Bakersfield News Observer 1.11.23

Golden Globes are Back on TV, But are Reform Efforts Enough?

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Historic Bruce’s Beach to be Sold Back to Los Angeles County for $20 Million

By Philtrina Farquharson Contributing Writer

In the early 1900s, Willa and Charles Bruce purchased two parcels of land along Manhattan Beach. In hopes of building wealth and genuinely living the American dream, they turned the land into a seaside resort that welcomed Black beachgoers from Los Angeles and beyond.

During this time, there was a lot of injustice and racism geared towards Blacks that would lead to a petition from local white real estate agents and residents to take away Bruce’s Beach wrongfully. Although this land was taken through eminent domain, history displays that this act was racially motivated and went on to prevent Bruce and other black families from building wealth throughout Manhattan Beach.

More than 100 years later, Willa and Charles’ descendants came together to endure a year-long process to fight for their family legacy and birthright. In June 2022, Bruce’s Beach was returned by the Board of Supervisors. The living legal heirs of Charles and Willa Bruce were able to claim what was rightfully theirs, in which the Black community felt this was a great example of how reparations should work.

Most recently, George Fatheree III, the lawyer representing the Bruce family, spoke in an exclusive interview with KBLA Talk 1580. The family recently decided to sell the land to Los Angeles County.

“They should have grown up as part of a hospitality dynasty rivaling Marriott and Hilton, but because of history, we all know that did not happen. Although the Black community may feel like this is a setback, Fatheree III says, “The ability to sell the property and invest the funds in a way that is important to their lives represents an essential opportunity for the family to have a piece of that legacy that was theirs.

In negotiations to return the land to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) authored the legislation (SB 796), which cleared the way for the beachfront land to be returned to the Bruce family. In June of last year, the County of Los Angeles Transfer Documents detailed a 24-month lease agreement with the Bruce family and rented the property from them. The Lease Agreement also included Bruce’s family’s right to sell the property to the County for a

purchase price not to exceed $20 million, its fair market value.

As news broke with the family’s decision to sell the land back to Los Angeles County, Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) shared his thoughts, “I fully support the decision made by the Bruce family to sell the property to the County of LA. They are exercising a right that should have never been taken away from them. The current

California’s First Black Controller Takes Office

On

Constitutional

Last week

On Monday, Jan. 2, the oath of office was administered by Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I am proud and honored to serve as California’s state controller,” said Cohen. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”

The community event was held at St. Paul Missionary

“I am proud and honored to serve as California’s State Controller,” Cohen said. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”

California now has three Black politicians holding

“Congratulations @MaliaCohen. As California’s first Black state controller, Malia has made history and continues to break barriers while helping build long-term equity throughout our communities. I’m confident she will continue fighting for the rights of all Californians,” Breed stated in a Jan. 6 post on her Twitter page

“I am excited to get to work on creating a more equitable California as your next Controller,” Cohen tweeted Jan. 6.

Cohen was elected to the California Board of Equalization (BOE) in November 2018 and was named chairperson in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, Cohen continues to serve the Board as the BOE’s fifth voting member.

Prior to being elected to the BOE, Cohen was President of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, she also served as the Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and President of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS).

Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco. Her political journey, she says lightheartedly, began when she was elected class president of San Francisco’s Lowell High School, the oldest public high school on the West Coast. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.

She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller also has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.

Cohen’s duties include being a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds.

White Sheriff Who Disparaged Black Employees Resigns - Again

WHITEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina sheriff resigned a second time Wednesday in the aftermath of a leaked audio recording in which he called Black employees by derogatory names and said they should be fired, his attorney announced.

Jody Greene was reelected to a second term as Columbus County’s sheriff last fall, despite the fact that weeks earlier he had resigned after a recording of his racist comments was leaked.

Greene was sworn back into office last week, prompting District Attorney Jon David to relaunch his effort to get Greene removed from office and permanently disqualified. The announcement of Greene’s latest resignation came during a hearing on David’s petition, according to news outlets.

A superior court judge said the resignation announcement effectively ended David’s effort to remove Greene from office. David said the judge hadn’t yet made a decision on barring Greene from office.

“This office has been very consistent with where we stand on this issue. We simply do not feel as though Jody Greene should be someone who ever carries a badge again,” David said.

David began his quest to have Greene removed from office last year, alleging that the white sheriff had engaged in racial profiling of employees both personally and through those under his command. David abandoned the effort after Greene resigned at an October hearing on his removal, but resumed after Greene was sworn in again.

The recording of the phone call was given to WECTTV by a former sheriff’s captain who was Greene’s opponent in last year’s race for sheriff. Located about 120 miles (193 km) southeast of Raleigh, Columbus County has about 50,000 people and is approximately 63% white and 30% Black.

In the 2019 call to then-Capt. Jason Soles, who was temporarily serving as sheriff, Greene said he believed someone in the sheriff’s office was leaking information to former Sheriff Lewis Hatcher, who is Black, the station reported.

“I’m sick of it. I’m sick of these Black (expletives),” Greene is recorded saying. “I’m going to clean house and be done with it. And we’ll start from there.”

In a statement, Greene said the recording had been edited or altered, but he didn’t deny that he was on the call or that he made the statements.

Greene won November’s race with 54% of the vote, despite the recording, Greene’s initial resignation as well as David’s warning that he would again seek to remove Greene from office should he be reelected. Attorney Michael Mills said Greene continued his campaign to make sure that voters, not the district attorney, decided who served as the next sheriff.

Chief Deputy Kevin Norris will serve as interim sheriff until the county Board of Commissioners appoints a permanent replacement.

Family Says Missing Rapper Theophilus London Found Safe

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rapper Theophilus London has been found safe after disappearing for months, a relative announced Wednesday night.

“We have found Theo. He is safe and well,” the rapper’s cousin, Mikhail Noel, posted on Instagram. “At this time the family would love prayers and privacy. Thank you all!!!”

The post didn’t provide details of where London had been found, where he had been or why he hadn’t contacted his family, which filed a missing persons report with Los Angeles police last week and asked for the public’s help in finding him.

London’s family and friends had said they believed someone last spoke to the musician in July in Los Angeles.

London, 35, posted prolifically on Instagram, but his last posts also came in July.

An LAPD news release on Dec. 28 said London was last seen in the Skid Row area in October and his family had completely lost contact with him.

The rapper was born in Trinidad and Tobago and later raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York. He was nominated for a 2016 Grammy for best rap performance for a featured spot alongside Paul McCartney on Kanye West’s “All Day.”

London has frequently collaborated with the artist now known as Ye, who produced and guested on 2014’s “Vibes.” London would often post updates on Ye’s “Donda” and “Donda 2” on Instagram, even saying he was “promoted to tackle media duties” on Ye’s behalf for the month of February.

London has released three studio albums: 2011’s “Timez Are Weird These Days,” “Vibes” and 2020’s “Bebey.” He recently was a featured artist on Young Franco’s “Get Your Money,” released in September, the month before he was last seen.

Members of the Bruce family, elected officials and community activists at a ceremony in Manhattan Beach, Calif., last year to return property that was seized from the family’s ancestors in 1924. ( Photo Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

zoning regulations would prevent the Bruce family from developing the property in any economically beneficial manner. Based on that fact, it leaves LA County as the only logical purchaser of the property.” Overall the story of Bruce’s beach is a win for the community and will pave the way for how Black wealth is generated and reparations that are much needed for all of the setbacks our ancestors dealt with.

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

Malia M. Cohen was sworn-in as the first Black woman – and first African American -- to serve as California’s State Controller.

Friday Jan. 6, Cohen was given the oath of office by San Francisco Mayor London Breed with her husband Warren Pulley by her side.

Baptist Church in Sacramento.

offices including Cohen. Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond are the others.

Report Reveals California Cops Explicit Bias Against African Americans

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

A new report has revealed that California law enforcement officers searched, detained on the curb or in a patrol car, handcuffed, and removed from vehicles more individuals perceived as Black than individuals perceived as white, even though they stopped more than double the number of individuals perceived as white than individuals perceived as Black.

California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board’s report gathered information from 18 law enforcement agencies.

The data revealed that officers stopped 2.9 million individuals in 2020. Most were African Americans and members of the LGBTQ community.

The agency said that the data included what officers “perceived” to be the race, ethnicity, gender, and disability status of people they stopped, even if the perception was different from how the person identified.

According to the data, authorities search African Americans 2.4 times more than whites and disproportionately more than other racial and ethnic groups.

It also found that individual officers perceived as transgender women were 2.5 times more likely to be searched than women who appeared cisgender.

Data for the report came from the state’s most important law enforcement agencies, like the California Highway Patrol.

However, the highway patrol didn’t include data analyzing stops based on gender identity.

All agencies must report the data in 2023.

“The data in this report will be used by our profession to evaluate our practices as we continue to strive for police services that are aligned with our communities’ expectations of service,” Chief David Swing, co-chair of the Board and past president of the California Police Chiefs Association, said in a statement.

The report further showed that Black and Hispanic individuals were more likely to have force used against them compared to white individuals, while Asian and other individuals were less likely.

Specifically, the odds of having force used during a stop were 1.32 times and 1.16 times as high for Black and Hispanic individuals, respectively.

Asian and other individuals whom officers stopped had lower odds of having force used against them (0.80 and 0.82, respectively) relative to the odds for those perceived as white.

Search discovery rate analyses showed that, when officers searched individuals, all races, or ethnic groups of color, except for Asian and Middle Eastern/South Asian individuals, had higher search rates despite having lower rates of discovering contraband than individuals perceived as white.

Furthermore, a search and discovery rate analysis show that officers searched people perceived to have a mental health disability 4.8 times more often and people perceived to have other types of disabilities 2.7 times more often than people perceived to have no disability.

Still, they discovered contraband or evidence at a lower rate during stops and searches of people with disabilities.

Officers used force against individuals perceived to have mental health disabilities at 5.2 times the rate at which they used force against individuals they perceived to have no disabilities.

The data show that Black and Hispanic/Latinx individuals are asked for consent to search at higher rates than white individuals.

Officers searched Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and multiracial individuals at higher rates for consent-only searches than all other racial/ethnic groups.

These consent-only searches resulted in lower rates of discovery of contraband (8.5%, 11.3%, and 13.0%, respectively) than searches of all other racial and ethnic groups.The reason for the stop was a traffic violation in more than half of the stops where officers conducted a consentonly search (consent being the only reason for the search) of black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Middle Eastern/South Asian individuals.

On the other hand, less than 30% of the consent-only searches of white people happened during traffic stops.

The people who wrote the report said that searches based on consent alone lead to fewer discoveries than searches based on reasonable suspicion or probable cause. With consent-only searches, the rate of finding something was 9.2 percentage points lower for Black people than for white people.

“Given the disparities in the data on consent searches, the board questions whether consent searches are truly voluntary,” the authors wrote.

While the data show that most people consent to a search when asked by an officer, research from the report reflects that this “consent” is not necessarily voluntary because of the inherent power inequality between a law enforcement officer and a member of the public.

The research shows that this natural power imbalance is evident in vulnerable groups, such as people with mental health problems or young people, who may be more likely

to give in to authority.

“Indeed,” the authors wrote, “RIPA data reflects that for both people with mental health disabilities and youth, a larger proportion of their stops that began as consensual encounters resulted in searches, as compared to people without mental health disabilities or adults.”

Board members said they carefully looked at the data about people who were stopped and searched because of their status as people under supervision.

The Board’s analyses reveal significant disparities that warrant further examination of law enforcement practices.

For example, officers performed supervision-only searches – where supervision status is the only basis for the search – of individuals perceived as Black at 2.8 times the rate at which they performed supervision-only searches of individuals they perceived as white.

Similarly, officers also performed supervision plus searches – where the officer had some other basis to search the person – of Black individuals at 3.3 times the rate they performed supervision plus searches of white individuals.

The rates of discovering contraband for supervisiononly searches were lower for all racial/ethnic groups than white individuals; Black individuals had the most considerable difference in their discovery rate (-11.4 percentage points) compared to whites.

Officers also reported a higher proportion of supervision-only searches during stops for traffic violations (46.9%) than during reasonable suspicion stops (24.6%).

“These were just a few of the many disparities discussed in the report,” board members noted.

“Given the large disparities observed, the Board reviewed efforts by various law enforcement agencies to limit inquiries into supervision status as well as stops and searches on the basis of supervision status.

“The RIPA data further indicates that the practice of conducting supervision-only searches shows racial disparities that result in low yield rates of contraband or evidence.”

Department of Justice Begins Supreme Court Defense of Student Loan Forgiveness

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In a filing sent to the U.S. Supreme Court this week, the Department of Justice agreed with President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student loans.

In 2022, the president promised to forgive all outstanding student loan debt for millions of borrowers, up to a maximum of $20,000 each.

Republicans are leading the way in suing the federal government to stop the plan.

The Department of Justice, however, said last week in a court filing that Biden’s actions are perfectly legal.

Lawyers from the Department of Justice said that Congress gave the president “clear permission” to go ahead with his plan.

A federal judge in Texas invalidated a program in October that would have helped 40 million people with their student loan debt.

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Two people who didn’t qualify for aid under Biden’s scheme sued the initiative on behalf of the conservative Job Creators Network Foundation.

At the time, White House Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre said the government strongly disagreed.

“The President and this Administration are determined to help working and middle-class Americans get back on their feet, while our opponents, backed by extremist Republican special interests, have sued to prohibit millions of Americans from getting much-needed relief,” Jean- Pierre remarked.

The HEROES Act of 2003, according to the White House, gives the Secretary of Education the authority to forgive student debt.

“The program is consequently an illegal exercise of Congress’s legislative power and must be vacated,” wrote Judge Mark Pittman, a Donald Trump nominee.

“In this country, we are not dominated by an allpowerful executive with a pen and a phone,” he continued.

Federal student loan debt of up to $10,000 will be forgiven for borrowers with yearly incomes of less than $125,000 in 2020 or 2021, and up to $200,000 for married couples or heads of households.

Borrowers who also got a federal Pell grant might have up to $20,000 in their loans discharged.

Six states with Republican governors sued to stop Biden’s plan to forgive debts. This made the 8th U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals put a hold on the plan.

One plaintiff in Texas lost her right to have her federal student loans forgiven because the federal government did not service her loans.

Since the other plaintiff did not obtain a Pell award, the amount of debt relief to which he is entitled is just $10,000.

They said they had no way of voicing their disapproval of the program’s regulations because the administration had not followed the Administrative Procedure Act’s notice and comment rule-making procedure.

Elaine Parker, president of the Job Creators Network Foundation, stated in a statement, “This verdict supports the rule of law which requires all Americans to have their voices heard by their federal government.”

According to CNN’s reporting, Bernie Marcus, the former CEO of Home Depot, and a key Trump donor, established the Job Creators Network Foundation.

Two challenges challenging Biden’s debt relief plan will be argued before the Supreme Court in February.

In February, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases.

In its petition, the Justice Department said, “The lower courts’ decisions have wrongly taken away the Secretary’s legislative authority to give targeted student loan debt relief to borrowers affected by national emergencies.”

President Biden Praises Jobs Report,

‘We are Moving in the Right Direction’

By Stacy M. Brown

In December, the United States added 223,000 jobs, exceeding expectations by more than 21,000, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%.

The unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in 54 years.

Last year, 4.5 million new jobs were created. President Joe Biden stated that his first two years in office saw the highest levels of job growth in history.

“We are witnessing the transition to steady and stable growth that I have been predicting for months,” Biden said.

“We still have work to do to bring down inflation and help American families feeling the cost-of-living squeeze.

However, we are on the right track.”

According to the White House, the unemployment rate for Black and Hispanic Americans has dropped to

near-record lows.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for disabled people hit a new low, while hourly wages for all workers rose slightly in December after five months of increases in real wages.

Manufacturing employment increased by 8,000 jobs last month, bringing the total number of manufacturing jobs created since Biden’s election to 750,000.

In addition, administration officials say that people in their prime working years have continued to join the workforce faster than in previous recoveries.

“These historic job and unemployment gains are giving workers more power and breathing room for American families,” Biden said.

“Real wages are up in recent months, gas prices are down, and we are seeing welcome signs that inflation is coming down as well. It’s a good time to be an American

worker.”

“We have more work to do, and we may face setbacks along the way,” the president said, “but it is clear that my economic strategy of growing the economy from the bottom up and middle out is working.”

“We are just getting started,” he said.

“This month, we are capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 per month. We are lowering energy and utility bills for Americans,” Biden said.

“And shovels are hitting the ground all around the country to rebuild our infrastructure, supply chains, and manufacturing here at home.

“That is how we will build an America in which we can all be proud, where working families have good jobs and more breathing room, and the economy grows from the bottom up and middle out over time.”

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Lawyers from the Department of Justice said that Congress gave the president “clear permission” to go ahead with his plan. (Courtesy Photo)

Golden Globes are Back on TV, But are Reform Efforts Enough?

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) – Without a TV show, starry red carpet, host, press or even a livestream, the Golden Globe Awards were in chaos last year after scandal broke over lack of diversity, accusations of sexism, and ethical and financial lapses among members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Once known as Hollywood's biggest, booziest party that regularly drew 18 million television viewers, the doling out of statues was reduced to a 90-minute private event with no celebrities present at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Winners were announced on Twitter, often without specifying what project a person had actually won for.

What a difference a year can make.

After dumping the telecast in the aftermath of a damaging expose by the Los Angeles Times, NBC will put the battered 80-year-old Globes back on the air Tuesday under a one-year deal, as opposed to multi-year contracts of the past worth tens of millions of dollars.

A wave of celebrities plan to attend, along with star presenters and funnyman host Jerrod Carmichael after the embattled controllers of the Globes dug deep into the work of implementing top-down reforms.

There's now a strict code of conduct, refreshed bylaws, a ban on gifts and new rules on accepting travel and other perks from the industry. Contentious news conferences were dumped, and the pool of awards voters was expanded beyond the 87 Los Angeles-based foreign journalists who once ruled the organization.

But are the powerful publicists, studios and other stakeholders who boycotted in protest satisfied with the changes? And are those changes the beginning _ or closer to the end?

“It's, by far, not over,” said German journalist Helen Hoehne, who took over as president of the HFPA a year and a half ago. “We always said when we started this journey that it would be ongoing and that it would take some time.”

Kelly Bush Novak, CEO and founder of the A-list

public relations firm ID, said more must be done, but she supports steps taken so far.

“We came together ... to ensure the future of the Globes, in step with our culture and our shared values as an industry, and we see commendable and seismic progress,” she said. “I'm optimistic that the work will continue.”

Still, Novak acknowledged not all stakeholders are on board ahead of Tuesday's broadcast, despite sweeping changes aimed at restoring the luster of the Globes.

Last year, publicists like Novak banded together to battle the HFPA, and studios that included Netflix and WarnerMedia cut ties with the organization after the LA Times raised questions about corruption and a range of bias issues over race and sexual orientation.

None of the 87 Hollywood Foreign Press Association members was Black and the group had not had a Black member since at least 2002.

Now, after an effort to increase and diversify its ranks, 199 people decide who gets a Globe, a mix of 96 HFPA members and outsiders from other countries brought in to dilute the power of the old guard. Membership eligibility was expanded from Los Angeles to anywhere in the United States.

Heading into the telecast, Globes voters stand at 52% female, and 51.8% racially and ethnically diverse, including 19.6% Latino, 12.1% Asian, 10.1% Black and 10.1% Middle Eastern. Voters also include those who are LGBTQIA+. In all, 62 countries are represented.

The governing board was expanded from nine to 15 and includes three Black members, two of whom vote on rules and other matters but not awards. Overall, the organization now has six Black HFPA members and 14 Black international Globes voters who aren't members.

Perhaps the most significant change: The Globes were purchased by billionaire Todd Boehly, who also owns the Beverly Hilton, Globes producer dick clark productions and the Chelsea soccer team. He's shifting the voting body from its founding nonprofit status to a for-profit model, pending approval by the California attorney general. He plans to preserve the HFPA's charitable work with a

separate nonprofit entity.

A hotline managed by two independent law firms was opened, with complaints investigated by outsiders. A chief diversity officer was hired, and mandatory racial, sexual harassment and sexual orientation sensitivity training was put in place, required for any HFPA member casting Globe votes.

Michelle Williams, nominated for her turn in “The Fabelmans,” is among dozens of stars panning to attend Tuesday.

“It feels to me like the community as a whole has decided that this organization has really done a lot of work to reform themselves and that we can support change, like we can hold people accountable and then we can support them as they continue to journey in their path towards being a better organization,” she said.

Added Judd Hirsch, nominated for the same film: “We'll be there. We'll give them another chance.”

Dumping news conferences at the center of insensitive questions posed to talent who felt obligated to show up helped cool off some critics, but not all.

“I can't speak for everyone. There may be some reluctance to participate,” Novak said. “We must acknowledge the past and will never forget the damage done. Manifesting a new future requires it.”

Brendan Fraser, nominated for his performance in “The Whale,” will not be there Tuesday. In 2018, Fraser said he was groped by Philip Berk, a former HFPA president who is from South Africa.

Berk was expelled in 2021 after calling Black Lives Matter “a racist hate movement.”

“I just hope that we can regain his trust over time,” Hoehne said of Fraser.

The same, Hoehne said, goes for Tom Cruise. Last year, he returned his three Golden Globes in protest. With a best picture nod for his long-awaited sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” he was snubbed for best actor this year.

Under Boehly's leadership, HFPA members will earn $75,000 a year as his employees, as opposed to current stipends closer to $5,000. They'll vote on nominations and

winners among films and television series submitted for awards consideration. They'll write for the organization's website, and organize other projects, the LA Times said, citing a confidential employee memo it reviewed.

The 103 new voting non-members recruited with the help of the National Association of Black Journalists, Asian-American Journalists Association and LGBTQIA+ organizations will not be paid, setting up a two-tier structure aimed at eliminating the taint of financial compensation as more new recruits come on board.

Outraged industry stakeholders had called for the overall Globes voting body to be closer to 300. Other reforms are aimed at battling the perception of influence peddling.

As eventual paid employees, members will be subject to firing without cause. They're now required to sign a code of conduct every year covering job performance, decorum and ethical behavior.

The 80-year-old group had been stuck in its ways, Hoehne acknowledged.

“We needed to question a lot of things. We needed to look at these bylaws and say, OK, how can we make them better? How can we modernize the association? We had never really done it and not addressed it,” she said.

Although the new pay structure has not yet been implemented, over the past year the HFPA has pushed out several members it accused of violating its standards.

One was accused of forging signatures on Internal Revenue Service documents, another case related to sexual harassment and a third involved fabricating interviews that never occurred, according to an HFPA spokesperson.

Boehly himself acknowledged the future is uncertain.

“I have nightmares where it doesn't work too, you know? I get it, you can't convince all of the people all of the time of anything,” he told the LA Times. “We know we have to add value and we know that we have to be part of the solution.”

‘Romeo & Juliet’ Stars Sue Over 1968 Film’s Teen Nude Scene

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The two stars of 1968's “Romeo and Juliet” sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million on Tuesday over a nude scene in the film shot when they were teens.

Olivia Hussey, then 15 and now 71, and Leonard Whiting, then 16 now 72, filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud.

Director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019, initially told the two that they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in the bedroom scene that comes late in the movie and was shot on the final days of filming, the suit alleges.

But on the morning of the shoot, Zeffirelli told Whiting, who played Romeo, and Hussey, who played Juliet, that they would wear only body makeup, while still assuring them the camera would be positioned in a way

that would not show nudity, according to the suit.

Yet they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge, in violation of California and federal laws against indecency and the exploitation of children, the suit says.

Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude “or the Picture would fail” and their careers would be hurt, the suit said. The actors “believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded.”

Whiting's bare buttocks and Hussey's bare breasts are briefly shown during the scene.

The film, and its theme song, were major hits at the time, and has been shown to generations of high school students studying the Shakespeare play since.

The court filing says the Hussey and Whiting have suffered emotional damage and mental anguish for decades, and that each had careers that did not reflect the success of the movie.

It says given that suffering and the revenue brought

in by the film since its release, the actors are entitled to damages of more than $500 million.

An email seeking comment from representatives of Paramount was not immediately returned.

The lawsuit was filed under a California law temporarily suspending the statute of limitations for child sex abuse, which has led to a host of new lawsuits and the revival of many others that were previously dismissed.

Hussey defended the scene in a 2018 interview with Variety, which first reported the lawsuit, for the film's 50th anniversary.

“Nobody my age had done that before,” she said, adding that Zeffirelli shot it tastefully. “It was needed for the film.”

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Hussey and Whiting have.

California’s First Black Controller

Malia M. Cohen Takes Office

Continued from page A1

At the St. Paul Baptist Missionary Baptist Church swearing-in, Kenneth Reece, the Senior Pastor, gave the opening prayer.

Held at the church six miles from the State Capitol, Cohen’s swearing-in ceremony included prayers offered by Imam Yasir Kahn, the Chaplain of the California State Assembly, and Rabbi Mona Alfi, the Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’Nai Israel.

Among guests were Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Director of Bay Area Rapid Transit Bevan Duffy, California Labor Federation Executive SecretaryTreasurer Lorena Gonzalez, the singer Aloe Blacc and Jaqueline Thompson, Pastor at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.

Cohen’s swearing-in was held on the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The day was packed with political activities in Sacramento and shadowed by references to the infamous Capitol insurrection in Washington that shocked people across the country and around the world.

That day, Gov. Newsom was sworn in to a second term. Rob Bonta was also sworn-in for the first time as the state’s Attorney General. He was appointed to the position by Newsom in March 2021.

Before Newsom’s outdoor ceremony, the Governor, his wife, and four children led a march from West Sacramento, across the Tower Bridge, to the Capitol. During the Governor’s address on the steps of the Capitol, he shared his feelings about the attack on the U.S. Capitol two years ago while addressing some of the state’s most pressing issues.

“Our politics doesn’t always reward taking on the hardest problems. The results of our work may not be evident for a long time. But that cannot be our concern,” Newsom said. “We will prepare for uncertain times ahead. We will be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, pay down debt, and meet our future obligations. And we will build and safeguard the largest fiscal reserve of any state in American history.”

(Gov. Newsom Courtesy Photo)

Features

CA Black Owned Biz

Set to Access More State Gov’t Contracts

By Jaivon Grant California Black Media

Black and other minority-owned small businesses in California have actively fought for decades for more inclusion in California state government contracting opportunities.

Their hard work and patience paid off in September last year, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2019 into law.

Authored by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), the law took effect on Jan. 1. It mandates that state departments and agencies commit to providing at least 25% of all procurement opportunities to small businesses. Additionally, the bill requires state departments and agencies ensure that minority-owned and womenowned businesses are included in the procurement process, when contracting opportunities are available.

“California has invested billions of dollars to help small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve their California Dream,” said Newsom when signing the bill September 2022. “These new laws build on our efforts to create a more inclusive economy with renewed opportunity for innovation and growth for the country’s largest small business community. I’m thankful for the Legislature’s leadership and support to help the backbone of our economy thrive.”

Newsom signed AB 2019 after it passed in the Assembly unanimously with a 74-0 vote and it passed in the Senate 34-0.

Small businesses employ nearly 7.2 million workers (or 48.8% of all employees in California).

According to AB 2019, more than 39% of California’s 4.1 million small businesses (1.6 million) are minority owned. The bill is projected to have a significant positive impact on the overall economic stability of the state by enhancing state agencies’ ability to support underserved businesses in state contracting and encouraging entrepreneurship.

“Billions of dollars are at stake in our state contracting process and when we make it fair for diverse entrepreneurs, the success of these small businessowners lift up communities all across our state,” said Petrie-Norris, who is Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “This bill will not only keep the state accountable, but it would give businesses that face systemic barriers an opportunity to succeed, keep families

fed, create jobs and vitalize their communities.”

A coalition of minority-owned business advocacy organizations recently produced and released a video emphasizing some of the benefits of working with the state government.

“There are a lot of times where you’re questioning ‘am I going to have enough work for my small company,’” minority business owner Gary Efhan, CEO of Qualis Telecom stated in the video. “Without support, it’s pretty hard, and I’ve seen a lot of people go out of business.”

“Supporting us -- and being in our communities --that will make a huge difference for sure,” Efhan added.

In the same video, CalAsian Chamber of Commerce President Pat Fong expressed that are many barriers to full participation for small businesses in California.

“Part of our goal with AB 2019 is to come up with an infrastructure that makes sense for small businesses,” Fong said. “There’s an understanding about what types of opportunities are available that are easy to access. How do we better connect California’s diverse businesses to those opportunities? I think that’s the challenge but also the opportunity.”

The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce represents more than 815,000 Latino-owned business in California -- organizations that, in aggregate, contribute more than 7% to the United States’ GDP, the organization says.

“As proud co-sponsors of AB 2019, we are thankful that the bill is now signed by the Governor,” said Julian Canete, President of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. “There are numerous and diverse small businesses who can provide services and products to the State and this bill ensures they at least have a fighting chance to be awarded a contract. Thank you to Assemblymember Petrie-Norris for her work on this bill.”

The bill has garnered strong support from the California Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Majority, the California African American Chamber of Commerce, the California State Controller, California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Women Business Owners.

This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

L to R: Pat Fong Kushida, president and CEO Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon Esq. Chairman of the Californa African American Chamber of Commerce and Julian Cañete serves as the President and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.

More Employers Demanding Employees Return to the Office

By Stacy M. Brown

NNPA

Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Josh Wright runs a small eCommerce business that helps consumers get good deals on cell phones and plans but doesn’t believe employers should demand everyone return to the office.

Wright says that people who work at home are more productive because they do not have as many distractions at work. When people work at home, they can be more focused and focus on their work, Wright said.

“For a small eCommerce business like mine, the cost savings associated with working from home can be significant,” he added. “Remote work eliminates the need for a physical office space, and employees can use their own equipment, which reduces overhead costs.”

However, Wright’s view isn’t shared by many other employers. According to the Wall Street Journal, employers are losing their patience with empty desks in the office.

The newspaper noted that companies like Vanguard Group, Paycom Software, and others have told employees to come in to work more in 2023 to save money. Many employers have asserted that in-person work helps with problem-solving, training new employees, and it reinforces corporate culture.

“Employers face a tough decision. Forcing employees to return can cause many of these employees to seek other employment,” Caroline Duggan, Chief Brand Officer for Lumineux, said in an email. “Employees have found they enjoy the flexibility and better work/life balance they have achieved through remote work. It will be difficult to get them to give that up.” Duggan said that many federal employees have continued working remotely. She noted that District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser had urged President Joe Biden to either have them return or release the buildings they formerly occupied, so the city could create more housing space.

“The larger issue seems to be around the question of productivity,” Duggan added.

“Are employees as productive working from home as in the office? Employers will need to balance their needs with retention to determine what works best for their employees and their company.”

However, McKenna Moore, an associate editor at LinkedIn, said remote work may be past its prime.

Moore wrote that, in the current U.S. job market, many employers have taken remote-work arrangements off the table.

“Data from LinkedIn’s Workforce Report shows the rapid rise and fall of employers’ willingness to target remote candidates,” Moore reported.

In an analysis of over 60 million paid job postings on LinkedIn since January 2021, researchers found that remote jobs had the highest number of jobs in March 2022.

But Moore noted that spike gave way to an abrupt decline; in November 2022, barely 14% of paid job postings invited remote applicants. “It might be helpful for businesses to have workers located in an office, where they can keep an eye on them and offer constructive criticism to guarantee timely project completion,” said Calvin Willis, a tech entrepreneur.

“An organization might see, for instance, that its remote workers are constantly a few days behind schedule on projects, whereas those based in the office never miss a deadline,” Willis continued. “Having everyone in the same room at the same time encourages conversation and cooperation among workers, which isn’t always easy to accomplish when everyone has different hours.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that, for much of the pandemic, companies took a “fairly soft” approach to policy enforcement, fearful that too rigid a stance on in-office work could harm morale or lead to turnover. “Although companies set office policies, some managers largely allowed workers to ignore them,” the newspaper reported.

The average office occupancy in 10 major U.S. Cities remained below 50% for much of 2022, according to data from security firm Kastle Systems.

According to the newspaper, most employees want to

work in an office at least a few days a week. They also said that many workers see the benefits of working in an office.

Meanwhile, some employers insisted that enforcing the rules is a matter of fairness to the workers who have been complying. “Uneven and inconsistent adoption has created inequities in how the model is applied and has made it difficult to realize the benefits of in-person learning, collaboration and connection,” Vanguard officials said in a memo, according to the Journal.

Some Vanguard employees said they were told

by their managers that if they didn’t comply with the return-to-office policy, they would be terminated without severance. At Paycom, nearly 80% of the company’s employees are already working five days a week at the company’s headquarters. Many employees began returning to the office in August 2021.

“From the start of the pandemic, Paycom communicated that working from home would be a temporary solution while we prioritized everyone’s health and well-being,” a spokesman told the Journal.

Many employers have asserted that in-person work helps with problem-solving, training new employees, and it reinforces corporate culture. (Courtesy Photo)

STEAM Academy Features ARTS

FACET Festivities with Finesse

When it comes to knowing some of the most highly educated, accomplished, astute, hardworking, and passionate African American females in Bakersfield, CA, you do not have to look far. That is of course, if you are privileged to know one of the esteem and equally caring members of the Bakersfield Chapter of the Links, Incorporate. These industrious and creative women are at “it” again- this time, these members are delighted to host their National Award Winning Signature STEAM Academy Program, which is planned to highlight their exceptional ARTS FACET program( the “A” in STEAM stands for Arts). This program is scheduled for this Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 9:30 AM. Entitled, “A Performing Arts Experience: Defining & Exploring PERFORMING Arts”, this presentation is designed to educate, enlighten, and encourage the STEAM Academy student participants, and their parents, about the many diversified attributes and components of performing Arts. Emerson Middle School 801 - 4th Street Bakersfield, California is the community location.

Live performances by Academy students, including alumni Academy Poet Ja “Nell Gore, Emerson Middle School Choir, the Bakersfield College’s student jazz band (led by Prof. Kris Tiner, BC Director of Jazz studies/ Performing Arts Chair) and a special presentation from a professional Actor, Siovhan Christensen, whose TV credits include such notables as Netflix Mindhunter- season 2, and NBC Law and Order: SVU. The City of Bakersfield, may not know that the Bakersfield Chapter of the Links Incorporated, was one of the first organizations to provide a STEAM Academy to the community- there are many now.

During its history, the Bakersfield Links Chapter has implemented and provided the following programs:

• The Links’ Leadership STEAM Academy Left Brain Right Brain Program

• National Poster Arts Contest Winners from McKinley Elementary, School South High School and Siebert Elementary this year!

• Adopted the Pinkney House at Kern County Museum

• Human Trafficking Bakersfield

• Can You Imagine Me-Childhood Obesity Program at McKinley Elementary School

• Health and Wellness Conferences

• Project LEAD: High Expectations

• Introduced DARE to Kern County

• Mental Health , and Hepatitis C Programs

• Cyberbullying Programs

• Hope for Haiti

• HIV/AIDS

• Collaborated with other Link Chapters to Build Schools in South Africa (MORE)

• Housing Conference sponsored by HUD which resulted the building of St. John Manor

• Energy Conference

• Youth Enrichment Assemblies

• Boxes to Bagdad

History of Bakersfield Chapter, Links Incorporated: The Bakersfield Chapter was established on June 11, 1977, at The Rio Bravo Tennis Club in Bakersfield, California. The three visionary and esteemed ladies who organized the Bakersfield Chapter were Willye Pearl Collier , Evangeline Myles (both deceased) and Educator, Alma Lee Nealy, who still resides in Bakersfield, CA. The Chapter was sponsored by Mrs. Alice Harvey, Los Angeles Chapter and Mrs. Evangeline Myles, Greater Kansas City Chapter. The Chapter was installed by Ms. Ann Julian, National Establishment Officer and Mrs. Julia Smith, Western Area Director.

In Kern County, The Bakersfield Chapter of The Links represents Twenty- seven outstanding women, including our six stellar Platinum and three alumnae members, all who have a committed track record of community service.

The Bakersfield Chapter has provided exemplary community service in its forty-six-year history. Our current Signature Program is “The Links’ Leadership STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Academy”.

Established in 2007, The Links’ Leadership STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) is a Links National award-winning Signature Program, designed as an educational outreach initiative. This Academy was originally developed to help to introduce, enlighten and educate underserved and diverse students about STEM careers, improve their academic achievement, graduate from high school, and succeed in post-secondary careers. However in recent years, the Academy transitioned from STEM to STEAM- this added art into the current quality curriculum, which is designed for students in grades 4 - 8th.

This weekend, the ART FACET is the featured facet, as the Bakersfield Chapter, Links Inc, continues with the legacy to educate, enlighten, expose, motivate, encourage and provide educational enrichment via STEAM Academy ART FACET Programs

During the fall of each year, the Bakersfield Chapter of the Links Incorporated ARTS FACET sponsors a public city-wide student National Art Competition- past local first place winner of this competition won $1,200!.

Local Community SPONSORS: The Bakersfield Chapter of the Links Incorporated, ARTS FACET, is grateful and thankful to partner with local business to make a positive difference in the community. With this planned Arts facet STEAM event, sponsors understand the need, importance of equity and inclusion in the performing Arts. Our partners have a like mind to inspire and educate all students in this community. In alphabetical order, the sponsors are as follows: AMR (Advance Micro Resources Technology), BCSD, in n Out Burgers, Krispy Kreme Donuts, Get Smart Insurance, Bakersfield News Observer, Red Carpet Affairs, Sam’s Club, Starbucks, and Teach Me Technology.

Bakersfield Residents Remember January 6th

By Janell Gore South Kern Sol

On the second anniversary of the January 6th insurrection when people stormed the capitol Public Citizen organized events across the country to show that they had not forgotten what happened.

Public Citizen tweeted, “we’re organizing, demanding accountability and justice for Jan 6 and advocating other pro-democracy reforms all across the country.”

In Bakersfield, residents met outside of Kevin McCarthy’s office to say they aren’t forgetting what happened and they want McCarthy held accountable for what happened.

Lori Pesante was there with her family and spoke about feeling the need to show up to this event for the second year in a row.

“I felt such a profound mix of emotions on the day of the insurrection and last year when we came out here to convene with others who were feeling the same way. I knew that today on the second anniversary I had to do the same thing, no matter what the circumstances,” said Pesante. “Today of all days at this time which would have been right in the middle of the unfolding of the events back in 2021 I wanted to make sure that myself and my family were remembering what happened.”

Bakersfield resident, Juli Solis spoke at the event about how she does not feel McCarthy and former president Donald Trump take the constitution seriously.

“January 6th is a day we’ll never forget. It’s going to go down in history because we were that close to losing it all,” said Solis.

During the event, the main themes were democracy

and truth. One person in attendance had a sign that read “Stop domestic terrorism protect democracy reject extremist lies remember 1- 6- 21” on the front and “Protect democracy divided we fall remember 1-6-21” on the back.

“This is a fight for truth as much as it is a fight for democracy… I hope that nationwide we’re able to cultivate a collective knowledge base of the facts of January 6th,” said Pesante. “So that no matter how it gets twisted in the media, no matter how much time has passed we all still remember the conditions that gave rise to this. This is the kind of stuff we see in nonfunctioning government structures. We shouldn’t see this in a functioning democracy we need to prevent it from happening again.

According to Pesante, holding the event at Kevin McCarthy’s office was to bring attention to his role in the insurrection of enabling those who incited the insurrection.

“There’s audio tape evidence of him basically saying that this was wrong but yet he went and told everybody else that he didn’t say that then the audio proved that he was lying. So here’s a person that clearly knows better but isn’t doing better,” said Pesante.

Along with giving each person time to speak about what happened and how it impacted them, Pesante placed papers on Mccarthy’s office window for people to write notes to McCarthy.

Some of the notes left called for McCarthy to resign and said that he refuses to speak to his constituents.

“May God have mercy on your soul. You’re clearly not going to change your path,” said Pesante when asked what she would say to McCarthy if present. “I am one of the people you allegedly represent and you clearly don’t care anything about me or my family.”

‘This is a Fight for Truth as Much as It is a Fight for Democracy’