By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

Less than a month before California’s June 7 Primary Election, Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton claims reports concerning a civil case filed against her husband’s church are being misrepresented by her opponents.

An unnamed alleged victim has filed a lawsuit in Contra Costa County against the Rev. Alvin C. Bernstine, pastor of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Richmond and a former church employee. The men are accused of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old. The lawyers for the victim say the crime took place about 10 years ago.

Becton, who is the county’s first Black district attorney has been married to Bernstine since 2020.

“The safety of Contra Costa residents, including women and girls, is my highest priority,” Becton said in a statement to California Black Media. “The church where my husband is a pastor has been the subject of misleading news articles that are distorting the facts. The civil case is going to work its way through the courts, and I am confident the truth will come to light.”

Becton, a former Contra Costa County Superior Court judge, was appointed the county’s 25th District Attorney by the county’s supervisors in 2017. The following year, she ran and was elected to the position.

She is currently running for reelection in the June 7 election against prosecutor Mary Knox.

The allegations of sex abuse center around Jesse Armstrong, a former youth choir director at the church, hired by Bernstine.

The victim’s lawyers allege that Armstrong is a registered sex offender in the state of California and is serving a two-year and eight-month prison sentence for the abuse that allegedly took place over a four-month period.

The lawsuit also claims that Armstrong was twice convicted of sexually abusing at least five minor girls before working at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.

“(Armstrong) used his position as choir youth director to meet, groom and reportedly sexually assault Jane SD Doe,” the victim’s attorneys say. “The sexual abuse mentioned in the lawsuit occurred at various locations, including but not limited to, between classes at the plaintiff’s school, and at hotels, oftentimes immediately following choir practice or other church events.”

The victim’s attorney questioned Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church’s hiring process, arguing that “a minimal background check would have revealed” that Armstrong was a sexual predator.

“Either they hired him with no background check, which is the height of negligence, or they knew of his criminal background and hired him anyway which could expose them to criminal liability,” the attorneys’ stated.

Becton’s spokesperson Ted Asregadoo said, “the events listed in this civil suit occurred in 2012” and “these civil claims substantially predate” Becton’s and Bernstine’s marriage.

Becton recently told CBM that her priority is keeping the 1.1 million residents of Contra Costa County safe from dangerous and violent criminals.

The reports of the civil lawsuit involving a teenage girl surfaced after Becton, 70, received key endorsements for her reelection campaign and her office was recognized for its involvement in closing a decades-old cold case.

On April 23, Becton, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Richmond Acting Police Chief Louie Tirona announced that they identified a man who killed a 28-year-old woman in 1999. The culprit, who died 11 days after the crime, was identified through DNA left at the scene.

Becton has also received backlash from some members of law enforcement for her stance in another case. In April 2021, she announced charges for felony voluntary manslaughter, felony assault with a semi-automatic firearm and unreasonable force against Andrew Hall, a White Danville police officer and deputy. In October 2021, Hall was convicted for assault with a firearm in the 2018 shooting of Laudemer Arboleda, a 33-year-old Filipino American man.

In March, a Contra Costa Superior Court judge sentenced Hall to six years in prison.

Knox, a registered Democrat who has served as a Contra Costa County prosecutor for 37 years, is running against Becton.

Becton blames the timing of the current reports on her opponent.

“It is outrageous that my opponent is using this case to try to score political points and for political gain days before ballots get into the hands of voters. I won’t be doing the same,” Becton stated.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media
“I really don’t understand how the price of gas can rise so drastically in California,” said a Black woman and 55-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident who agreed to be interviewed for this article but asked to not be identified.

“Unfortunately, we need to purchase it regardless of the prices and that’s one of reasons, I believe, it continues to increase,” she complained. “Weekly, it is costing me approximately $75 to commute to and from work, which is $35 more than I used to pay.”

The woman, who is a collections officer with a lead abatement company, said filling her tank often means she has to forgo another obligation.

As of Friday, the average gas price per gallon was $5.82 in the state.

Now, news that the state is tacking an extra 3 cent tax on every gallon purchased – which will not be a significant increase – is still absurd, says the woman, considering that California already has the highest gas prices in the nation.

Because Gov. Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature missed the May 1 deadline to suspend an inflationary gas tax increase that is scheduled for July 1, it will still take effect.

Policymakers would have had to act 60 days in advance to avert the increase.
Democratic lawmakers, backed by environmentalists, are digging their heels in, defending their decision not to suspend the inflationary tax increase that they fought hard to approve when they voted to pass Senate Bill 1 in 2017.
“As we’ve said before, suspending the gas tax would reduce critical funds available for road repair and improvement projects,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood said in a joint statement.
“Additionally, as oil companies continue to rake in record-high profits, there is no guarantee this relief would be passed onto consumers,” Atkins and Rendon continued.
With the tax hike, the average excise tax price per gallon in the state will go from about 51cents per gallon to 54 cents per gallon.
Last month, with the May 1 deadline looming, Newsom’s office acknowledged that it would not be able to convince lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly to suspend the tax increase.
Instead, Newsom’s spokesperson Alex Stack released a statement suggesting that the Governor’s office was turning its attention to providing relief to Californians as the cost of gas, food and other commodities continue to skyrocket.
“We look forward to working with lawmakers on the governor’s proposal for direct payments to Californians wrestling with rising prices,” Stack said in a statement. “Helping offset the impact of inflation on California residents remains a top priority for the governor.”
Legislative Republicans blasted their Democratic colleagues for their “inaction” on the gas tax increase.
“Californians are desperate for any relief at the pump while paying the highest gas prices in the nation, but Democrats have decided to run out the clock and increase the state’s gas tax instead,” read a statement the state Republican Party released earlier this month.
Gov. Newsom and lawmakers in both chambers of the Legislature have still not agreed on how to address the excessive cost of gas in the state.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black Media
After serving a 22-year sentence in a California prison, James Morgan, 51, found himself facing a world of opportunities that he did not imagine he would have as an ex-convict once sentenced to life for attempted murder.

Morgan, a Carson Native, says he is grateful for a second chance at life, and he has taken full advantage of opportunities presented him through California state reentry and rehabilitation programs.

After completing mental health care for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Morgan was released from prison and granted parole in 2018.

“I did not expect what I found when I got out,” Morgan told California Black Media (CBM), explaining that he was fortunate to participate in a program for the formerly incarcerated in San Francisco.

“I was mandated by the courts to spend a year in transitional housing,” said Morgan. “Those guys walked us through everything. They made it really easy. It was all people I could relate to, and they knew how to talk to me because they used to be in the prison population — and they were from where we were from.”

Morgan says he also took lessons on anger management and time management.

Now, he is currently an apprentice in Local 300 Laborers Union, specializing in construction, after he participated in a pre-apprenticeship program through ARC (the Anti-Recidivism Coalition).

“Right now, I’m supporting my family,” Morgan said. “I’d say I’m doing pretty good because I hooked up with the right people.”

Supporters of criminal justice reform say Morgan’s success story in California is particularly encouraging.

Black men in the Golden State are imprisoned nearly 10 times the rate of their White counterparts, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. And just a little over a decade ago in 2011, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered California to reduce the number of inmates in its overcrowded prison system by 33,000. Of that population, nearly 30% were Black men even though they account for about 5 % of the state’s population.

To help more formerly incarcerated people like Morgan get back on their feet after paying their debt to society, last month, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the federal government is investing $145 million over the course of the next fiscal year to support reentry programs across the country.

The Biden-Harris Administration also announced plans to expand federal job opportunities and loan programs, expand access to health care and housing, and develop and amplify educational opportunities for the formerly and currently incarcerated.

“It’s not enough to just send someone home, it’s not enough to only help them with a job. There’s got to be a holistic approach,” said Chiraag Bains, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council on Racial Justice and Equity.

Bains told CBM that that reentry programs help establish an “incarceration-to-employment pipeline.”

The White House announced the programs late last month as President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 75 people and granted pardons to another three, including Abraham Bolden, the first Black Secret Service agent on White House detail.

Bolden was sentenced to 39 months in prison in 1964 for allegedly attempting to sell classified Secret Service documents. He has always maintained his innocence.

“Today, I granted pardons to three people and commuted the sentences of 75 people. America is a nation of laws, but we are also a nation of second chances, redemption, and rehabilitation,” Biden tweeted April 26.

According to Bains, about half of the people the President pardoned are Black or Brown.

“The president has spoken repeatedly about the fact that we have too many people serving time in prison for nonviolent drug offenses and too many of those people are Black and Brown,” said Bains. “This is a racial equity issue.”

Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have faced sharp criticisms in the past for supporting tough-on-crime policies as U.S. Senator and California Attorney General, respectively, that have had disproportionately targeted Blacks and other minorities.

According to a 2021 Stanford University Study, reentry programs in California have contributed to a 37 % decrease in the average re-arrest rate over the period of a year and a 92 % decrease during the same time.
Over the last decade, California has funded a number of initiatives supporting reentry and rehabilitation. In 2015, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation launched the Male Community Re-Entry Program (MCRP) that provides community-based rehabilitative services in Butte, Kern, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties. The Butte program services Tehama, Nevada, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, Placer and Yuba counties.

A year later, Gov. Newsom’s office introduced the California Community Reinvestment Grant Program. The initiative funds community groups providing services like job placement, mental health treatment, housing and more to people, including the formerly incarcerated, who were impacted by the War on the Drugs.

Morgan spoke highly of programs that helped him reintegrate into society – both in prison and after he was released.

“In hindsight, I look back at it and I’m blown away by all of the ways that they’ve helped me,” Morgan said.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA — On Saturday, June 18 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at San Bernardino Valley College, the San Bernardino Juneteenth Committee will be hosting the ‘Juneteenth Classic Cars and Bikes Showcase’. San Bernardino Valley College is located at 701 S. Mt. Vernon in San Bernardino.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Since 2017, there has been a 9.8% increase of new small businesses – firms with less than 500 employees — in the United States. Over the past two years alone, over 10 million applications were submitted to start new small businesses across the country, according to the Small Business Administration.

That growth trend is true for California, too, where there are about 4.1 million small businesses, the most in the country. Those companies make up 99.8% of all business in California and employ about 7.2 million people.

But for Black-owned and other minority owned small businesses across the country, there was a steep decline in numbers, almost 41%, due to the pandemic, a Census Population Survey found in 2020. During that same time, nearly 44% of minority-owned small businesses were at risk of shutting down, a Small Business Majority report found.

Although a number of reports suggest that the outlook has begun to be more positive as the U.S. economy continues bounce back defying the odds, and many Black businessowners have also become more optimistic, access to credit and technical support remain a challenge for many who had to dip into their own finances to keep their lights on.

Recognizing the outsized contribution small businesses make to the health of the California economy and the hit many of the smallest of small business have taken during the pandemic, the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) has been making grants of up to $25,000 to small business in the state.

In its latest round of funding called the Dream Fund, which is now accepting applications on a rolling basis, CalOSBA has partnered with Lendistry, a Los Angeles-based, minority-led small business and commercial real estate lender to administer the $35 million grant portion of its program. The fund provides $10,000 to each small business that qualifies.

To become eligible, California-based small businessowners will have to complete training at one of the centers run by the state’s Technical Assistance Expansion Program (TAEP) and receive a certificate.
“For the millions of Californians that have dreams of owning their own business, this grant coupled with one-on-one counseling and business expertise from hundreds of counselors at our eighty-seven Technical Assistance Centers, has the power to jumpstart their dreams,” says Tara Lynn Gray, Director of CalOSBA.
Jay King, President and CEO of the Sacramento-based California Black Chamber of Commerce, says he applauds Gov. Newsom for understanding the historic systemic challenges minority businesses face and for “doing something about it.”
But giving Black businesses grants are not a “cure-all,” he says.
“It is like putting a band aid on a bullet wound, if we don’t do more to really fix the problems small businesses face,” King explains. “Ninety six percent of Black businesses are mini or micro that means they make less than $100,000 or less than $35,000 a year, respectively,” King continued. “Only 4 % of our business earn more than $100,000 annually. We have to put more resources and technical support around these businesses.”
King says informing Black businessowners about opportunities like the Dream Fund and making sure they know how to apply for or access the funding is critical to making sure the people who need the help gets it.
“You have to get down into our communities,” he said. “You have to reach people through groups that are plugged into our communities to get the word out. We do not hear about these kinds of programs enough. We definitely don’t benefit from them enough.”
Everett K. Sands, the CEO of Lendistry, says he is excited to help California new businesses access the capital they need to “begin on their journeys.
“Over the past two years, almost 10 million new businesses have been created in the U.S.,” he says. “With record numbers of new small businesses entering the marketplace, many of which are owned by women and minorities, programs like California Dream Fund pave the way for a more robust and equitable economy as these new businesses make the leap from employing just their founders to employing their communities.”

By Lou Yeboah

… And let him tell my five brothers not to come to this place! [Luke 16:27-31].

Listen, the man in Hell was very specific about the message he wanted to send to his brothers. He pleaded with Abraham, ‘I beg you, Father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, I have five brothers that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, they have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them. He said, ‘Oh No, Father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.

There is a powerful warning here for every person who has not repented. The rich man had many opportunities to repent before he died. However, he did not and had to face the consequences. I can only think of one thing worse than going to Hell; and that would be to go to Hell with Heaven on your mind.

I tell you, wisdom is the principal thing, but in all your getting, get an understanding. [Proverbs 4:7]. Hell is a place of outer darkness, eternal weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Hell is a place where there is eternal torment and pain in unquenchable flames. Hell is a place of terrible memories and horrible thirst. Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, and all those who reject Jesus as their Savior. Hell is a place of eternal separation from the presence of God. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. Two Gates: Two Paths, only Two destinies before every man, and each of us must choose one or the other. A Point of Decision. Which will it be? Heaven or Hell? The door is open now. Soon it will be too late!

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me. [Revelation 3:20].

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. After the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, you will stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ But he will reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. [Luke 13:24].

The rains came, the ark was sealed, in desperation people sought, begged, cried, but it was too late. [Genesis 7:10; Matthew 25:10].

HESPERIA, CA — Dollar General is excited to announce its store at 8149 I Ave in Hesperia is now open!

DG stores are proud to provide area residents with an affordable and convenient store location to purchase household essentials including food, cleaning supplies, paper products, over-the-counter medicines, hygiene products, baby items and more through its mission of Serving Others. In addition to the national and private branded products customers trust Dollar General to carry, the new Hesperia location includes the Company’s new stylish, on-trend home décor and an expanded party preparation selection. Normal hours of operation may be found through the Dollar General app.

“At Dollar General, we believe the addition of each new store provides positive economic growth for the communities we proudly serve, and the addition of our new Hesperia store highlights our commitment to deliver a pleasant shopping experience that includes great prices on quality products in a convenient location,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We look forward to welcoming customers to our new store and hope they will enjoy shopping at our new location.”

To commemorate the opening of DG’s new Hesperia location, Dollar General plans to donate 100 new books to a nearby elementary school to benefit students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. In partnership with the Kellogg Company, the donation will be part of a planned donation of more than 60,000 books in fiscal 2022 across the country to celebrate new DG store openings.

Furthermore, DG strives to be a good neighbor and is committed to the communities it proudly calls home, evidenced by unwavering support of literacy and education initiatives through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The addition of the Hesperia store opens the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants. Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $203 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 14.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education. For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its grant programs, visit www.dgliteracy.com.

Dollar General plans to create new jobs in the Hesperia community as the store is expected to employ approximately six to 10 people, depending on the individual needs of the store. The Company provides employees with competitive wages, world-class and award-winning training and development programs and benefits including day-one telemedicine eligibility and Dollar General’s Employee Assistance Foundation, as well as health insurance coverage options, 401K savings and retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave and adoption assistance to eligible employees. Interested candidates can review and apply for available positions here.

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For additional information, photographs or items to supplement a story, please visit the DG Newsroom by clicking here or contact the Media Relations Department at 1-877-944-DGPR (3477) or via email at dgpr@dg.com. Updated stock footage and logos are also available on Dollar General’s newsroom.

About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 80 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day.® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 18,130 stores in 46 states as of January 28, 2022. In addition to high-quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and PepsiCo. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.

WASHINGTON, DC – After more than a decade of inaction and a citizen’s petition lawsuit brought by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) and our partners Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the American Medical Association, and the National Medical Association, the FDA is finally moving a proposed national ban on menthol flavored cigarettes and flavored cigars.

While the proposed ban wouldn’t take effect for at least two years, this move is a major win for Black health in America.

For decades, Big Tobacco has used menthol flavored tobacco products and flavored cigars to target African Americans. 85% of all African American smokers smoke menthol cigarettes compared to 29% of White smokers. Menthol cigarettes increase addiction and make it harder to quit.

“We are working towards a day where no Black people in America die from preventable deaths due to tobacco,” explained AATCLC Co-Chair Carol McGruder. “This critical move in the rule-making process by the FDA helps make that day a reality.”

In order to ensure loopholes do not exist to allow Big Tobacco to continue to hook Black Americans with these products, we urge the FDA to expand their rule to ban menthol, not just as a characterizing flavor, but as an ingredient altogether.

Formed in 2008 and based in Califonria, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council is one of our country’s leading public health education and advocacy organization taking on Big Tobacco to save Black lives. The AATCLC works at the intersection of social injustice and public health policy. Working with health jurisdictions, elected officials, community-based organizations, tobacco researchers, activists, and the media, the AATCLC is leading the fight to end the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products.

Learn more at www.savingblacklives.org.

ONTARIO, CA—- To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Healthy Heritage is set to host “Laughing for the Health of It”, a Comedy Show and Mental Health Resource Fair located at the Ontario Improv on Sunday, May 15th, 2022, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is open to all guests 18 years or older.

This special night is one you won’t want to miss! Not only with there be a one-hour hilarious and clean comedy show; guests will have the opportunity to network with the community, enjoy delicious food and drinks, talk to mental health professionals, and gather resources from over 20 participating vendors who are passionate about helping Healthy Heritage end the stigma of mental health in the community.

Be prepared to laugh out loud with these hilarious comedians – Donna Maine, Gayla Johnson, Lamont Bonman, and Richard Weiss! Maine is an LA based comedian whose comedic sets revolve around relatable topics on middle-aged dating and the comical ironies of parenthood. Johnson is a veteran comedian who’s appeared in several ABC hit tv shows including Scandal, Bones, and Grey’s Anatomy to name a few. Bonman is an award-winning comedian who has appeared on shows like BET’s Comic View. Weiss is a long-time recovered addict who has toured the country performing at major comedy venues along with doing “recovery comedy” at 12-step conventions nationwide.

Tickets are selling out fast! Purchase yours online or at the box office theater for only $25! Come crackup, don’t melt down!

Healthy Heritage thanks their sponsors who helped make this event possible for our community: California Department of Public Health, Community Mental Health Equity Project, Riverside University Health System of Behavioral Health, California Reducing Disparities Project, African American Family Wellness Advisory Group and the Broken Crayons Still Color Project.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

Election offices have begun sending out vote-by-mail ballots for the June 7, 2022, California Primary. Statewide, voters will discover that Black candidates for United States House of Representative seats are over-represented on their ballots.

California Black Media (CBM) is reporting that 18 Black candidates are running for 14 US House seats. Eleven are registered as Democrats and seven are running as Republicans. Nine are women and nine are men.

Although African Americans are 5.8% of California residents, Black candidates are on ballots for 26.9% of the US House seats.

California’s delegation to the US House of Representative will have 52 members in the next Congress. While it is the still the largest delegation, one seat was lost due to a decline in population count from the 2020 US census. Congressional district population following the 2020 census is about 761,169 people.

A consequence of losing a US House seat is that district boundaries have been redrawn by the independent California Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) and many district numbers have been reassigned. For example, Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the three Black members of the California delegation, currently represents House District 13 and is running to represent District 12. However, the district numbers for the other Black representatives, Maxine Waters (District 43), who is running for re-election, and Karen Bass (District 37), who has decided to run for mayor of Los Angeles have not changed.

The Black candidates running for Congress are:

Democrat Kermit Jones is a Navy veteran and an internal medicine doctor who has a law degree. He is running to represent District 3 (Yuba). He is running against three opponents. This district leans Republican. No current member of Congress is on the ballot for this race.

Republican Jimih L. Jones is a parts advisor for a car dealership. He is running to represent District 4 (Napa). He has five opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Mike Thompson (D) is running in this race.

Republican Tamika Hamilton, a former Air Force Sergeant, is running to represent District 6 (Fair Oaks).  She has six opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Ami Bera (D) is running in this race.

Two Black candidates are in the competition to represent District 12 (Oakland). Democrat Barbara Lee is a current member of Congress representing District 13 (Oakland). Democrat Eric Wilson is a Nonprofit Organization Employee. Five candidates are on the ballot. This is a solid Democratic district.

Republican Brian E. Hawkins is a Councilmember and Pastor. He is running to represent District 25 (Riverside). He has four opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D) is running in this race.

Democrat Quaye Quartey is a US Naval Academy graduate, veteran, and entrepreneur. He is running to represent District 27 (Santa Clarita). He has five opponents. This district is predicted to be a toss-up for Democrats and Republicans. Rep. Mike Garcia (R) is running in this race.

Republican Ronda Kennedy is a Civil Rights Attorney. She is running to represent District 30 (Burbank). She has eight opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Adam Schiff (D) is running in this race.

Democrat Aarika Samone Rhodes is a teacher. She is running to represent District 32 (Sherman Oaks). She has six opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Brad Sherman (D) is running in this race.

Republican Joe E. Collins III is a Retired Navy Sailor. He is running to represent District 36 (Torrance). He has seven opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Ted W. Lieu (D) is running in this race.

Three Black candidates are running to represent District 37 (Los Angeles). Democrat Jan C. Perry is a Community Investment Executive and former LA City Councilmember. Democrat Sydney Kamlager is a California State Senator. Democrat Daniel W. Lee is Mayor of Culver City.  Seven candidates are on the ballot. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Karen Bass (D) currently represents this district.

Republican Aja Smith is a small business owner. She is running to represent District 39 (Moreno Valley). She has six opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Rep. Mark Takano (D) is running in this race.

Democrat William Moses Summerville is a Pastor and hospice chaplain. He is running to represent District 42 (Long Beach). He has seven opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. No current member of Congress is on the ballot for this race.

Two Black candidates are on the ballot to represent District 43 (Los Angeles). Democrat Maxine Waters is a member of Congress representing this district. Republican Allison Pratt is a youth advocate and mother. Four candidates are running for the seat. This is a solid Democratic district.

Democrat Morris Falls Griffin is a maintenance technician. He is running to represent District 44 (San Pedro). He has two opponents. This is a solid Democratic district. Nanette Diaz Barragan (D), a current Member of Congress, is running in this race.

In the June 7 primary election, the two candidates receiving the most votes – regardless of party preference – move on to the November 8 general election. If a candidate receives a majority of the vote (at least 50% plus 1) a general election still must be held.

The Black candidates winning the general election will serve in the 118^th Congress and be sworn in next January.