By Tanu Henry and Edward Henderson | California Black Media
(CBM) – Your roundup of stories you may have missed last week.
Rhonda Smith is speaking and thanking supporters at CBHN’s 40th anniversary celebration in Sacramento on May 4. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
CBHN Executive Director Rhonda Smith with Secretary of State Shirley Weber and CBHN Network participants. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Last week was Black Health Defense Week and the Secretary of State, Dra. Shirley Weber, delivered the keynote address at the 40th anniversary celebration of the California Black Health Network (CBHN) in Sacramento.
“When you talk about health problems and the health challenge, we are a big part of that problem. So it becomes important that we raise our voices and not stay silent when these things happen because they have an impact on the future,” Weber said at the event.
CBHN is an organization dedicated to “advancing health equity for black and brown communities” in California.
Last month, the member of the Assembly Dr. Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) introduced herself Assembly Resolution (ACR) 53 establish last week as black health advocacy week.
“This measure would recognize May 1, 2023, through May 5, 2023, inclusive, and each first week of May thereafter, as Black Health Equity Advocacy Week, and would the California Black Health Network and other organizations across the state for their efforts to improve the health, well-being and life expectancy of Black Californians,” the resolution language reads.
The California Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP announced last week that it plans to storm the State Capitol to talk to lawmakers about policies that are priorities for the organization.
The organization will hold its Annual Capitol Day on Monday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cal Chamber at 1230 J Street in Sacramento.
NAACP members across the state you can apply here to attend.
California college freshmen and high school seniors have less than a week to apply for the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) Scholarship. The deadline is May 15th at midnight.
According to the CLBC, the scholarship, named after Frederick Roberts, California’s first black legislator, “was established to assist deserving students by providing financial assistance to help defray educational expenses.”
Get more details and apply here
On May 1, Governor Gavin Newsom visited World Energy, a renewable fuel facility in Paramount, a city in Los Angeles County. During the event, he praised California’s progress in transitioning to clean fuels.
“You’re addressing the impacts that fossil fuels have had on low-income communities,” Newsom said. That impact is real, and that impact is raw for the people who live in these communities.
Newsom said yes proud of the progress California is pushing for a full transition to electric vehicles by 2035.
“California’s clean energy future is here, and there’s no better example of that than this oil refinery-turned-renewable-fuels hub. The fuels of the future are clean, and California is leading the way with billions of dollars to power this transition while creating thousands more good green jobs and increasing our economic power,” he added.
On April 27, Senate Budget Subcommittee #4 held a hearing on the California Film Tax Credit, a $330 million program launched in 2020 to bolster the state’s film industry .
The California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) wants black workers in the entertainment industry to benefit from the tax break.
CLBC Assembly Chairwoman Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and caucus vice chair State Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Inglewood) said in a letter to the committee, “We are writing to request that the Subcommittee of Senate Budget #4 have a robust discussion of the diversity requirements for the California Film Tax Credit that includes key stakeholders,” CLBC members wrote in a letter. “We are interested in highlighting the lived experiences of black workers in the entertainment industry and surveying the economic impact the new measure will have on black and brown entertainment workers.”
On Tuesday of last week, state Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) held one press conference on SCA 4, a constitutional amendment that would restore taxpayers’ property rights. This would allow Californians to keep their family business and childhood homes after the death of their parents or grandparents.
“This legislation has one goal, to restore protections for taxpayers and keep the government’s intrusive reach away from family inheritance,” Seyarto said. “I urge everyone to join us, contact your representatives and tell them to vote yes on SCA 4 so we can return this measure to the people and restore taxpayer protections.”
In 2020, Prop 19 capped the value of family homes that could be inherited with their Prop 13 tax base at $1 million. It also added a requirement that parents must live in the home for the rest of their lives to pass the property on to their children.
Before the passage of Prop 19, both parents and grandparents could pass their homes and businesses on to their children and grandchildren without additional requirements.
“Proposition 19 changed the way intergenerational property transfers are handled, all to the detriment of Californians who have worked so hard over many years to build a future for themselves and their families,” Seyarto said. “Simply put, Proposition 19 resurrected the death tax.”
Last week, California lawmakers approved Senate Bill (SB) 122, a bill that will provide $150 million in interest-free loans to financially distressed hospitals, primarily in rural areas.
The money will be a one-time emergency appropriation and will come from the state’s general fund if the legislation is signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
In a hearing last Thursday, state Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) says the funding is just the “beginning.”
It is an antiseptic ointment on the cut. We haven’t even started with the Band-Aid,” he added.
The loans will be administered by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information and the California Health Facility Financing Authority in the Office of the State Treasurer.
Deputy House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC-6) announced last week that he is endorsing Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) in her race to replace U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is not seeking re-election.
“She stands up for what she believes in, and she doesn’t back down. In the House, she is an extremely accomplished lawmaker with a record of historic accomplishments in ending poverty, eradicating HIV and AIDS, and working for global peace and security ” Clyburn said.
Lee is running against Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA-47) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-30).
Contra Costa County District Attorney Dianne Becton and San Francisco Mayor London Breed also recently held rallies in the Bay Area pledging their support. One of the rallies was held at the African American Arts and Culture Complex in San Francisco’s Fillmore District.
