parks are a majority African American and Latino.

SPP’s fifth round has been postponed.

Bakewell wants to do more but said the commission he serves on doesn’t have a say in which projects are funded.

“The system does not give the board any type of discretion on making sure money gets to the right place,” said Bakewell. “It has such an inequity that it is paralyzing. Black communities at a minimum need stellar parks and recreation.”

By Lou K. Coleman

He said to me, “Daughter of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. He said: “Daughter of man, I am sending you to rebellious people that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.  And you, daughter of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are rebellious people. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, daughter of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Daughter of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people.” So, I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. So, I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. He then said to me: “Daughter of man, go now to the people of and speak my words to them.  [Ezekiel chapter 2]

This is what the Sovereign Lord says. The night is nearly over, and the day is almost here. [Psalms 90: 11-12]. What day? The day of trouble described in [Matthew 24:21; Mark 13 and Luke 21]. The day of trouble, described back in [Ezekiel 36, Daniel 12] and elsewhere as the “Great Tribulation.” Listen to the sound of the trumpet.

But they said, “We will not listen.” [Jeremiah 6:17] The word of the Lord has become a reproach to them. They have no delight in it. [Jeremiah 6:10]. For they have done worse than their fathers; walking everyone after the imagination of his evil heart, stiffened their neck, turned to Me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive My instruction [Jeremiah 16:12; Jeremiah 17:23; Jeremiah 32:33]. God grieves. This has been their way from their youth, that they have not obeyed My voice although I persistently sent them all My servants the prophets. They are stubborn and hard-hearted people!

Jeremiah impugns God’s people for failing to listen, then records God’s message to them: “Therefore, thus says the Lord; Behold, I am bringing disaster upon you that you cannot escape. You have provoked Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm because you have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear. [Jeremiah 11:11; Jeremiah 25:3-4].

God’s judgment came after twenty-three years of persistently speaking to stubborn and hard-hearted children who refused to listen. What a tragedy!

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Caucus

Over the next few months, Californians will spend time processing the details of Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2024-2025 spending plan, which he is expected to present to the Legislature on Jan. 10 in Sacramento. However, reports of the state’s whopping $68 billion budget deficit — as projected by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) — have foreshadowed the Governor’s announcement with uncertainty.

Despite anticipation of deep budget cuts, State Controller Malia M. Cohen has expressed confidence that California’s fiscal cash flow is in the position to withstand any financial challenges caused by forecasted economic downturn.

“Despite reports from various sources indicating a budgetary deficit of approximately $68 billion, the state’s cash position remains strong, and, absent any unforeseen circumstances, the state has insufficient cash to pay its bills and meet its financial obligations through the end of the fiscal year,” Cohen said in a Dec. 19, 2023, letter.

Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. She has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.

According to the LAO, the budget shortfall increased by $53 billion when compared to the projections used in the development of the current year budget – up from $15 billion when the 2023–24 Budget was signed in June. The LAO faced challenges in providing budget estimates due the IRS delaying tax filings until November 16, 2023.

Regarding personal income, sales and property tax revenues, the state’s primary revenues, California entered an economic downturn in 2022 that is affecting the budget. Days before July 1, the start of a new fiscal year, Newsom and legislative leaders agreed to a state budget deal in the form of a $310 billion spending plan that provided guardrails for essential programs and mitigated what was previously a $32 billion deficit.

On Dec. 15, Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) and Senate Budget Vice Chair Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) wrote a letter to Gov. Newsom, urging him to “act early” to address the state’s worsening fiscal condition.

“This budget deficit will impact every California resident and doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican or Democrat,” Jones stated. “That’s why we must roll up our sleeves and work together to bring spending in line with revenues.”

Cohen has been monitoring the state’s financial reports and clarified California is protected by its “rainy day reserves.” She indicated that the Newsom administration has been a step ahead in anticipating any potential financial obstacles that would disrupt the state budget.

“The state currently has more than $91.4 billion in available borrowable resources, due in large part to the Governor’s and

Legislature’s foresight in building prudent rainy-day reserves in the Budget Stabilization Account,” Cohen stated.

The budget negotiations will involve new leaders of the legislature — Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) and incoming Senate President Pro tempore Mike McGuire (D-Santa Rosa).

Rivas added California Legislative Black Caucus members Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa and Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) to the Assembly’s budget leadership team in December. Weber will lead Subcommittee 1 on Health while Jackson will guide Subcommittee 2 on Human Services.

In particular, the state has $24 billion in reserves to help address the budget problem. In addition, there are options to reduce spending on schools and community colleges that could address nearly $17 billion of the budget problem.

Each year, LAO publishes the fiscal outlook in anticipation of the upcoming budget season. The goal of the report is to provide the Legislature its independent estimates and analysis of the state’s financial condition as lawmakers begin planning for the 20242025-budget year.

In addition to the deficit, other takeaways in the report included “multiple tools available” the Legislature has to address the budget problem.

Cohen is also a member of numerous public financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. Cohen serves on the boards of the nation’s two largest public pension funds.

“While legislators will have difficult choices to make in the new year, I am confident they will be deliberate in addressing the budget challenges before them, and I urge them to protect, to the extent possible, the health and social service programs designed to benefit those who are displaced, without shelter, or otherwise economically disadvantaged,” Cohen stated.

NATIONWIDE— The Stephenson triplets — Jean, Jeanet, and Jeanice — have made history after recently graduating together with nursing degrees from South University in Montgomery, Alabama. The sisters, who are now 23 years old, say they were inspired by their mom, who is also a nurse, to carry on their family tradition.

Growing up, the three siblings formed a close bond that extended into their academic pursuits. They said being triplets has its perks, especially when it comes to studying.

“If one person doesn’t know something, you can go to the other, and maybe they’ll explain it a little better,” Jeanice told WSFA.

“We motivate each other, help each other, make sure everyone is passing and learning at the same pace,” said Jean.

The triplets cherish the unique connection they share, tracing back to the day they were born.

“We’ve always shared everything: cars, clothes, rooms, bathrooms,” Jean added. “We were always very close because we shared everything.”

The trio also have fun with their identical looks which sometimes lead to amusing mix-ups. Teachers and students alike find it challenging to tell them apart.

“Sometimes we do play tricks on people,” said Jeanet. “We do get confused a lot.”

Moreover, after earning their nursing degree, the 3 sisters wanted to pursue different paths within nursing.  Jeanet aims for the ICU, Jean is interested in pediatrics or NICU, and Jeanice wants to do the ER. Despite that, they dream of working in the same hospital one day.

By Lou K. Coleman

Your house will be left desolate. Not one stone will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down. [Matthew 24:2].

So, when you see standing in the Holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. [Matthew 24:15-21].

Since you are not willing to listen know that the Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war. They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens— the Lord and the weapons of His wrath— to destroy the whole country. Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. Terror will seize you; pain and anguish will grip you; you will writhe like a woman in labor. You will look aghast at each other, your face aflame. For, the day of the Lord is coming —a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger— to make the land desolate [Isaiah 13:4-9].

Wisdom Call – Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.

Listen, I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to say what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. [Proverbs 8].

Throughout Bible history, God has repeatedly provided man with more than “ample warning” of His impending judgments. His purpose for warning man is to motivate him to repent and come back to Him [Luke 15; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 8; Revelation 9]. For the most part, man has not taken advantage of God’s “ample warning” because of his evil and doubting heart; man will be destroyed! [Genesis 6:5; Deuteronomy 1:35; Revelation 9:21].

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Caucus

Dr. Shirley N. Weber, the California Secretary of State, has certified a list of 20 candidates, including former Pres. Donald Trump, for the state’s presidential primary election scheduled for March 5, 2024.

Weber made the decision on December 28 to certify Trump despite calls from a number of prominent Democrats, including California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, to disqualify him. They cite the former president’s actions and inactions during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as a violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which should disqualify him from public office.

Responding to Kounalakis, Weber emphasized that removing a presidential candidate is a matter of public interest and must be handled within legal parameters and in the best interests of all California voters.

“It is incumbent upon my office to ensure that any action undertaken regarding any candidate’s inclusion or omission from our ballots be grounded firmly in the laws and processes in place in California and our Constitution,” Weber stated.

Trump’s quest to run for the presidency has been blocked by two states, Maine and Colorado. Appeals of the decisions in both states are expected to be heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.

In a letter to Weber dated Dec. 20, Kounalakis urged the Secretary of State “to explore every legal option” to remove Trump from California’s 2024 presidential primary ballot following the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling in Anderson v. Griswold.

“I am prompted by the Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a Presidential Candidate due to his role in inciting an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” Kounalakis wrote.

“This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”

Weber wrote back to Kounalakis, saying that she is guided by her “commitment to follow the rule of law.”

“As California’s Chief Elections Officer, I am a steward of free and fair elections and the Democratic process,” wrote Weber. “I must place the sanctity of these elections above partisan politics. As you may not be aware, my office has been engaged in multiple lawsuits regarding the former president’s appearance on the ballot.”

Weber also acknowledged the complicated nature of the issue and her decision regarding it.

“We can agree that the attack of the capitol and the former presidents’ involvement was abhorrent, there are complex legal issues surrounding this matter,” she added.