By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

State officials have announced eligibility for the updated Moderna COVID-19 booster and the Pfizer-BioNTech booster has been expanded.

Now children 6 years old and older who have received their initial series of vaccinations can receive the updated Moderna bivalent booster. Children 5 years old and older are approved to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent booster two months after their most recent injection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these reformulated single dose boosters are referred to as “bivalent” because they are meant to defend against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants which currently make up about 80% of the cases in the United States.

California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, and Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás J. Aragón made this announcement on Thursday Oct. 13 as experts are predicting that there will be an uptick in COVID-19 cases during the upcoming holiday season

The decision to approve the use of bivalent boosters is in line with recommendations the CDC has made to the public and it is supported by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup.

“Given the anticipated burden of COVID-19 infections and related illnesses this fall/winter season, the Workgroup believes that the benefits of bivalent booster doses that more closely match currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants will sustain protection against COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths in young children and substantially outweigh any potential risks,” Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Chair Arthur Reingold, MD, said in a statement addressed to the governors of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State.

Medical experts warn that cooler weather will bring a surge of COVID-19 cases at the same time that cases of the flu could make a return this fall and winter. Doctors are promoting flu shots to keep hospital admissions down as health systems grapple with surging COVID cases.

According to the CDC and official California state estimates, the national 14-day-average for COVID-19 hospitalizations is currently 6,496 while the state average is about 1,818.

According to the state, the number of COVID-19 deaths averaged about 19 per day.

About 72.3% of Californians have received the primary series of vaccinations. 58.6% the state’s population have received the primary series and the booster. Only 37.5% of children 5-11 have received the primary series of vaccinations.

Eligible Californians can speak with their doctor, visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255 for more information to make a vaccine or booster appointment.

By Jasmyne Cannick | Special to California Black Media

The situation with disgraced Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León reached a new low Wednesday when he calmly declared during a news interview that he is not resigning, putting to rest any hope that he would do the right thing and step down.

“No, I will not resign because there is a lot of work ahead,” De León said.

In the two weeks since the leaking of the audio of the October 2021 meeting involving City Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and Ron Herrera, the leader of the Los Angeles Labor Federation, in which they were overheard conspiring to retain and expand Latino political power to the detriment of Black residents, a lot has been said.

But now, Los Angeles, it’s time to put up or shut up.

Either you stand for and with racists and bigots or you don’t. There’s no in-between on this.

It is not easy to overlook the fact that far too many “leaders” and organizations hesitated before they could bring themselves to call for the resignation of all four involved

“There is no place in our city family for attacks on colleagues and their loved ones, and there is no place for racism anywhere in L.A.,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in his first statement.

Performative activism on the issue of De León’s resignation should not be celebrated or accepted — by anyone.

City leaders cannot claim to stand with us on this issue and then go on as business as usual. That makes them just as complicit as Martinez, Cedillo, De León, and Herrera.

Labor and Democratic Party organizations cannot denounce the Racist Four and then not put measures in place to make sure that they are ineligible for future endorsements and resources for political campaigns in the future.

De León is a textbook narcissist who believes he has a bright political future ahead of himself, including his running for statewide office in 2026. In order for that run to be successful, he has to have the backing of labor, the Democratic Party, and Democratic clubs. These groups need to deliver a unified message that he can’t come to them for money, endorsements, or support.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Kevin has drawn a line in the sand: he’s not going to leave on his own.

We need to draw our own.

While I know many community, labor, and Democratic organizations were against the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, those same groups should be using their political savviness and resources to spearhead the recall of De León — that is, if they truly found his comments abhorrent and want him off city council.

If Kevin De León isn’t a perfect example of an elected official who needs to be given his pink slip, I don’t know who is.

Despite public outrage and disillusionment, De León thinks he can sit pretty for the time being as long as he is only facing surface-level activism. Remind you of anyone?

That needs to change, and allies need to do more than issue strongly-wordedstatements. It’s time for some strategic, organized action.

And before I get out of here, it’s not just allies who need to show up.

Black people, we need to show up for ourselves, too, lest we prove De León’s “Wizard of Oz effect” to be true.

If you are not talking about this situation in some way every day, as the elders say, “you ain’t talking about nothin.” If you can’t be out there with Black Lives Matter and the other groups camping out in front of the homes of Cedillo and De León, then you support the people who are. There’s a role for everyone in fighting for our respect as a people.

How Los Angeles meets this moment will dictate the future of consequences for exposed racism and bigotry in our government. If De León is allowed to stay put, then going forward, no public official will allow themselves to be forced to resign over their anti-Black comments.

Gil Cedillo isn’t off the hook either. He, too, needs to kick rocks. Everything I said about labor and Democratic organizations withholding support from De León should apply to Martinez, Cedillo, and Herrera. At least with Cedillo, while we want him gone now, we know he will be gone in December. The bigger problem we face is giving De León the boot.

Being a leader means more than being the first with a tersely worded statement or performing before the news cameras. It also means taking action and taking a stand, even when no one is watching and it’s uncomfortable to do so.

We are still waiting for Los Angeles “leaders” to meet the moment.

A political strategist, Jasmyne Cannick is a former Special Assistant to previous Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, a delegate in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and a proud member of The Blacks who stands with the Oaxacan, Armenian, Jewish, and LGBTQ communities.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media

In August, The Children’s Partnership hosted a mental health panel centered around the voices of young girls and women of color. The session was organized as part of the organization’s Youth of Color initiative.

“I had never been surrounded by a group of people with the same experiences and the same struggles regarding mental health, regarding being a person of color,” said Samantha Giles.

Giles, a California teenager, is one of the Children’s Partnership’s youth panelists.

 “I even got to go into a breakout room where we talked about how our parents don’t necessarily recognize our mental health struggles and I never really talked with someone else my age about my personal experience and their personal experience,” the teenager intimated.

Giles described the interactions she had with her peers as “eye opening.”

That same month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his “Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health,” an initiative that pumps $4.7 billion into the super-system providing mental health services to the state’s youth

See the Video: California African American Teens Speak Out

Some advocates and public health officials say the governor’s announcement serves as an appropriate policy response to what experts are calling a mental health crisis in the state. They see it as a positive step the state is taking to address the under-treated and often-overlooked challenges that youth like Giles are trying to overcome.

According to the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), one in 14 children have experienced a mental or emotional disturbance that disrupts their day-to-day life.

Of the California adolescents who experienced major depressive episodes, 63.6 % did not receive treatment for those incidents.

Newsom touts California’s response to the national mental health crisis over that of other states.

“As other states take away resources to support kids’ mental health, California is doubling down with the most significant overhaul of our mental health system in state history,” Newsom said. “We’re investing billions of dollars to ensure every California child has better access to comprehensive mental health and substance use services.”

Some notable organizations have praised the state’s commitment to children’s and young adults’ mental health.

“The state has made some incredible and historic investments in children and youth mental health and well-being – both with the $4 billion Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and with the $3 billion Community Schools Initiative,” Angela M. Vázquez, Policy Director at the Children’s Partnership, stated.

However, Vázquez raised concerns about many of these funds being one-time investments that might not fully address the needs of children of color.

Vázquez’s concerns, which mirror those of several mental health advocates in communities of color, extend to Newsom’s pledge to add 40,000 more mental health workers to California.

“Still, the reality is that the clinical workforce is and will likely remain for some time largely White and middle-class – not at all reflective of the diversity of our state’s children,” Vázquez stated.

The Children’s Partnership is currently working on a solution to the existing inequity that the organization says involves peer-to-peer interactions.

“Youth of color from The Children’s Partnership’s own youth policy council, the Hope, Healing, and Health Collective shared that greater investments in peer-to-peer programs would improve the opportunities for youth of color to connect and heal with members of their own communities and identities,” Vázquez stated. “Peer support is an essential evidence-based strategy for young people’s mental health that has the potential to build interest and foundational professional skills that lead to future opportunities for mental health career paths for more students of color.”

Contributing to the state’s youth mental health crisis are other factors like the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say.

According to research published by the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, the state of mental health among Black people worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic with anxiety and depression being the main issues.

“These recent events have layered on additional psychological and emotional stress on children and youth of color, particularly Black youth,” Vázquez stated “In considering what serves young people well, it is imperative that we address the systemic barriers that have contributed to historic mental health disparities in youth, and develop innovative strategies, leaving space for healing outside of and in tandem with the traditional mental health system.”

The CHCF found that Black people had the hardest time amongst all other ethnic groups finding a doctor, especially a specialist.

In 2019, Black children in California were the most likely to experience serious emotional disturbances amongst children of all other racial groups at a rate of nearly 8%.

From 2017 to 2019, roughly 30% of Black 7th graders were projected to have experienced feelings of depression or depressive episodes.

These trends are not just documented among today’s Black children. African American adults are reported to have experienced more adverse childhood experiences that negatively impact their mental health more than any other ethnic group that self-reported, according to the CHCF.

In August, Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2508, authored by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton). The new state law, Newsom’s office says, reimagines youth mental health services by strengthening care systems in schools and focusing on intervention and prevention instead of crisis care.

The governor says the legislation will “better define the role of school counselors.”

But Vázquez has some reservations about that bill, too. She feels it does not fully address the mental health needs of all of the state’s children.

“One thing that AB 2508 does not address is the urgent need for greater investments in California’s youngest learners’ mental health – children ages 0-5,” Vázquez stated. “The state needs to invest significantly more resources in community-based infant and early childhood mental health services, such as early childhood mental health consultations – an evidence-based model that reduces the number of preschool suspensions and expulsions, an issue that has significant disproportionate impacts on young Black children.”

California Black Media’s coverage of Mental Health in California is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.

By Lue Dowdy | LUE Productions

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— This holiday season, LUE Productions is searching for community singers that want to bring some cheer to seniors. Singers will provide a holiday performance servicing the elderly by sharing songs and music through a collective of popular Christmas carols. Some songs will be meshed into a medley and others will be sung by a soloist, duo, or trio. Practices will take place in November on Thursdays beginning November 10 at 7:30 p.m. at 555 N. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino. If you are interested, please inbox LUE Productions on Facebook or text (909) 567-1000.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Mikki Cichocki continues to amass endorsements from leading educators as she runs for the short-term seat on the San Bernardino City Unified School District Board. San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Ted Alejandre has added his name to the long list of her supporters.

Alejandre and his predecessor, Herb Fischer, both cite her passionate and genuine interest in making sure that students, especially those who may be having trouble with disciplinary issues, get the support they need to get on track and pursue meaningful careers.

“I’ve known Mikki since 1979,” said Alejandre. “Mikki is focused on what students need to be successful. She is people-oriented and not only has helped students as a teacher and a Youth Court advocate, she has also supported her fellow teaching colleagues by providing resources to them through her role with the California Teachers Association.”

“I’m pleased and honored that Ted Alejandre has endorsed my campaign. I want to give back to the community that raised me. We need a board that is focused on our students and their school experience.”

Cichocki believes that all stakeholders of the SBCUSD must have their voices heard and that certainly includes parents. Decisions about funding and setting priorities need to be aired and discussed openly with a view to reaching a consensus.

For more information on Mikki Cichocki visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Mikki4SBCUSD.

Another milestone in the Inland Empire was realized Thursday October 13 when Provisional Educational Services, Inc. (PESI) held the ribbon cutting and dedication of the “Dwaine Radden Sr. Field of Dreams” at the PAL Charter Academy (PCA) in Muscoy.  The inaugural football toss was the culmination of a determined effort by the PAL Charter Academy CEO to provide facilities for the PCA students and the community.  “You have to vision it out to carry it out”, said Mr. Radden.

The CEO has also discussed other visions, and Mr. Joe Baca, San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor, announced that his office is awarding a $1.7 million grant to Provisional Educational Services, Inc, and the PAL Charter Academy to enrich the athletic programs at the PAL Charter Academy.

The “Field of Dreams” event was enjoyed by a host of dignitaries, which included but was not limited to Joe Baca Jr., San Bernardino County 5^th District Supervisor;  Kimberly Calvin, San Bernardino City 6^th Ward  Electorate; Dr Mildred Henry, Founder;  Dr. Gwendolyn Dowdy-Rodgers, Candidate San Bernardino County Board of Education;  Jerry Garzon, Moreno Valley Chamber of Commerce and Master of Ceremonies;  Chief Joseph Paulino, Chief of Police, San Bernardino City Unified School District; PESI Board members Edwin Stricklan and Pamela Montana; Pastor Jerrold Thompson, San Bernardino Community SDA Church; Jasmine Jefferson and Diana McKee, Black Chamber of Commerce Inland Empire; Jhu Maani Chess, Vocalist; and other noted participants, students, parents, and staff.

Prior to the ribbon cutting event, students and staff of the PAL Charter Academy held a pep rally and introduced the volleyball and football teams.  One of the very few charter schools with their own football field, the students and staff cheered and shouted “Go Bulls!”

The Dwaine Radden Sr. Field of Dreams is already being utilized for events by community organizations.

Our weekly coverage of local news in San Bernardino County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program supported by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support minority-owned-and-operated community newspapers in California.

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

Last week, a recording anonymously posted on the social media site Reddit rocked the Los Angeles City Council.  On the recording, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Hererra, City Council President Nury Martinez (District 6), and City Council members Kevin de León (District 14) and Gilbert Cedillo (District 1) can be heard discussing redistricting using crass terms and divisive, racist language.

Martinez, speaking about Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, said “F*** that guy, he’s with the Blacks.” She also used derogatory language to describe the 2-year-old Black adopted son of Councilmember Mike Bonin, who is White.

“This kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner, I’ll bring him right back,” Martinez said in the recording.

Since the recording of the October 2021 closed door meeting was leaked, leaders across the political and social spectrum, including Pres. Joe Biden and Sen. Alex Padilla have called for the resignation of all four people heard on the tape.

Herrera resigned on Monday. Martinez took a leave of absence on Tuesday, Oct. 11, before the regular scheduled City Council meeting, then resigned on Wednesday. De Leon and Cedillo appeared at the Tuesday meeting, but after drawing the ire of the agitated public, they withdrew from the chamber.

When the meeting finally started, one by one, members of the public, including Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles), who was adopted, delivered impassioned speeches demanding the resignation of the three councilmembers.

The Council meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Friday were cancelled because protesters have promised to return to disrupt proceedings until DeLeon and Cedillo resign.

On Friday, Assemblymember Bryan told California Black Media (CBM) “I’m inspired by the solidarity we’ve seen across communities, across race, class, geography and even political boundaries. We’ve got city elected officials, state elected officials, county elected officials all the way up to the Senator for California, Sen. Padilla and the President of the United States have not only chosen to engage in this conversation, but to call for justice in these resignations, call for accountability in his resignation.

“I’m inspired by that, and I think it shows a lot of potential for the future,” he continued. “But I’m also a little bit frustrated and still kind of healing from the fact that de Leon and Cedillo have refused to accept accountability, and the idea that they would show up to that council meeting [Tuesday] I think was a display of complete disregard for the people and a bit of arrogance quite frankly.”

Council member Bonin tested positive for COVID, so next week’s Tuesday and Wednesday meetings will be held in an online format.

Acting Council President Mitch O’Farrell’s (District 13) office said in a statement to CBM, “It would not be appropriate for Council members De Leónand Cedillo to attend regardless of the meeting format. Their failure to resign cannot indefinitely interfere with the council’s ability to conduct the people’s business. They need to do the right thing and resign.”

In addition to the outrage about the racist comments in the conversation, the release of the tapes has drawn scrutiny to the redistricting process itself.  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Wednesday that the California Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Process.

“It seems like it’s way too political process here in the city of Los Angeles and it should be more independent and as Chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, it’s something that I want to look at, to see if there’s a role for the state to increase the fairness and the efficacy and the impartiality of this process,” Bryan told CBM.

A spokesperson for O’Farrell told CBM, “Councilmember O’Farrell has introduced a major charter reform measure, that would go before the voters, with the intention of expanding the number of city council districts, thereby increasing representation. If that were to pass, there would be an associated special redistricting that would need to take place.

On Tuesday’s Council agenda is an item about forming an independent redistricting commission for the city. O’Farrell is very eager to discuss and vote on this item.”

“De León’s and Cedillo’s refusal to resign is another deep wound they’re inflicting on us all. Let Los Angeles heal. Resign today,” Bonin tweeted.

City Councilmembers De León and Cedilla did not respond to CBM’s requests for comments.

By Maxim Elramsisy | California Black Media

On Thursday, October 13 President Joe Biden and Congresswoman and mayoral candidate Karen Bass visited the site of the future Metro Purple Line stop at the VA Medical Center in Los Angeles and spoke about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Joining Biden and Bass were Sen. Alex Padilla, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Reps. Maxine Waters, Nanette Barragan Ted Lieu, and Brad Sherman.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the largest long-term investment in infrastructure in the nation’s history. It provides $550 billion per year through 2026 for updating transportation including improving public safety and climate resilience. Grants can be awarded to projects across a broad swath of infrastructure including maritime, aviation, highways, and railroads.

“A law that’s going to deliver clean air; safer water systems, eliminating lead pipes; electric grid to deliver clean energy; high-speed Internet; electric charging stations all across America; the power to fleet — to take care of the fleets of new electric vehicles,” said President Biden. “It’s the most significant investment America has made in our infrastructure — literally, not figuratively — since the Interstate Highway System built by Dwight D. Eisenhower.”

Section 25019(a) of the law allows recipients of grants to “implement a local or other geographical or economic hiring preference relating to the use of labor for construction of a project funded by the grant, including pre-hire agreements, subject to any applicable State and local laws, policies, and procedures.”

“The local hire provision that we passed and that the President signed into law, allows local transportation agencies like L.A. Metro to prioritize the hiring of local Angelenos for projects that are taking place in their own backyard,” said Bass.

The Purple line extension runs from Koreatown, through Beverly Hills and Century City, to the Westwood VA hospital.

“A trip from Koreatown to the VA campus, which now takes over an hour on a bus — sometimes longer than that — it’s going to shrink to 25 minutes on rail,” said Biden. “Plus, this project is a job creator.  More than 100,000 workers — union workers — more than 100,000 workers— hard at work on the entire Purple Line extension, all three sections.”

Other projects benefiting from the Infrastructure Law include the electrification of Los Angeles’ bus fleet by 2030, upgrading the electrical grid and internet, increasing lanes at the Port of Los Angeles, upgrades to Los Angeles International Airport, replacing lead pipes and expanding water recycling.

More than 350 projects have already been announced across California. Many of the projects in Los Angeles are targeted to be complete by the time the city hosts the 2028 Olympics.

President Biden pointed out that Republicans “who voted against the Infrastructure Bill, called me and the bill “socialist” and then attacked — all Democrats who passed it — “socialist,” “radical spending,” “rushed,” and “irresponsible.” “Well, now they’re quietly and privately sending letters to my administration asking for money.  They’re talking about how important projects are in their districts and for all Americans.  Well, guess what?  I’m going to give them the money because it’s not about them, it’s about the people they represent.”

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

Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC (BWOPA-PAC), California Black Women’s Collective PAC and Black women leaders throughout the state are calling out Gov. Gavin Newsom for not endorsing Congressmember Karen Bass (D-CA-37) for Los Angeles Mayor.

The individuals and organizations said in a letter that they had “watched Governor Newsom issue his support to local and statewide candidates for this upcoming November general election,” but he has not indicated he would be supporting Bass.

“Black Women went all in to support Governor Newsom during the recall with Congressmember Bass leading the way.  We showed up and came out while other groups stayed home. We also led the charge to pull together our allies that rallied counterparts throughout California for Women Against the Recall.  And yet…we haven’t seen much change in his actions,” the Oct. 16 letter stated.

In August 2021, Bass, members of the group calling itself Women Against the Recall (WAR), and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-37), held a news conference to openly support Newsom in the recall election held Sept. 14, 2021.

Newsom survived the political action and many Black women in the state are asking him to acknowledge their assistance.

“He stated that he supports Black Women, but his administration doesn’t demonstrate that he wants us at his decision-making table.  He selectively supports Black women candidates even when they have overwhelming support from the party leaders and our community like in the case of Congressmember Bass,” the coalition stated.

Gov. Newsom has not endorsed any candidate running for mayor of Los Angeles in the November election, but he recently lent support to a Democrat running for State Senator.

On Oct. 8, Angelique Ashby announced in a written statement that Newsom endorsed her candidacy for State Senate District 8. Ashby currently represents Sacramento City Council District 1 and serves as Vice Mayor of the City of Sacramento.

“Angelique will be the first woman elected to the State Senate from the Sacramento region in more than two decades; she’ll bring years of experience advocating for women – especially their right to privacy, the ability to make their own healthcare decisions and the fundamental right to an abortion,” Newsom said in a statement released by Ashby. “We need Angelique’s energy, perspective, and results-driven leadership in the State Senate. Please join me in supporting her.”

Senate District 8 includes the cities of Sacramento and Elk Grove, and most of Sacramento County. She is facing former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) for the seat soon to be vacated by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). Pan is leaving the office due to term limits.

“Governor Newsom has been on the frontlines of many righteous fights,” said Ashby. “I look forward to fighting alongside him in the Capitol. It is an honor to earn the support of someone who shares the same passion I have for serving our communities,” Ashby said.

Others who have endorsed Ashby include the California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus and State Senators Dr. Pan, Steve Glazer, Bob Hertzberg, Sydney Kamlager, and Susan Rubio. On the Assembly side of the house, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Cristina Garcia, Blanca Rubio, and Jim Cooper are endorsing her.

Educator and community organizer Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) is a Black candidate running for Senate District 28 against fellow Democrat and Black civil rights attorney Cheryl C. Turner.

Smallwood-Cuevas says that, “Newsom has made his call on this race.” He is endorsing her.

But Newsom has been quiet on the Democrat versus Democrat Los Angeles mayoral race. Bass, who is running to be the first Black Woman Mayor of the second largest city in the country, was endorsed by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in an Aug. 2 joint statement.

Bass is facing billionaire and Republican-turned-Democrat Rick Caruso in a runoff election in November.

As the mayoral race gets closer to the election, some Bass supporters are baffled by Newsom’s reluctance to announce an endorsement in her favor.

A poll released by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) conducted in September had Bass ahead of Caruso 34% to 31%. Bass was leading her adversary by 12% during the summer.

The California Black Women’s Collective, Black Women Organized for Political Action, Los Angeles African American Women’s Political Action Committee, and allies inked an “open letter” stating their allegiance to U.S. Congressmember Karen Bass and all Black women.

The Black women’s groups released the letter of support after Bass’ Baldwin Vista home was broken into in mid-September. Two people have been arrested, but the incident raised concerns about Bass’ safety, they say.

“Black women are more likely to be victims of crimes than our female counterparts, according to The Status of Black Women in the United States report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research,” the open letter stated. “Protecting ourselves is a matter of survival. Yet, when we are the victim of crimes, our calls for help are often ignored and even questioned by those who are charged with protecting and serving the community.”

Considering their support for Newsom in the past, the Black women’s organizations stated in their letter that choosing Bass “should be an easy choice” for the governor. They also said that it is “unacceptable to ask for our support but then turn your back on us when it matters the most.”

“(Bass) has demonstrated that she is the best one who will focus on bringing the state’s largest city together and move it forward for everyone,” the letter stated. “Which side of history do you want to be on, Governor?”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— The City of San Bernardino has been notified that Lincoln Property Company (LPC West) is withdrawing from the development group working to redevelop the Carousel Mall property. The City Council had voted to add LPC West to the partnership developing the 43-acre site through an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) on August 3rd.

In a letter addressed to the City, LPC West Vice President Rob Kane stated, “Due to economic and other circumstances, it has become evident that Lincoln and the City will be unable to successfully negotiate a DDA (Development and Disposition Agreement). Lincoln hereby notifies the City of Lincoln’s election to withdraw and terminate any further participation under the ENA.”

The real estate market, largely due to spiking interest rates to finance projects, has slowed significantly in just the past few months