WSSN Stories

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed an $11 billion relief package to assist Californians struggling with the skyrocketing costs of gas, food and other commodities.

The plan includes a mix of direct payments to individuals; suspension of public transportation fares tax rebates; and support for state, county and municipal programs that align with the governor’s goal to make California a zero-emissions state by 2035.

The state will provide about $9 billion in funding to cover $400 direct payments to car owners whose vehicles are registered in the state — with a limit of two rebates per person. The payments will be sent to car owners on debit cards.

“We’re taking immediate action to get money directly into the pockets of Californians who are facing higher gas prices as a direct result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Newsom.

“But this package is also focused on protecting people from volatile gas prices and advancing clean transportation – providing three months of free public transportation, fast-tracking electric vehicle incentives and charging stations, and new funding for local biking and walking projects,” he added.

The plan includes nearly $500 million in funding for clean transportation alternatives and supporting pedestrian and bicycle-rider safety programs.

Shortly after Newsom announced his plan, Republicans slammed it, calling it “out of touch,” pointing out oversights and explaining why they think their proposal is better.

Last week, California Assembly Republicans introduced legislation that would temporarily suspend the state’s 51-cent-per-gallon gas tax. Democrats unanimously voted against the bill 40-18, arguing that, if the legislation passed, funding would be taken away from important transportation projects without a guarantee from gas stations that they would lower prices.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” tweeted Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher, whose district includes Yuba County and other Sacramento Valley counties, including all of Glenn and Tehama and parts of Butte and Colusa.

“I’m losing count … is this now the 5^th plan from Capitol Democrats in the past couple of weeks? Why not take #50centsoffnow?” Gallagher’s tweet continued.

Gallagher also found fault with the governor’s plan for providing relief to people who own electric vehicles and leaving out military personnel who live and serve in California but whose cars may not be registered in the state.

California has the highest number of active-duty military personnel in the country.

Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) said, “Corrupt politicians will always prefer ‘rebates’ to actual tax relief because that keeps them in charge of who gets the money and when it’s delivered.”

Kiley who refers to Assembly Democrats as “the Supermajority” said the Republican proposal to cut the gas tax “entirely” wouldn’t cost the state “any loss of funding for roads.”

“That money would be backfilled from the state’s general fund, and we are said to have a $45 billion – maybe as high as $60 billion surplus right now,” Kiley told “The Issue Is,” a Fox 11 Los Angles news show that covers “the most controversial and interesting issues impacting California.”

Newsom says his plan, which could go into effect by July after the state Assembly and Senate approve it, would bring relief to tens of millions of Californians.

“This direct relief is on top of the $10-plus billion we have distributed over the last year with the Golden State Stimulus,” said Newsom. “All told, close to $20 billion in direct tax relief here in the state of California.

Publisher’s Commentary by Wallace Allen IV

I think that the ‘slap heard round the world’ was a skit. The sports’ world use of instant replay has demonstrated the importance of the angle that you see from. We had a bad angle! Actors throw fake punches for a living! It looked real, except for Chris’ reaction. He said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s#@% out of me!”, and was moving on until Will yelled out from his seat that he had quickly returned to. Chris gave him a few more seconds to get his clown on, as Will screamed out several times about ‘My wife’!  Then, on with the show!

Will had delivered what appeared to be a wind-up slap that should have at least knocked Chris down! Chris didn’t fall, though he did stumble backward, as his script would call for to make the slap look real. I think that Will did not slap the s— out of Chris! I think the joke was missed by an audience that was ready to accept some Negro shenanigans as part of the ‘coloring of the Oscars’…causing the joke to be taken seriously, giving the Smiths’ a ton of chaos-based publicity that they feed on, so well!

The above opinions are not fact based and neither are any of my interesting observations below.

• Will Smith would not have slapped Wesley Snipes! (Or anybody else that wasn’t in on the joke!)
• Which is true?  Will’s slap is weak, or Chris’ jaw is a rock, or the slap wasn’t real!
• No joke steals Jada’s Beauty!
• Shaved headed men are constant joke butts
• Chris did not make fun of alopecia, he made fun of a beautiful woman who has a shaved head.
• Will knows how to throw a straight powerful punch, he learned that in preparing for the Muhammed Ali role. Will did not throw a true angry punch! Therefore, I think his defending-my-family speech is whack!
• Chris Rock could be considered the good guy because he did not press charges… or he may simply remember what happened to the guy who made a false police report in Chicago.
• The real untold Oscars story is about the Regina Hall skit… she spoke of swabbing the back of a group of men’s throats with her tongue as her method of COVID’19 testing… and then she groped two men on her way off the stage. Rampant sexism ignored!

By McKenzie Jackson ?|? ?California? ?Black? ?Media?

Blondy B. is an Uber driver and budding social media content creator in West Los Angeles. When he first started seeing the high cost of gas posted on service station pylon signs in his neighborhood, he says his frustration was met with a sense of disbelief at how fast prices were shooting up.

“I was like, ‘Yo, what the …,” said the 31-year-old, adding an expletive for emphasis. “It has been mind-blowing,” he said.

Blondy B. says it used to take $75 to fill his SUV’s tank. Now, it costs nearly $110.

He says dollars he was stacking to pursue his California Dream are now being poured into his gas tank.

The average cost of a gallon of gas in the Golden State has increased over $1 during the last month, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

“Sometimes with Uber, you wait five, 15, or even 30 minutes to get a ride,” he said. “Now, whenever I’m done with a ride, I park right there, shutdown the car, and wait for the next call.”

Uber and Lyft are both tacking on a surcharge of 55-cents per ride paid to drivers to offset the high costs of gas.

Santa Monica resident Clint Thompson, an avid cyclist, has spent more time walking and riding his bicycle than driving this month. He says the cost to fill his car’s tank is $120.

“It’s horrible,” he told California Black Media.

Like Blondy B. and Thompson, millions of drivers across the Golden State and around the U.S. are feeling the pain of record high prices at the gas pump. According to AAA, the average cost of regular gas per gallon in California was 5.847 on Sunday. The national average for regular gas was $4.30 per gallon.

On March 18, Democrats in the California Senate and Assembly presented a plan to provide $200 payments to each taxpayer in the state and their dependents. Under the plan, the state will send out the rebates to households with incomes of up to $250,000 to offset the costs of food, gas and other services family need.

Based on initial estimates, the plan could cost the state $6.8 billion.

“Speaker Rendon and I made a commitment to the people of California that we would find a solution to help people get through the financial hardships imposed by the rising cost of fuel and consumer goods,” said California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego).

“We’re holding true to that promise and have developed a proposal that would help a vast majority of Californians,” she added.

Before that, on March 14, California Assembly Democrats unanimously voted 40-18 against a proposal their Republican colleagues pushed to suspend California’s 51-cent per gallon gas tax.

“Wow. Every @AsmRepublicans lawmaker voted to take 50 cents off the gallon of gas. Not a single Democrat Assemblymember supported this effort to lower gas prices,” Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) tweeted.

Then, on March 16, Assembly Democrats announced a proposal for a $400 tax rebate that would be sent to every California taxpayer — whether they drive or own an automobile or not – to offset the high price of gas. The $400 amount is based on an estimate of what the total annual cost would be to cover the .51-cent-per-gallon tax for the average driver.

 “A rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax — which would severely impact funding for important transportation projects and offers no guarantee that oil companies would pass on the savings to consumers,” said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) in a statement.

The Rev. Shane Harris, the president of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA) in San Diego, said the $400 rebate doesn’t help enough.

On March 17, he sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators. In it, Harris proposed what he called the Golden State Gas Stimulus, which asks that $1,200 be given to every Californian who has a registered vehicle and makes up to $75,000 annually. State registered vehicle owners that earn between $75,000 and $95,000 would receive $600, according to Harris’ plan.

“A stimulus is extra money, a rebate is essentially giving me back what I own anyway,” Harris said. “My argument is that we need more resources, not money that is already ours. The $400 just does not meet this moment from my perspective.”

Across California, there are 15 refineries supplying gas for transportation to all regions of the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

On top of that, Californians pay an average of about $1.27 more than the rest of the country per gallon in taxes and fees, including a 51.1 cent excise tax that goes toward road repairs. Other fees included in that amount are climate program costs and local taxes.

PAJA teamed up with several groups — many who share his view about the Dems’ $400 gas rebate plan — to hold a gas giveaway at an Arco gas station in San Diego on March 14. The organizations used $15,000 worth of donated funds to put up to $50 of gas in the tanks of over 320 people’s cars.

Harris said drivers told him that without the donated gasoline they would not have been able to meet routine obligations like getting to work or taking their children to school.

“We were trying to meet a critical need for working class and low-income people,” Harris said. “One mother handed me a card and was crying. She didn’t know if she would be able to pay for her medication or gas this week. Her medication was $70. Meeting this need was critical for those most impacted by the prices at the pump.”

A lot of individuals, Harris noted, are terrified of high gas prices, and those telling people to take a bus or trolley or buy an electric car instead of driving their current automobile are in the wrong.

“I don’t know how you tell a low-income person or a working-class person they should buy a $50,000 electric car in the spur of a moment when gas prices are at an all-time high,” Harris said. “It is very elitist to tell working class people to get on the bus when the bus takes three hours to get from one location to the next.”

Blondy B. said California’s leaders need to realize if individuals like him, who have service jobs, are priced out of driving their automobiles the whole state will pay.

“They aren’t going to listen to me,” Blondy B. said of elected officials. “They need to help out. If prices keep going up, people are going to suffer.”

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

On Equal Pay Day last week, First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom addressed the gender and race wage gap in the U.S. and the state, as the federal government announced similar plans.

“In [California], we have some of the strongest pay laws in the nation, but women still earn just $.86 on the dollar and that number plummets for women of color,” said Newsom.

Equal Pay Day was March 15.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) estimates that women in the U.S. earn 83 cents to every dollar that men earn.

That gap gets wider for women of color, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to the AAUW, Black women earned 58 cents for every dollar White men made in 2019.

In 2019, the AAUW estimated that Black women, on average, were paid about 63% of what white men were paid.

To throw light on the specificity of this discrepancy, AAUW designates Sept. 21 as Black Women Equal Pay Day.

“While sexism and racism are distinct forms of discrimination that manifest differently, their effects are compounded when a person experiences both at the same time. Intersectional discrimination perpetuates the racial and gender wealth gaps, limits Black women’s access to educational opportunities, and impedes their career advancement,” it reads on the AAUW’s website.

Last week, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to implement measures to combat the gender and racial wage gap last Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women earn less than men on average in nearly 350 different occupations.

Department of Labor Chief Economist Janelle Jones wrote that educated Black and Brown women are representative of this estimate.

“Black and Latina women with only a bachelor’s degree have the largest gap at 65%, and Black women with advanced degrees earn 70% of what white men with advanced degrees earn,” stated Jones.

“This is a big problem, but we actually know how to fix it,” said Wendy Chun-Hoon, director of the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor.

The federal investment strategy includes two major aspects of the gender wage gap: salary history and occupational segregation.

The Department of Labor plans to limit the use of prior salary history in the hiring process, which they hope will help to close the gender gap and balance the pay-setting for federal employees.

Additionally, the White House announced that President Biden will sign an executive order focused on the same goals regarding employment decisions by federal contractors.

“By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said Chun-Hoon.

The White House’s second area of concern is the effect of occupational segregation on women’s economic security.

Occupational segregation, according to Chun-Hoon, is concerned with where women work and how some of those jobs tend to be valued at a lower rate.

“By looking at things like salary history, what’s really underneath that is the fact that women are concentrated into some of the lowest paying jobs in our economy,” said Chun-Hoon.

She mentioned that the effect occupational segregation has on gender wage disparities also affects race wage disparities, as is the intersectional nature of earning inequality.

“In 2019, this is even before the impact of the pandemic, Black women faced a $39.3 billion loss, Hispanic women faced a $46.7 billion loss just because of the jobs they were concentrated in,” said Chun-Hoon.

The goal, according to Chun-Hoon, is to make investments in occupations often filled by women — such as education and health care — to bridge the gap.

SACRAMENTO, CA— As part of an annual recognition of Women’s History Month in the State Capitol, Assemblymember Chris Holden announces the City of Pasadena’s Director of Public Health and Health Officer, Dr. Ying Ying Goh as the 41^st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year.

“I am thrilled to have Dr. Ying Ying Goh as Woman of the Year for the 41^st Assembly District,” said Assemblymember Holden. “Her dedication in the face of overwhelming pressure is admirable and deserves to be acknowledged, Dr. Goh has worked tirelessly to get resources to the City of Pasadena and to its residents.”

Dr. Goh serves as the City of Pasadena’s Director of Public Health and Health Officer, and is responsible for the overall planning, administration and operation of the Pasadena Public Health Department. In this dual role, Dr. Goh also provides medical supervision and direction for City health services and programs and has the authority to declare public health emergencies and quarantines. Prior to appointment as Director of Public Health, Dr. Goh served in various capacities at the Pasadena Public Health Department, as the City’s Health Officer/Deputy Director and as the Department’s Medical Director for Programs and Research, securing new grant funding and managing programs related to diabetes care management and childhood obesity prevention. Her professional experience includes clinical pediatric practice; management of a California Endowment task force to improve healthcare access and quality in Los Angeles County; design and implementation of a case management program for seniors with chronic conditions, and research to improve nutrition and physical activity for youth. Dr. Goh earned a bachelor’s degree at Stanford University.

In addition to recognizing Dr. Ying Ying Goh as the 41^st Assembly District’s Woman of the Year, Assemblymember Holden will recognize a Woman of Distinction from each city in the 41^st

Women of Distinction from throughout the district include Juanita West-Tillman (Altadena), Cher Ofstedahl (Claremont), Chief Colleen Flores (La Verne), Maritza Flores-Travanti (Monrovia), Elizabeth McSwain, (Rancho Cucamonga), Marilyn Sparks (San Dimas), Bertha Aguirre (Sierra Madre), Cathy Billings (South Pasadena) and Kim Anthony (Upland). Over 150 nominations were sent to Assemblymember Holden for the honor.

“The 2022 Women of Distinction are dedicated leaders who improve the lives for thousands of individuals and families in the 41st Assembly District and beyond,” said Holden. “They demonstrate the power of giving to others and community empowerment, I am honored to be amongst a high caliber of professionals.”

By Lou Yeboah

You see, Jesus Himself pointed out the importance of discerning the signs of the times. Shortly before His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus delivered a major prophecy of end-time events, recorded in [Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21]. He was asked by His disciples: “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” [Matthew 24:3].

In response, Jesus showed that Jerusalem would be the central focus of the political and military upheavals that would immediately precede His return: For He said,

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near . . . For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled” [Luke 21: 20-22].

The end-time king of the North and king of the South [Daniel 11]. God revealed to Daniel that after Babylon, Persia would arise as the greatest power of the region, to be followed in turn by Greece. “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land [the Holy Land], and many countries shall be overthrown.” [Daniel 11:40-41].

After Greece came the Roman Empire, “dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong.” This empire was to have “ten horns” [part of the fourth beast of Daniel 7] and would continue in some form until the establishment of God’s Kingdom at Christ’s return.

Just thinking about the horrors to be visited on the city caused Jesus to weep.

“Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” [Luke 19:42-44]. I tell you; It is Critical for you to understand and recognize Biblical Prophecies of the End Time!

For there are so many signs that tell us we are living in the last days of earth’s history. Not only do we have the main Bible signs, and the 6000-year timeline plan of God, but we also have the apostle Paul’s description of the last days in [2 Timothy 3:1-5].

I tell you, as a people we desperately need to get right with God, because we are in judgment time and Jesus is going to return soon to give His reward. For there are so many signs today which point to the soon arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Conflict and war rages across the globe. Disaster after disaster unfolds upon the nations. Economies are collapsing around the world. Animal life is diseased and dying. And wickedness and sin is rampant.

Do you have eyes to see what is happening? God is giving us plenty of warning!

Read Daniel 7 carefully. Consider unfolding world events. Consider the nations that are represented by the lion with eagle’s wings, the bear, and soon the leopard. Watch as prophecy that troubled Daniel unfolds before our eyes. Know that God’s word is sure.

Study Revelation 13 for insights into the beast, and by all means be on alert, praying at all times for strength to pass safely through all that is coming and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. [Luke 21:36].

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW, is our salvation nearer than when we believed. [Romans 13:11].

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Most people attending a recent community meeting on reparations in the Bay Area had never heard of Russell City, an unincorporated majority Black community in Northern California that local authorities bulldozed in the 1960s, causing the displacement of most of its Black residents.

Many of Russell City’s African American residents had relocated to the Northern California town, located in present-day Hayward, to escape segregation and sharecropping in the South.

Marian Johnson and Michael Johnson, sister and brother, testified at the meeting co-hosted by the Coalition for A Just and Equitable California (CJEC) with the support of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans. Both their grandparents and great-grandparents lived in Russell city.

CJEC is a statewide coalition of organizations, fighting for reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black Americans.

The Johnsons explained to the audience what Russell City meant to them and why they are supporting the push for reparations in California.

“Russell City had a population of 1,400 people and 400 homes. It was a ‘redlined community,’ and all the properties were taken by eminent domain,” Marian Johnson said. “In California, a lot of this happened and a lot of people did not know it happened. It’s a secret. Now, it’s coming to light.”

Task Force member Don Tamaki attended the meeting. He said the information shared during the discussion is pertinent to correcting the injustices that prevented Black families from building generational wealth.

“What you are describing is what happened to the Fillmore District, the ‘Harlem of the West,’ in the 1950s, where 20,000 were actually displaced and almost 900 Black businesses were destroyed because of eminent domain,” Tamaki told California Black Media, referring to the historic majority Black San Francisco neighborhood known as the Golden City’s foremost Black cultural and political hub.

Russell City started as a farming community in 1853. It was founded by a Danish immigrant who provided sanctuary to African Americans before and after the Civil War.

As the community grew, it became independent, and “culturally vibrant,” Michael Johnson said. By the 1950s, though, Hayward leaders considered Russell City a “blight” to the surrounding area and sought to rebuild it as an industrial park.

On Jan. 8, 1963, Alameda County and Hayward officials began hearings to discuss the forced removal of Russell City residents. Soon after, authorities wiped out the entire community with bulldozers, and rezoned the land for industrial use.

Michael Johnson said one of his grandparents moved to Russell City because urban renewal pushed them out of the Fillmore District in San Francisco.

 “Ultimately, they moved those Africans, indigenous, and people of color into Russell City because they couldn’t buy homes in Hayward or Oakland. Then, they determined it was a blighted area and forced them out,” said Michael Johnson.

Since the reparations task force started holding meetings in June 2021, numerous accounts of private and state-backed land grabs targeting African Americans have surfaced. Some of property was taken from Black landowners through eminent domain in the name of “urban renewal” projects. Others were stolen through fraud, intimidation and violence.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to return Manhattan Beach property to descendants of the Bruce family who owned a beachfront resort in Los Angeles County before it was forcefully taken from them in the early 1920s.

Chris Lodgson, a member of CJEC, said he is asking other Black Californians like the Johnsons to come forward with their stories.

CJEC is one of seven organizations across the state that will hold “listening sessions” involving Black Californians from different backgrounds and regions of the state.

The community partners of the Richmond event were Parable of the Sower Intentional Community Cooperative (PSICC), Richmond Progressive Alliance, and the Bay Area Black Alliance for Peace (BAP).

Members of the National Black Liberation Movement Network (NBLMN) and AfroSocialists also attended.

The Richmond testimonies mirrored other accounts that have been shared with the task force. Another Southern California eminent domain case coming to light – and to the attention of the task force — had been obscured for over six decades.

In 1958, Silas White, a Black entrepreneur, a grand idea to open a recreational venue on Santa Monica Beach called the Ebony Beach Club. White had a vision for entertainment and leisure that would include golf tournaments, talent shows, and fishing trips.

Before White could move ahead with his plans, Santa Monica officials used eminent domain to take his property at 1811 Ocean Avenue. The facility was near a tight-knit community of Black Californians that lived, worked, and attended churches in the Belmar Triangle.

The City of Santa Monica demolished the building in January 1960 after White lost a court battle to keep the property. Subsequently, homes in the vicinity owned by Black people were burned to the ground to build the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

In 2021, Hayward City Council voted unanimously to approve a resolution apologizing to African Americans and other people of color for the city’s real estate and banking industries’ “racially disparate impacts and inequities resulting from past City policy and decision-making,” the council said in a statement.

“The resolution also cites Hayward’s participation in federally sponsored urban renewal initiatives, which frequently resulted in the mass displacement and dislocation without fair compensation of largely Black households, neighborhoods, and entire communities across the country during the 1960s and 1970s,” the council stated.

The Hayward Community Services Commission has drawn up a list of 10 steps the Bay Area City could develop to address past unfairness and complicity in historical racism and social injustices.

The program would also include working with surviving Russell City to determine appropriate restitution.

Michael Johnson said restitution should be reparations.

“There are a number of things we want. No. 1, we want our land back. We have proof that we own the property,” said Michael Johnson, who grew up in East Oakland. “Secondly, we want all the leases turned over to the rightful owners of that land and the taxes collected over 58 years. The other form of reparations, that we see fit is maybe not having a tax on the land for the next 50 years.”

Lodgson said more stories like Russell City will emerge as the listening sessions get underway.

 “There is so much work to be done. There is no turning back,” Lodgson said.

The Reparations Task Force next two-day meeting will be held March 29 at 8:30 a.m. and March 30 at 9 a.m. You can participate or observe here.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Like her devotion to her Catholic faith, Brenda Harris’ willingness to help others, especially disadvantaged people, was consistent and rare, authentic in a way that drew everyone to her, friends and loved ones say.

On March 5, Harris, an outspoken advocate and civil servant who influenced state education policy, died after a brief illness. She was 71.

“I had the honor of knowing Brenda for over 35 years, dating back to when she was a senior advisor at the California Department of Education. She was an extraordinary individual, an expert policymaker in the field of education and a fearless civil rights advocate,” said Dotson Wilson, former Chief Clerk and Parliamentarian of the California Assembly.

“Whether she was speaking to aspiring young students, academicians or elected officials, Brenda remained steadfast in her goal to implement sound education policy,” Wilson continued. “I consider it an honor to have known her as a colleague and friend.”

Wilson, who was the longest serving African American in the State Assembly, retired in 2019 after 26 years.

Before becoming an Education Program Consultant at the California Department of Education, an advisor to the California State Board of Education and a Professor at Sacramento State University, Harris was an elementary, middle and high school teacher in San Francisco.

Harris, who was a resident of Sacramento when she passed, tutored students and taught classes at several after-school programs and community learning centers in Sacramento and the Bay Area.

When Harris was a teenager, her family moved to Marysville, California, a Yuba County town about 50 miles north of San Francisco. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Gonzaga University in Washington. Later, she transferred to the University of San Francisco (USF) in 1971, where she majored in Communications and Sociology.

“She looked up to her parents as role models, both of whom were active participants in the civil rights movement and had participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the mid-1950s,” said Jack Weinrieb and Meghan Grant, two San Francisco educators who wrote a biography of Harris.

“Harris would listen to her parents discuss the inhumanity of racism, injustice, and discrimination and quickly learned about the importance of doing her part in social movements,” Weinreib and Grant continued. “Harris recalls that her mother instilled an understanding that underprivileged populations have similar struggles, no matter their race.”

While she was a student at USF, Harris became close to other Black students and participated in several social and political activities on campus and in nearby neighborhoods.

She worked in USF’s financial aid office and with the school’s Drama department. And she volunteered, lending her time to community organizations serving several disadvantaged city districts with large Black populations, including the Western Addition, Bayview–Hunters Point, Haight-Ashbury and the Fillmore.

Daniel Hahn, Sacramento’s first Black Chief of Police – who served from 2017 until the end of last year – said he was always impressed by how many people Harris knew and how committed she was to helping others.

“She was extremely engaged in making tomorrow better for all people,” he said. “She was constantly introducing me to people in the city and she was always encouraging me to carry out the things I believed in. She wasn’t just talk. She always followed through with her actions.”

Harris attended St. Ignatius Loyola church in Sacramento and taught classes at the church’s Center for Ignatian Spirituality.

“Gratitude is at the core of my existence. Ignatian Spirituality made me a global citizen. Living at this moment in world history, I am to share Ignatian Spirituality with a diverse ecumenical group globally,” Harris said in a statement on the center’s website.

Regina Wilson, Executive Director of California Black Media, said Harris loved the Black press.

“She always wanted to know what was happening in Black communities,” Wilson said. “She was a faithful supporter of Black-owned news outlets across the state.”

“For her, it was more than just representation. It was about informing people, educating people and improving lives,” Wilson said.

A memorial mass for Harris will be held at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Sacramento at 10 a.m. on April l8.

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

In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).

Omishakin, 44, makes history as the first African American to serve in that cabinet-level position responsible for overseeing all state agencies that regulate and support transportation and administer services related to the sector.

“@CAgovernor want to express gratitude for new appt to Cabinet Secretary @CA_Trans_Agency,” Omishaken thanked the Governor in a Twitter post after his nomination was announced in February.

“Looking fwd to continued #partnership and realizing shared vision to implement initiatives with #Equity #Climate #Safety focus, for CA’s transportation system, now and in future. #CAForAll,” Omishakin’s tweet continued.

In California state government’s chain of command, Omishakin’s role as Secretary is a step up from his last role: Director of California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).

Gov. Newsom appointed him to lead CalTrans in September 2019.

Earlier this month, Omishakin’s wife and two children joined him as he took the oath of office in Sacramento to begin serving in the governor’s cabinet.

At the swearing in ceremony Gov. Newsom said Omishakin brings experience and vision to the role.

“As head of the largest and most complex transportation system in the nation, I’m confident that he’ll continue to bring his forward-thinking leadership and dedication to serving the people of California,” Newsom stated “(Omishakin will) advance our ongoing work to build safer, healthier, and more sustainable communities that serve all Californians.”

The same day Omishakin took the oath of office, Gov. Newsom swore in Amy Tong, 48, to succeed his African American Secretary of California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) Yolanda Richardson.

Richardson resigned from the role in February, citing personal reasons. That same week California’s first African American Surgeon General Nadine Burke-Harris also resigned “to focus on her family.”

Tong previously served as Director of the California Office of Digital Innovation.  Before that, she was Director of the California Department of Technology.

“A veteran of state service, Director Tong’s deep experience in the public sector and leadership in the technology field have helped guide key efforts to make government more efficient and effective, including our work to bridge the digital divide and help state agencies navigate complex challenges during the pandemic,” Newsom said, pointing out Tong’s past accomplishments.

In his role as CalSTA Secretary, Omishakin will oversee Caltrans, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Highway Patrol, the High-Speed Rail Authority, among other agencies and transportation-focused committees.

He is assuming the position after President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill into law last year. The legislation will direct billions of dollars into the state for wildfire preparation, public transit projects, bridge and road repair, and broadband internet.

California will receive $25 billion from the federal government for highways under the Reconnecting Communities Initiative. The program was created to undo some of the effects of the economic and social disruption caused by highway construction through a number of majority Black communities under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

The U.S. Transportation Department estimates that, between 1957 and 1977, nearly 480,000 households across the country were forced out of their homes to accommodate the highway construction, which started under President Dwight?D. Eisenhower’s administration.?Some of those highway projects entrenched segregation by isolating some of those majority-Black communities and cutting off their access to resources.

In an April 2021 interview with California Black Media, Omishakin said CalTrans needs to “engage more” with Black and Brown communities.

“We need to reach out more to people and businesses to let them know what opportunities exist,” he said.

The position of Secretary of the California State Transportation requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $227,178 annually.

Omishakin, born in Knoxville, Tenn., is registered without a political party preference.

Omishakin earned a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University, a Historical Black University and College (HBCU) in Mississippi. He is completing a doctorate degree in Engineering Management at the University of Tennessee.

From 2011 to 2019, Omishakin was Deputy Commissioner for Environment and Planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

In August 2020, Omishakin opened the CalTrans Office of Race and Equity (CORE), which works closely with the Office of Civil Rights to combine equity initiatives. The office hosts a virtual business summit to support small business owners.

“Omishakin has implemented innovative strategies to create a more equitable, world-class transportation network for all users while improving the safety and livability of neighborhoods across the state. Under his leadership, Caltrans has worked to accelerate more than 100 roadway projects during the pandemic, adjusted operations to help keep goods moving amid supply chain challenges and spearheaded the transformative Clean California program that is revitalizing public spaces across California,” said Newsom.

By Joe W. Bowers | California Black Media

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his fourth State of the State address.

Before Newsom’s speech, California Republicans posted a video of Assemblymember Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Newhall) countering the main points in the governor’s upcoming address.

After he spoke, state Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), who is a candidate for Governor, delivered the official Republican rebuttal.

Newsom delivered his 18-minute speech from the auditorium of the California Natural Resources Agency in front of a joint session of the Legislature. For him, the address was unusually brief. He remarked as he began speaking, “I don’t imagine there are many people outside these walls waiting on the words that will be said here tonight … as the people of Ukraine continue to come under assault”

Newsom touted that California is a beacon of democratic principles offering opportunity to all.

“Take our Constitutional officers here tonight,” he said. “They include the daughter of an Arkansas sharecropper, an immigrant from the Philippines, the daughters of parents born in China and Greece, one raised by a teacher from Panama, and the proud son of undocumented Mexican immigrants.”

Newsom used the expression “The California Way” to laud California’s leadership in research, innovation, entrepreneurialism, and venture capital. It is why California is the World’s fifth largest economy and why its GDP growth consistently outpaces the rest of the nation and most other large Western democracies, he said.

“In December alone” Newsom boasted, “25 % of America’s jobs were created right here in California. A million new jobs in the last 12 months. More new business starts during the worst of the pandemic than Texas and Florida combined.”

Under Newsom’s administration, Californians have received the largest state tax rebate in American History.

He continued his speech, listing more accomplishments.

“We raised the minimum wage. We increased paid sick leave. Provided more paid family leave. Expanded childcare to help working parents. And this year, with your support, we will do something no other state in America has done — provide health for all, regardless of immigration status”

Although there are numerous achievements for which the Governor can take credit, other daunting challenges Californians face every day remain. In their rebuttal, the Republicans zeroed in on those problems, which they describe as Newsom’s failures due to “one party state rule.”

Valladares began her pre-rebuttal of Newsom’s address by saying, “You can expect big claims about California leading the way on any number of issues. But if you want to know the real state of the state, just look around,” as she stood in front of a homeless encampment.

 “In every community, impoverished, mentally ill and drug-addicted Californians are living and dying on the streets. Half of the country’s unsheltered homeless live on our streets,” she said.

Another Newsom failure Valladares point out is “a tidal wave of crime that is washing over our communities.” She attributes the increase to watered-down prison sentences, early release and the elimination of cash bail promoted by “elitist politicians” and “activist district attorneys.”

In his rebuttal, Dahle focused on high gas prices.

“California has, by far, the highest cost at the pump. Cross the state line in any direction and you’ll save $1 a gallon,” he said. “Our prices are even higher than Hawaii, an island out in the middle of the Pacific.”

Dahle expressed concerned that, “when the current governor was running for office, he talked about his big plans to fix the housing shortage by adding 3.5 million new homes by 2025. Unfortunately, the big talk has brought no results.”

Another Dahle concern is, “a mass exodus has swept across California. People and businesses are leaving the state’s hostile business climate. That has real consequences.”

Newsom’s order to shut down business to mitigate COVID-19 spread disrupted lives in so many ways, according to Dahle. He also said that California schools were closed longer than any other state and the administration’s mask and vaccine mandates as well as other COVID protocols were stricter than any other state, causing learning loss and health challenges among students.

Newsom acknowledged the gas crisis in his State of the State.

“Look, no one’s naïve about the moment we’re living in, with high gas prices and the geopolitical uncertainty fueling them. In January we proposed to pause the gas tax increase. Now, it’s clear we must go further. That’s why — working with Legislative leadership — I’ll be submitting a proposal to put money back in the pockets of Californians, to address rising gas prices.”

Speaking about homelessness, Newsom noted that, “Just a few years ago, California lacked any comprehensive strategy. In just three years, we not only have a comprehensive plan, we’re also requiring new accountability and providing unprecedented investments for cities and counties on the front lines.”

He admitted, “And while we moved a record 58,000 people off the streets since the beginning of the pandemic, we recognize we have more to do.”

Newsom talked about tackling education problems by introducing a new grade he’s calling “transitional kindergarten,” and expanding before and after school programs. He is also funding universal school meals and child savings accounts.

Unapologetically, Newsom said, “our lockdowns, distressing as they were, saved lives. Our mask mandates saved lives. Your choices saved lives. California experienced far lower COVID death rates than any other large state. Fewer than Texas, Ohio. Fewer than Florida — 35 %, to be exact.”

Whether they heard Newsom’s speech or the Republican rebuttals, Californians are aware of the state of the state as they are filling up their gas tanks, searching for a house to buy, trying to rent an apartment or deciding whether they should continue wearing a mask in public.

What they need to hear from Democrats and Republicans is less rhetorical crossfire and more detailed proposals aimed at solving the many challenges of living in California.