By Tanu Henry, Edward Henderson and Lila Brown | California Black Media
(CBM) – Your roundup of stories you may have missed last week.
‘Sisters on The Frontline’: California Democratic Black Women Hold Rally at California Democratic Party Convention in Los Angeles
The secretary of state, Dra. Shirley Weber speaks at the Sisters on the Frontline reception Friday, May 2026. She stands with Assemblywoman Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), Assemblywoman Tina MicKinnor (D-Los Angeles) and State Controller Malia Cohen The event was hosted by State Controller Malia Cohen, BWOPA TILE and sponsored by T-Mobile. The event was organized on the eve of the California Democratic Convention, but was not part of the convention. (Courtesy photo)
California State Controller Malia Cohen hosted members of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) during the California Democratic Party state convention in Los Angeles this past weekend.
The themed meeting “Sisters on The Frontline” was held in Fixin’s soul cuisine in Los Angeles, she brought together black women who are shifting the balance of power across the state, including U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12); Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber; California State Assembly members Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) and Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne); and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
State Comptroller Malia Cohen (photo courtesy)
Other allies in attendance to show their support included Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena).
During the event, Lee discussed his bid for the U.S. Senate, and Weber shared some details about the state’s reparations task force proceedings.
Weber said he expects the Legislature to approve the task force’s recommendations.
The bill aims to “clean up the wild, wild west” of ballot initiative campaigns
On May 21, Assemblyman Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) held a virtual rally to discuss House Bill (AB) 421. The bill, which he authored, aims to address issues with California’s ballot initiative process.
The goal of the bill is to help voters know who’s behind a measure and identify paid signature-gathering campaigns, Bryan said.
AB 421 would expand oversight of signature gathering and referendum campaign financing by the Office of the Secretary of State. It would also require unpaid volunteers to collect at least 10 percent of a campaign’s signatures.
In California, paid signature gatherers, sometimes from other states, are often hired to interact with the public and canvass for referendums. AB 421 would require these signature gatherers to register with the Secretary of State’s office.
“There are 40 million people who count on their Legislature and their governor and their voice to be heard in the democratic process,” Bryan said the next day at a briefing announcing the bill.
“There are communities that have historically been excluded from this process that have found their voice through different initiative processes at the state level,” he added.
Rep. Kevin McCarty announces candidacy for mayor of Sacramento
Deputy Kevin McCarty
Last Friday, assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), announced that he is joining the crowded race to succeed Darrell Steinberg as mayor of Sacramento. Steinberg is not seeking re-election.
McCarty, who previously served as a city councilor in Sacramento, stated, “I will bring my experience as a neighborhood leader, housing and redevelopment commissioner, city councilor and state assemblyman to create partnerships and get results for Sacramento.”
Other candidates in the race are: Flojaune Cofer, local activist and epidemiologist; Maggy Krell, an attorney who is special counsel to Attorney General Rob Bonta; Jeff Harris, a former counselor; and Steve Hansen, also a former board member.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signs her first city budget with $1.3 billion investment to fight homelessness
Last Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed her first budget since taking office in January. During the ceremony, he pledged to make LA safer and more equitable for all Angelenos. Bass was joined by City Council President Paul Krekorian, Council President Pro Tempore Curren Price and Councilman Bob Blumenfield, chairman of the Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee.
According to Bass, the budget will allow the city to expand its existing strategies to fight homelessness while moving forward with new ones to improve city infrastructure, address climate change and improve city services.
“I am very proud that the City Council has affirmed these priorities and is joining me in building a new Los Angeles with the urgency that Angelenos deserve,” Bass said.
The budget includes a $1.3 billion investment to address the homelessness crisis, including $250 million for Inside Safe, the new citywide program to bring Angelenos indoors and lock up street camps
The budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 will take effect on July 1, 2023.
In Contra Costa County, Governor Newsom outlines the state’s clean energy plan
Last Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new state road map called “Building the Power Grid of the Future: California’s Clean Energy Transition Plan.”
According to Newsom’s office, the plan details how California will achieve its goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2045, keeping costs affordable and maximizing energy supply through this transition.
Speaking to Moxion Power, a mobile energy storage company based in Richmond, Newsom detailed a plan that includes hundreds of new solar, wind, battery storage and other clean energy projects in California. He also highlighted the role of technology in creating this modern electrical complex that would allow users to feed into the grid energy they have stored in their zero-emission car batteries and other gadgets.
“California has shown that we have a vision and that vision is achievable,” Newsom said. “This update highlights how we’ve met our early goals, some even ahead of schedule, but we’re in a race against climate change. We need to build more, faster, to ensure California has clean, reliable and affordable it needs to fuel our future.”
A week earlier, Governor Newsom announced a new executive order and a legislative package to streamline permitting and other regulations to ensure the state can build more clean energy projects faster.
Transitional kindergarten in California is expanding
Last Wednesday, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education announced that Transitional Kindergarten (TK) programs are expanding in California.
Now, Thurmond says, TK will be free for all four-year-olds, regardless of family income, for the next several years.
Children born between September 2018 and April 2019 can now register for TK for the upcoming school year 2023-24.
The expansion is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $2.7 billion plan to enroll 400,000 4-year-olds in an additional year of public education. It is expected to be the largest universal preschool program in the country. Benefits of the program will include higher achievement in math and reading in elementary school, a higher likelihood of graduating from high school, and a higher likelihood of earning a college degree.
Public health experts want students to consider telehealth as a viable option
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
As high school students across the country graduate and prepare for college, awareness of their mental health is becoming a priority for public health leaders and advocates.
To support students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including large numbers of blacks and other minorities, experts are promoting virtual care as a viable option with numerous benefits to address the problem they now refer to as a crisis
university campuses Telehealth services can help break the stigma associated with treatment and serve as a lifeline. It’s also especially important because it increases access to more diverse care providers, they say.
In 2019, 25% of California students reported receiving mental health care services during that school year for mental and psychological problems, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.
“While the numbers are overwhelming, it is critical to applaud America’s youth, and their trusted support systems, for taking the important first step of recognizing their need for professional therapeutic support,” said Bob Booth, MD, director of care of TimelyCarethe leading provider of telehealth for college students in California.
“We can expect a wave of students entering university with unprecedented support needs,” he added.
