April 18, 2024

Family Says ‘No’ to Donating O.J. Simpson’s Brain

By Veronica Mackey

Medical researchers won’t get the chance to determine whether former football player, actor and Hertz pitchman O.J. Simpson suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Malcolm LaVergne, executor to Simpson’s estate said the family gave a “hard no” to clinics requesting his brain be donated to medical research. Simpson passed away last week from prostate cancer and will be cremated.

For years, some in the medical community have suspected that he suffered from the brain disease due to multiple head injuries during his 11year career as a professional football player.

CTE is known to cause aggressive behavior, memory loss and confusion, but can only be confirmed after a

person has passed away, and their brain can be studied after an autopsy. It results from the death of nerve cells and regeneration.

Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. During his trial, it was revealed publicly that he had a history of domestic violence. Years after his acquittal, he wrote a book titled If I Did It, where he speculated how he might have committed the murders. The memoir raised eyebrows even among some of his supporters.

Noting that Simpson showed many of the classic signs of CTE, renowned researcher, Dr. Bennet Omalu, told ABC News he would bet his medical license on Simpson having the brain disorder.

In 2015, Will Smith portrayed Omalu in the movie “Concussion.”

Rooftop Shooter Arrested in Marina del Rey

By Veronica Mackey

Los Angeles County Sheriffs took a man into custody Saturday night after reports of gunshots in Marina del Rey.

CBS News reported that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Victor Nguyen, was taken into custody and is currently being held on $2 million bail. He was booked on several charges related to the incident.

According to authorities, Nguyen allegedly fired as many as 50 rounds with two combat-style rifles and a handgun from the roof and a balcony of the Marina 41 apartment complex, located at Via Marina and Catamaran Street around 10:15 p.m.

The shooter repeatedly reloaded while sheriff’s SWAT teams tried to de-escalate the situation. He was also wearing a bulletproof vest.

According to a statement from LASD, “An LASD Aero unit observed a male suspect on the roof of the location firing rounds from a rifle.”

LASD called four BearCats to the scene to assist with the ongoing

situation.

Meanwhile, residents were on pins and needles. One resident recalled hiding inside of the apartment for hours and following along with the situation on social media.

A woman named Elizabeth Amos described the horrifying event:

“We were barricading for those three hours, not saying a word. We’re watching the Citizen App just to see what other people are saying. We didn’t want to turn on any volume on our phones because we didn’t know where he was, and every moment it was silent we got more and more scared. It was almost like the gunfire helped us know where he was.”

“It was just kind of

Stay Healthy Despite Your Hectic Schedule

By Willie Brown

I recently had a birthday, and my doctor was impressed with results of my physical exam.

While I was happy with the report, I must say my state of health had more to do with a lifetime of building good habits than any amount of luck.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an advocate of working out, and have done so consistently for decades.

Despite my busy schedule, travelling and the stress that comes with running a business, I have managed to avoid some of the chronic health conditions experienced by friends and family around my age.

We all know people, or we may have direct experience with a sudden illness, such as a stroke, heart disease or diabetes. One minute, you’re fine. The next, you or someone you know is being rushed to ER.

But medical emergencies don’t usually happen out of the blue. A lot of “sudden” illnesses are the result of bad habits, persisted in, over time.

money

Now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s a perfect time to get outside move your body more. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise there is. Just about everyone can do it and it doesn’t require any

When it comes to staying healthy and maintaining a busy lifestyle, building consistent good habits is the key. Good

habits build you up, bad habits break you down.

It doesn’t require a lot of work, but you need to be patient with yourself and organized. A few hours a week can make a world of difference. Here is what has worked for me. Have consistent meal times. If

Inglewood

you’re used to skipping meals, start by scheduling meals in your calendar. If you take your lunch to work, make it the night before. If you plan to cook dinner, take meat out of the freezer so it will be thawed when it’s time to cook. Ideally, cook a few meals at a time and reheat at your convenience.

Make it easier to stay hydrated. Give yourself a visual reminder by filling your water bottle first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. Keep a water bottle by your bed or in your backpack so you don’t have to think about it.

Stock up on supplements. Eating fast food or skipping meals deprives you of vital nutrients. This is where vitamins, minerals and herbs come in. Don’t rely on food alone. Follow up with supplements. Again, put them where you can find them—by your bed, near your coffee maker, or wherever you are likely to remember to take them.

Schedule workouts. Look at your daily routine and figure out the best time to fit in a walk or session at the gym. Decide how many days a week you can work out, and for how long. The most important thing is that you get started.

No matter how young or old you are, it’s never too late to start improving your health. It’s an investment that will pay you back in ways that cannot be measured. To your health!

Today and CBCF Announce Spring and Summer Internships

Inglewood Today (https://inglewoodtoday.com) has announced immediate internship opportunities for aspiring journalists and data/research assistants. The 31-year old media company is considering college and high school students for 3-6 month internships working hybrid 4-8 hours per week.

Journalist interns will have an opportunity to build their writing portfolios while interviewing celebrities, elected officials and other community leaders. They will also cover issues related to Inglewood and surrounding areas. Data/research assistants will work behind the scenes maintaining databases and helping to organize and launch a new blog.

Interested candidates may apply by submitting resumes to veronica@inglewoodtoday.com. If applying for the journalist internship, candidates must also submit their best 2-3 writing samples.

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) 2024 Summer Internship program is accepting applications from aspiring young leaders. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 5.

Successful candidates will gain hands-on experience in the public policy field, and make important connections, which can lead to job opportunities. This internship is based in Washington, DC. Free housing will be provided.

For more information, apply online at https://www.cbcfinc.org/ programs/internships/.

Financial Aid Fraud Rising in California Community Colleges

California’s community colleges are reporting a rise in financial aid fraud. In January, suspected bots represented 1 in 4 college applicants. Schools have given away millions to these scams, and college officials say fraudsters are getting smarter with the help of AI.

They’re called “Pell runners.” After enrolling at a community college they apply for a federal Pell grant, collect as much as $7,400, then vanish.

Since fall 2021, California’s community colleges have given more than $5 million to Pell runners, according to monthly reports they sent to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Colleges also report they’ve given nearly $1.5 million in state and local aid to these scammers.

The chancellor’s office began requiring the state’s 116 community colleges to submit these reports three years ago, after fraud cases surged.

At the time, the office said it suspected 20% of college applicants were fraudulent. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government loosened some restrictions around financial aid, making it easier for students to prove they were eligible, and provided special one-time grants

might be fake. Since 2022, the state has allocated more than $125 million for fraud detection, cybersecurity and other changes in the online application process at community colleges.

College officials suspect most of the fake students are bots and often, they display tell-tale signs. In Sacramento,

to help keep them enrolled. Once these pandemic-era exceptions ended in 2023 and some classes returned to in-person instruction, college officials said they expected fraud to subside.

It hasn’t. In January, the chancellor’s office suspected 25% of college applicants were fraudulent, said Paul Feist, a spokesperson for the office.

“This is getting significantly worse,” said Todd Coston, an associate vice chancellor with the Kern Community College District. He said that last year, “something changed and all of a sudden everything spiked like crazy.”

Online classes that historically don’t fill up were suddenly overwhelmed with students — a sign that many of them Calmatters.org. verification

community colleges started seeing an influx of applications from Russia, China, and India during the start of the pandemic.

The largest reform underway is a new version of CCCApply, the state’s community college application portal, which will offer more cybersecurity, Feist said. He also said there are other “promising” short-term projects.

One of them, a software tool known as ID.Me, launched in February. The contract with the software company, costing more than $3.5 million, gives it permission to check college applicants for identification, including video interviews in certain cases. Privacy experts have warned that the company’s

video technology could be racially biased and error-prone.

To mitigate these privacy concerns and avoid creating enrollment barriers, applicants need to opt in to the new

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Inglewood Planning Commission hereby gives notice that it will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 7:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, Ninth Floor, Inglewood City Hall, One Manchester Boulevard, to consider the following matters:

1. A Public Hearing to consider an application by Alfred Davis, representing Alfred Davis & Associates for Special Use Permit No. 2400003 (SUP24-00003) to allow a 770 square-foot tattoo parlor in a multi-tenant building on an approximately 37,700 square-foot, C-2A (Airport Commercial)zoned property at 4233 West Century Boulevard.

A Notice of Exemption (EA-CE-2024-040) has been prepared stating that the proposed project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a copy of which is available for public review in the Planning Division office of City Hall and via email at crivera@cityofinglewood.org.

If you will require special accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Planning Division at (310) 412-5230, One Manchester Boulevard, 4th Floor, Inglewood, California 90301. All requests for accommodations must be received 48 hours prior to the day of the hearing.

If you challenge the aforementioned public hearing in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing.

Si no entiende esta noticia o si necesita mas informacion, favor de llamar onu este numero (310) 412-5280.

In the event that this Planning Commission meeting is not held, or is concluded prior to a public hearing item being considered, the public hearing will automatically be continued to the next regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting.

Serving Ladera, Hawthorne, Westchester, Lawndale, Gardena, Carson

Area Communities Do Your Part to Save the Planet

Since April 22, 1970, more than 1 billion have been mobilized annually to observe Earth Day—the day set aside specifically to honor our planet. People all over the world engage in education, events and volunteer work to help protect and beautify the earth.

It is a reminder to assess our consumption habits by recycling and getting better educated about global warming.

Here are a few local events that you can participate in and do your part to help the planet:

LA County Earth Day “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” Event Saturday, April 20, 2024 10:00 AM 2:00 PM

Don Knabe Community Regional Park Cerritos

This free “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” Earth Day celebration is hosted by LA County 4th District Supervisor

Janice Hahn.

The specific location will be at the community center and basketball court at 19800 Bloomfield Ave in Cerritos, on the large lawn just south of the community center and extending east to the pond.

There will be 30~40 information booths from nonprofits and companies, speakers, workshops, EV demos, food trucks, and a big emphasis on kids’ activities.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/398126326264428.

Friends of the L.A. River - Earth Day Extravaganza

Sunday, April 21, 2024 12:00 PM 4:00 PM

Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park

Los Angeles

The first-ever Earth Day Extravaganza, hosted by the “Friends of the L.A. River,” will be held on April 21 from 12-4 pm. This will be an outdoor celebration

filled with hands-on learning activities, eco-friendly vendors, art, music, food trucks, and more! The venue is Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park, 2944 Gleneden St., L.A. 90039.

For more info, and to register, visit www.folar.org/earthday2024.

Recycle2Riches Earth Day Summit

Monday, April 22, 2024 10:00 AM 5:00 PM

Playa Vista WeWork

The Recycle2Riches Earth Day

Summit 2024 is a literal smorgasbord of interesting facts and activities about Planet Earth and what we can do to save it. Some highlights will include a sustainable barbershop, a tabling area called the conscious consumer corner, a section for non-profits and solutionbased brands to connect with guests, two movie screenings, a Compost 101 class, and much more.

The mission of Recycle2Riches is to change the culture of consumption. Those in attendance will learn more

about the urgency of our climate crisis and what they can do individually to implement changes. This free event is also the annual fundraiser for Recycle2Riches.

Donations are encouraged.

Check out EarthDaySummit.org for more information.

Beverly Hills Earth Day Event

Sunday, April 28, 2024 9:00 AM 1:00 PM

Beverly Hills Farmers Market

The City of Beverly Hills will be celebrating its 21st Annual Earth Day event at their Farmer’s Market. This year’s theme is “planet vs. plastics.” The Public Works department will have a booth with information about the City’s sustainability efforts, vendor and organization booths, and free compost giveaways.

Gather your old paperwork and take advantage of the free shredding services.

www.beverlyhillsorg/earthday

By Veronica Mackey

Sports & Entertainment Was This the Blackest Coachella Ever?

By Maya Mackey

Despite lower than usual sales, the first weekend of the Coachella Music Festival went off with a bang! From the wild and weird, like Will Smith coming out during J. Balvin’s set to the Wonderful like Victoria Monet pleading for a ceasefire in Palestine, during her performance of Stop (Askin me 4 shyt), Coachella is unlikely to lose its prestige anytime soon.

What I noticed above all, however, was just how Black this year’s slate was. 44 Black artists were fortunate enough to be invited to play to a crowd of up to 200,000 people per weekend. By comparison, 2023’s Coachella Festival only saw 17 Black Artists scheduled to perform.

Spanning genres from R&B to House and Electronic Dance Music, AfroBeats, Hip-Hop and Experimental Rock, the lineup at Coachella continues to get ore and more diverse as post Beychella (aka the year Beyonce became the first Black woman to be a headliner at the music festival.) Her impact continues to create lanes for other Black artists to succeed in mainstream spaces. For that, we should all be thankful.

Highlights included:

but have been on a group hiatus since 2021.

Chloe Bailey, arguably, Beyonce’s successor reclaimed the Coachella stage, but this time as a solo act. Chloe and Halle made music as a sister act,

Doja Cat was the belle of the ball, with 6 outfit changes and constant theatrics. Ludmilla, an Afro- Brazilian born vocalist fused African dance and hip-hop moves while singing in Portuguese. Slauson’s own Jhene Aiko made her Coachella debut bringing

First Timers, Victoria Monet, an R&B songstress who rose to fame writing songs for Ariana Grande; Brittany Howard, a rock star, and Jon Batiste, a classically trained singer, writer and compose,all have this milestone accomplishment to celebrate as they climb higher in their careers.

Coachella featured Black Djs this year, including Honey Dijon, Anika Kai and Starrza is a noticeable change to the usual white contenders seen every year like Calvin Harris and Zed. Ice Spice and Coi Leroy held it down for the Gen Z rap girls and girl group FLO served nostalgic Destiny’s Child vibes. As Destiny’s Child was not invited to the festival while still performing, it was dope to see a new incarnation of Black

guests Saweetie along to sprinkle the desert with that unique Bay Area sound as well as Big Sean and Omarion to help perform some of her most beloved collabs, Post To Be and Beware respectively. Tyler, the Creator, another LA Native, born and raised in Hawthorne, returned for a third time and finally as an official Headliner

girl groups welcomed and embraced on the world’s largest stage.

Kudos to Goldenvoice and AEG Live, producers of the Coachella Music Festival for bringing more diversity, in both race and nationality to the stage. I look forward to even more this time next year.

NFL Green Team, Sofi Stadium And Hollywood Park To Beautify Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy In Celebration Of Earth Month

SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park will join NFL Green Team for their third annual sustainability project for the community of Inglewood, CA in celebration of Earth Month. The organizations are coming together to beautify Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy by planting trees and creating an outdoor vegetable garden.

Volunteers from NFL LA, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park will join over 60 students (grades 3-4), faculty and staff to plant fresh vegetables in planter boxes. Fruit and shade trees also will be donated by the NFL Green Team and planted prior to the event throughout the school’s open space.

Compton-based non-profit organization, ALMA Backyard Farms,

will support the event and provide participants with guidance of urban farming. ALMA exists to re-claim lives of formerly incarcerated people, re-purpose land into productive urban farms, and re-imagine community as a place for people and plants to thrive.

The event will create a sustainable and vibrant outdoor space for the students at Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy. The garden space will not only beautify the school grounds but also provide ongoing and valuable educational opportunities about

gardening, nutrition, and environmental stewardship.

Leading up to the event, the nation’s leading commercial landscape company, Brightview, will prepare space for trees to be planted, clear planter boxes, and cut and clean the garden space.

WHO:

Melanie Vaughn, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park Sustainability Specialist

Scott Sellz, NFL Media Senior Manager of Playback Operations and

NFL Green Team Chair

Garry Gregory, Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy Principal

WHEN & WHERE:

April 19 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT

Woodworth-Monroe K-8 Academy located at 10711 S 10th Ave, Inglewood, CA 90303

CONTACT:

Mara Powner, Los Angeles Rams, mpowner@rams.nfl.com, (720) 8381396

5 Smart Tax-Saving Tips for Small Businesses

By Aden Ferguson

Now that the April 15th tax filing deadline has passed, small business owners are looking for effective strategies to minimize next year’s tax burden. Navigating the complex world of business taxes can be daunting, but there are several strategies small businesses can use to save money.

1. Take Advantage of Deductions

Small businesses can deduct a wide range of expenses, from office supplies and utilities to vehicle mileage and professional development costs. Be sure to keep meticulous records and consult a tax professional to ensure you’re claiming all eligible deductions.

2. Leverage Tax Credits

Currently, there are numerous tax credits available to small businesses, such as the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. These can provide dollarfor-dollar reductions in your tax liability, so be sure to research which credits you qualify for.

3. Timing Your Income and Expenses

By strategic timing when you recognize income and claim deductions, you can shift taxable income between tax years to minimize your overall tax burden. Consult with your accountant to develop a plan that works best for your business.

4. Invest in Equipment and Technology

The Section 179 deduction allows small businesses to deduct the full cost of qualifying equipment and technology purchases in the year of purchase, rather than depreciating the asset over time. This can provide significant upfront tax savings.

5. Leverage Employee Benefits

Offering tax-advantaged benefits

like retirement plans, health savings accounts, and dependent care assistance programs can save your business money on payroll taxes while also providing valuable perks to your employees.

Taxes can be a significant expense for small businesses, but with some strategic planning, you can keep more of your hard-earned profits. The key is

to stay organized, take advantage of all available deductions and credits, and work closely with a tax professional. By implementing these tax-saving tips, small business owners can maximize their financial resources and reinvest in the growth and success of their company.

rapid-fire and then he would stop for 20, 30 minutes and then he would just continue,” said Connor Hedges. “We heard just a bunch of police commotion, helicopters circling, tons of police.” Neighbors who recognized Nguyen

described him as a normal guy and did not suspect that he would do something like this.

The suspect was later taken into custody at around 1 a.m. There are no reports of anyone hurt and a motive for

the incident remains unclear. Nguyen was scheduled to face charges in court on April 16.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the shootings was urged to contact investigators at (310) 482-6000.

IRS Warns the Public About Tax Scams

them at risk.

Phone scams

Tax filing season is upon us, and so are the scammers. Savvy criminals impersonating the IRS either over-thephone, by email or in-person can steal money from people. All taxpayers should stay vigilant against these schemes.

Here are some tips from the IRS to help people recognize and avoid taxrelated scams.

Email phishing scams

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or

The IRS generally first mails a bill to a taxpayer who owes taxes. There are specific ways to pay taxes. The agency and its authorized private collection agencies will not:

• Leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages on an answering system.

IRS office phone number or the numbers of various local, state, federal or tribal government agencies.

If a taxpayer receives an IRS or Treasury-related phone call, but doesn’t owe taxes and has no reason to think they do, they should:

• Not give out any information. Hang up immediately.

• Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report the IRS impersonation scam call.

• Report the caller ID and callback number to the IRS by sending

financial information. Generally, the IRS first mails a paper bill to a person who owes taxes. In some special situations, the IRS will call or come to a home or business.

Taxpayers should report IRS, Treasury or tax-related suspicious online or email phishing scams to phishing@irs.gov. They should not open any attachments, click on any links, reply to the sender, or take any other actions that could put

• Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to arrest the taxpayer for not paying, deport them or revoke their licenses.

• Call to demand immediate payment with a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.

• Ask for checks to third parties.

• Demand payment without giving the taxpayer an opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed. Criminals can fake or spoof caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country. Scammers can even spoof an

it to phishing@irs.gov. The subject line should include “IRS Phone Scam.”

• Report the call to the Federal Trade Commission.

If a taxpayer wants to verify what taxes they owe the IRS, they should:

• View tax account information online at IRS.gov.

• Review their payment options.

The IRS general phone number is (800) 829-1040.

Advocates Are Highlighting Black Homeownership for National Housing Month

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) won a $10,000 fair housing settlement last November against a property management company, CIM Group LP, a global real estate company headquartered in Los Angeles, and property owner, RACR Sora, LLC, for implementing a blanket ban on renting to tenants with criminal histories at Sora Apartments in Inglewood. That illegal policy led to a number of Black applicants being rejected.

Three months earlier, the department, which enforces California’s civil rights laws, won another $20,000 civil rights settlement against a Lemon Grove property manager, who had targeted a Black tenant with a series of racist actions and threats of violence.

CRD Director Kevin Kish said the department investigates cases of apparent racial bias in housing and sometimes more subtle acts of prejudice like nuisance-free or crime-free housing policies or holding tenants to different standards based on their race.

“You see no crime ordinances used in a discriminatory way,” he explained. “People will get evicted if they call the police. This can negatively impact victims of domestic violence. We also see these no crime ordinances, or no crime policies, used in racially discriminatory ways. If there is some kind of incident, and the police are called and it involves a Black family, then they get evicted, but other folks aren’t necessarily evicted.”

April is National Fair Housing Month. In observance of it, the CRD and housing advocacy organizations across the state are highlighting fair housing practices and Black home ownership.

April 11 marked the 56th anniversary of President Lydon B. Johnson signing the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, and nationality. Johnson signed the act into law one week after civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

After more than half a century, Kish said instances of biased housing practices still happen.

“A lot has changed obviously,” he said. “Nobody is going to say the world that we live today is the world our grandparents and great-grandparents confronted, but some of what we see is exactly the same.”

Kish noted that William Byron Rumford, the first Black California State Assemblymember, spearheaded the passing of the Rumford Act in 1963. That law sought to end discriminatory housing practices in the Golden State, five years before the Fair Housing Act became law.

In 1963, California voters passed a ballot initiative known as Proposition 14. Introduced to counter Rumford’s groundbreaking law, it allowed biased activity in housing again. The discriminatory legislation was eventually deemed unconstitutional in April 1968.

Real estate agent and housing advocate Ashley Garner said Rumford, a state representative from Northern California,

does not get the recognition he deserves for his groundbreaking efforts to eradicate prejudiced housing practices.

“No one talks about this Black man, who felt oppression from the government and did something about it,”

Garner noted.

Garner is the director of the CLTRE Keeper Home Ownership program. That organization gave 25 Black, indigenous, and people of color $17,500 each in down payment and credit repair support to purchase a home in Oak Park, a traditionally Black neighborhood in Sacramento, last fall. CLTRE obtained a $500,000 grant from the city of Sacramento to award the funds to the residents after they completed an eightweek homeownership program.

We give a loan for the down payment to get them over that hurdle.”

Finding affordable housing, Johnson detailed, is a problem because of high interest rates, low availability of homes, zoning issues, and sky rocketing home prices.

call on April 10.

On April 16 and April 25, CRD will hold Zoom seminars focused on advocating for fair housing for people with disabilities, who are discriminated against the most in housing, according to CRD.

In 2021, CRD investigated 898 housing discrimination complaints. That same year, the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) noted that around four in 10 Black California families owned homes. That number is similar to the Black homeownership rates in the 1960s. Currently, the rate of Black homeownership trails that of White, Asian-American, and Latinos.

According to Forbes, California has the highest average home price in the United States. The median price for a home in California is over $500,000. Double the cost of a home in the rest of the country.

Garner said for more Black Californians to become homeowners, innovation is required.

“There is no way to get Black homeownership in a forward trajectory until we get creative,” Garner explained. “Look at how expensive it is in California to own a home and how low incomes are.”

Support for Black first-time homebuyers, homeowners’ mortgage assistance and property tax relief for neighborhoods restricted by historic redlining are among the bills included in the 2024 Reparations Priority Bill Package introduced by Black lawmakers this month. The package builds on recommendations included in the final report the California reparations task force delivered to the Legislature in 2023.

California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) spokesperson Eric Johnson said CalHFA helps prospective low-income and moderate-income Californians purchase homes by offering down payment and closing cost aid. “There are lots of people who have steady jobs, good credit scores, constant income, but they haven’t been able to save up the money that traditional banks need or want to see for a down payment,” Johnson stated. “We help those folks out.

CalHFA conducts educational workshops and expos for prospective homebuyers. There was one on April 10 in Inglewood. There are events scheduled this month in Walnut, San Fernando, Riverside, and Cerritos.

CRD and the Department of Real Estate hosted “Fair Housing Protections for People with Criminal Histories” Zoom

Garner said without policies to help people in underserved communities buy a home, those people will leave California.

“We need to create solutions for people to be able to call California home,” she said.

McKenzie Jackson | California Black Media