Bakersfield News Observer 11.23.22

State Could have $25 Billion Deficit in 2023-24 Fiscal Year Happy Thanksgiving! From the Bakersfield News Observer

Panel Discuss Supreme Court Case Threatening End of Affirmative Action

Golden

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New Jersey Convicts Man of Killing a Man for Being White

FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) – A man has been convicted in the 2018 killing of an emergency medical technician and freelance photographer in New Jersey after authorities said he targeted the victim because of his race.

California’s

government may have a faceoff with a $25 billion budget shortfall in the upcoming fiscal year as tax revenues decline, according to a report issued by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO).

“It is not insignificant, but it is also manageable,” Petek said. “We don’t think of this as a budget crisis. We just think of it as a notable budget problem that the legislature will have to confront when it begins that process in January.”

The LAO, the state legislature’s fiscal and policy advisor, details the budget shortfall and suggests ways to avoid it in the 20-page “The 2023-24 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook.”

The document is released yearly around this time to help guide California lawmakers as they begin to put together budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year.

Petek said the threat of a national recession and actions by the Federal Reserve played a hand in the report’s outlook, but the predicted numbers are not based on a recession occurring.

“Economic conditions are really weighing on the revenue estimates that are a major influencer of our fiscal output,” Petek said. “With high inflation, with elevated inflation that causes the Fed to have to take action to cool down the economy in its effort to bring down inflation. The longer and the higher inflation remains, the more aggressive

Less spending on large, onetime allocations is one way the state can offset the revenue losses it is expected to experience.

In response to the LAO budget prediction, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said the state has budget resiliency — $37.2 billion in reserves.

“We can and will protect the progress of the recent year’s budgets,” Rendon said. “In particular, the Assembly will protect California’s historic school funding gains, as districts must continue to invest in retaining and recruiting staff to help kids advance and recover from the pandemic.”

State Senate Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in the past, the dreary budget forecast would have meant program cuts and middle-class tax increases.

“That does not have to be the case this year,” Akins said. “Thanks to our responsible approach, we are confident that we can protect our progress and craft a state budget without ongoing cuts to schools and other core programs or taxing middle class families. The bottom line is simple: we are prepared to hold onto the gains we’ve made and continue where we left off once our economy and revenues rebound.”

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Jurors in Monmouth County convicted 30-yearold Jamil Hubbard of Sayreville of murder Friday in the May 2018 attack on 56-year-old Jerry Wolkowitz near his Freehold apartment. The violence left Wolkowitz on life support for almost six months before he succumbed to his injuries.

Prosecutors said Hubbard told investigators that he had been sleeping in his car after a fight with his ex-girlfriend, and when he woke up he saw the victim walking nearby and decided to attack him because he was white. He said he probably would have left Wolkowitz alone if he was Black, authorities said.

Authorities said Hubbard punched and kicked Wolkowitz from behind, took his wallet and keys, dragged him into the parking lot and ran him over before fleeing in the victim’s vehicle. The Sayreville man was also convicted of bias intimidation, theft and motor vehicle theft, eluding and a weapons crime. He is scheduled for sentencing March 31.

Defense attorneys argued that Hubbard suffered from serious mental illness, including bipolar disorder, that prevented him from knowing what he was doing or appreciating its wrongfulness, but jurors rejected their plea for an acquittal on insanity grounds.

The Asbury Park Press said Wolkowitz worked as photographer, EMT and ambulance supervisor, and his work often appeared in the Asbury Park Press.

One of the victim’s sisters, Judy Marcus, speaking for the family outside the courtroom, called the case ``a living nightmare for almost five years for all of us.’’ She praised the work of investigators and prosecutors that she said ‘’gave us the ability to go on and end the nightmare.’’

Marcus said the ordeal was particularly difficult because both of their parents were Holocaust survivors and, for two years, while her mother was still alive, the family couldn’t bear to tell her that her son had been murdered, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Maine Nominates 1st Black Woman as House Speaker

Students on the picket line in November 16, 2022 (Photo: Maxim Elramsisy |California Black Media)

Around 48,000 academic workers at all 10 University of California (UC) campuses went on strike Nov.14, shutting down classrooms and research laboratories in the largest employee walkout at any academic institution in history.

The Post-Doctoral scholars, teaching assistants’ and associate instructors, graduate student researchers, and academic researchers are represented by the United Auto Workers union in contract negotiations with the UC system.

Bargaining between the disputing parties has been

ongoing for months, and while UC officials recently called for a third-party mediator to address remaining issues, they are continuing to negotiate without one.

“When I was working in the lab, I worked 50-60 hours per week, and the salary was so low that every month I really had to think about if I would make it through the month,” said Neil Sweeny, President of UAW 5810, which is representing the striking UC employees. “I have two small children and my partner was a full-time student. We lived in campus family housing and we went to the campus foodbank every month to make sure that we had food. This was while my research was bringing in millions of dollars in research funding for the University.”

The workers are demanding better pay and benefits, including wage increases tied to housing costs. Housing costs in California are among the highest in the country, especially in the Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas.

Aside from UC campuses located in the state’s biggest cities, many of the research university system’s campuses are in parts of the state that have relatively high costs living, like Berkeley, San Diego and the Westside of Los Angeles.

“UC’s pay falls below all their self-identified peer institutions, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale and even public schools like the University of Michigan where living costs are far less” the union said in a press release on

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PORTLAND,

Maine (AP) – Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives nominated the state’s first African American to serve as speaker, selecting a Portland lawmaker whose father was the first Black member of the Maine Legislature.

House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, who couldn’t seek reelection because of term limits.

``Should I receive the support of the full Legislature, I will continue to push for progress in our state and use my position of leadership to work to improve the lives of all Mainers,’’ she said.

Her father, Gerald Talbot, was the founding president of the Portland chapter of the NAACP, and the first Black lawmaker in Maine, elected in 1972. He later served on Maine State Board of Education, and a school in Portland bears his name.

Like her father, Talbot Ross served as president of the Portland NAACP. She was elected in 2016 to the House, where her father served. Her party made her assistant majority leader in the House, becoming the first person of color to serve in leadership in the Maine Legislature.

The nomination, made during a caucus of incoming Democrats at the State House in Augusta, reflects growing diversity in the Legislature where two Somali American women were elected to the House and Sen.elect Jill Duson of Portland will be the first Black woman in the Senate.

Democrats also selected Rep. Maureen ``Mo’’ Terry, of Gorham, to serve as majority leader and Rep. Kristen Cloutier, of Lewiston, to serve as assistant majority leader. Those positions do not require any legislative approval.

Fecteau, of Biddeford, was the first openly gay house speaker in Maine. The full House must vote on his replacement when it convenes Dec. 7.

Work at Obama Presidential Center Construction Site

CHICAGO (AP) – Construction has resumed of the Obama Presidential Center, nearly a week after it was halted when a noose was found at the site on Chicago’s South Side, the group building it said Wednesday.

“Over the last several days, all staff and onsite workers have participated in anti-bias training. Additional safety and security measures have also been implemented. Today, we are resuming all construction operations onsite,’’ Lakeside Alliance, a partnership of Black-owned construction companies, said in a statement.

Police are still investigating the Nov. 10 incident. No one has been charged.

Lakeside Alliance has offered a $100,000 reward to help find who was responsible.

The center is expected to open in 2025.

It will sit in Jackson Park, near the Obama family home and where the former president started his political career.

The city will own the center under the terms of a 2018 ordinance approved by the City Council.

The initial cost was projected at $500 million, but documents released by the Obama Foundation last summer showed the cost had climbed to roughly $830 million. Funds are being raised through private donations.

Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross was nominated Thursday over another Portlander, Ed Crockett, to lead the chamber. Her selection is all but assured since Democrats control the state House.

``Her nomination is historic and sends a powerful message to Mainers about what’s possible,’’ said current

Talbot Ross said she’s ready to focus on challenges including the rising cost of living, climate change and a lack of access to affordable housing and healthcare.

Maxim Elramsisy

California Black Media

Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek said during a Nov. 16 video press briefing that if the predicted downturn happens, it will be the Golden State’s weakest revenue performance since the 2008 to 2009 Great Recession.

increases the risk that the economy will fall into a recession. So, that being said, our revenue estimates do not assume a recession.”

California taxes wealthy people more than other states, so most of the revenue decline is because the rich aren’t making as much money as they used to. The report details that California could see deficits between $8 billion to $17

billion in the following years.

Donald Trump Formally Announces 2024 Presidential Candidacy

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Six hundred and seventy-eight days after he inspired arguably the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history and almost single-handedly destroyed American democracy, Donald J. Trump formally announced that he’s running for president. The twice-impeached former president made the announcement ostensibly at the scene of one of his more recent alleged crimes. With a gaggle of American flags hanging in the background and dozens of family members and supporters looking on, Trump declared his 2024 candidacy at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida compound. “Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, America’s comeback starts now,” Trump told his cheering faithful. With Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis seen as the early favorite to win the 2024 GOP nomination, Trump took a bow for “all the promises I’ve kept.” However, most observers have noted that a border wall on the Southern U.S. border never occurred and Mexico, as Trump famously promised, never paid for such a project. While in office, Trump never released his tax returns and a healthcare plan he continually promised that would usurp Obamacare, never happened. In August, authorities searched the Mar-a-Lago residence and reportedly retrieved masses of classified federal documents that he allegedly and illegally removed from the White House after Joe Biden’s resounding victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s announcement comes even as several investigations continue. Earlier in the day, Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, testified in a criminal tax fraud case that Trump himself “authorized” the scheme. Weisselberg, 75, added that Trump knew compensation for executives included perks such as apartments and luxury cars instead of extra salary. In April of 2021, Weisselberg and the company were both indicted. Authorities haven’t charged Trump with any wrongdoing. In August 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a civil suit that Trump and three of his adult children engaged in a decade’s worth of fraud, inflating Trump’s net worth by billions of dollars. “Our

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election in Georgia. According to an October 2022 report from the Brookings Institution, which based its findings on “publicly available evidence,” Trump and his supporters could face several election-related criminal charges in Fulton County. “This is not a game at all,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said earlier this year. “What I am doing is very serious. It’s very important work. And we’re going to do our due diligence and make sure that we look at all aspects of the case.” Meanwhile, the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection has also subpoenaed Trump, who has thus far ignored the inquest. Still, committee leaders expect to hand their findings over to the federal prosecutors next month, and Trump could face charges that include inciting a riot and possibly treason. Five people, including two police officers, died during or just after the insurrection, which featured an angry mob of Trump supporters attacking the U.S. Capitol. The mob, many of whom left a Trump rally and heard the then-lame duck president urge them on. Insurrectionists sought out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence in particular, even threatening to hang Pence. Ahead of Trump’s announcement, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David Cicilline circulated a letter to his caucus urging his colleagues to support legislation barring the former president from running for office. Cicilline cited the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “The language in our Constitution clearly intended to bar insurrectionists from holding high office in the United States,” Cicilline cited in the letter first reported by Politico’s Nicholas Wu. “Given the proof – demonstrated through the January 6 Committee hearings, the 2021 impeachment trial, and other reporting – that Donald Trump engaged in insurrection on January 6 with the intention of overturning the lawful 2020 election results, I have drafted legislation that would prevent Donald Trump from holding public office again.” Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney appeared on national television encouraging his party to move on from Trump. “It’s like the aging pitcher who keeps losing games,” Romney said. “If we want to win, we need a different pitcher on the mount. And I know there are some fans that love him, but it’s time for him to get off the mound.”

Congress Returns to Work as Election Results Remain Unsettled

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By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

As votes continued to pour in from the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats have retained control of the U.S. Senate and still cling to hope that the House will swing in their favor. But whatever happens with the remaining count determining control of the House, the Republican Party’s anticipation of a red wave crashed into a resilient blue wall, even as members return to work. “We are going to try to have as productive a lame-duck session as possible,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) stated. “I’m going to talk to my caucus. I’m going to talk to the Republican leadership and see what we can get done,” Schumer added. There’s much on the agenda before Congress goes into recess on December 16. At the top of the list is funding the government for 2023 and avoiding a shutdown. Democrats also hope to get a bill to President Joe Biden’s desk to strengthen federal election

laws surrounding counting and certifying electoral votes in presidential elections. Many believe such a measure won’t stand a chance in a GOP-controlled House. However, some Republicans are on record agreeing that reform of some kind is required. Congress also must address the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which structures the Pentagon. Additionally, the January 6 committee should release its final report next month, and members must decide what to do about former President Donald Trump’s fight against its subpoena. The committee could move forward in recommending charges, but with the possibility of Republicans wresting control of the House, the investigation could stall or even cease. A party must hold 218 seats to gain a majority in the House. Officials continue to count votes from mail-in ballots in California, Oregon, and Arizona. The GOP won 211 seats to 204 for Democrats as of press time. In a significant victory for Democrats, CNN projected that Marie Perez would defeat

UC Academics Picket Campuses in the Largest Strike of the Year

Thursday.

The UC maintains that “On average, UC rents systemwide are 20-25% below market rates, with some campuses providing even deeper discounts. UC has offered wage increases for all UAW members which would further help them meet their housing needs.”

The aggrieved employees paint a different picture.

“Being a TA pays for tuition but there is no way I can support myself in this city with what they pay,” said Victor E., a PhD. student and Teachers Assistant on strike at UCLA. “With teaching, my own coursework, and my research, there isn’t really any time to pick up another job. This has resulted in me taking out loans just to live and eat here. This shouldn’t be the case. With the amount of work the university gets out of its graduate students, postdocs, and others, a living wage is a small ask… A number one ranked public university should be doing no less and certainly much, much more.”

Another priority for the workers is transportation costs. The cost of gasoline has gone up around the world and according to a statewide survey conducted by The Public Policy Institute of California, an independent and non-partisan research firm, 43% of Californians including half of lower income residents worry every day about the high cost of gasoline and the increasing unaffordability of various modes of transportation.

The union wants UC to cover regional transit passes, and additional subsidies and incentives for taking public transit or bikes to work.

Recently, UC has offered to pay campus fees to extend “existing student-funded transit discounts,” to UAW members.

Although agreements have yet to be announced, on Thursday the UAW reported that “parties made progress

rate of inflation.”

However,

As final examinations approach for students in the UC system, so does uncertainty. “UAW remains ready to meet for round-the-clock negotiations, but UC has not agreed to schedule sessions for the weekend,” a UAW release said. “Workers will be back on the strike lines Monday Morning.”

Students, faculty and elected officials are showing support for the strikers. Some professors are cancelling classes, and some students are electing to walk out. California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon tweeted “Academic workers are essential to the success of all of our @UofCalifornia campuses. The UC must continue to bargain in good faith to reach an agreement with the @ UAW.”

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Republican Joe Kent, a Donald Trump ally, in Washington state’s GOP-leaning 3rd District. In Colorado’s 3rd District, Trump loyalist Lauren Boebert remains locked in an unexpected battle with Democrat Adam Frisch. If Frisch upsets Boebert, it will increase his party’s long-shot chance of holding the House. Democrats also did surprisingly well in gubernatorial races, winning 23 seats. In potentially the most stunning upset of the 2022 midterms, Republican Kari Lake, a 2020 election denier, trails Democrat Katie Hobbs in the Arizona governor’s race by 34,000 votes. Officials still must count about 290,000 votes before declaring a winner. Also, in Los Angeles, former Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass had widened her lead over developer Rick Caruso in the race for mayor. A Bass victory would make her the first Black woman mayor in the history of Los Angeles.

investigation uncovered the fact that Donald Trump and the Trump Organization engaged in significant

fraud to inflate his personal net worth by billions of dollars to enrich himself and cheat the system illegally,” James stated. “Since we filed this sweeping lawsuit last month, Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have continued those same fraudulent practices and taken

measures to evade responsibility. So today, we are seeking an immediate stop to these actions because Mr. Trump should not get to play by different rules.” Last week, reports again surfaced that Trump appeared at “substantial risk” of criminal prosecution over his efforts to overturn the 2020

With a gaggle of American flags hanging in the background and dozens of family members and supporters looking on, Trump declared his 2024 candidacy at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida compound.

Students on the picket line in November 16, 2022 (Photo: Maxim Elramsisy |California Black Media)

Entertainment

Man Charged with Arranging Rapper Young Dolph’s Killing

By ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – A man charged with arranging the killing of Young Dolph pleaded not guilty Thursday _ one year after the rapper and record label owner was ambushed and shot to death while buying cookies at a bakery in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

Hernandez Govan, 43, made a brief appearance in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis. He was arrested last week after he was indicted on charges including first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the killing of the rapper, who was 36 when he died. The judge scheduled Govan's next hearing for Dec. 16.

Govan is the third man charged in the Nov. 17, 2021, slaying of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. The killing in broad daylight stunned Memphis and shocked the entertainment world. Police said two men exited a white Mercedes-Benz and fired shots into Makeda's Homemade Cookies, which is near the rapper's boyhood home in the Castalia neighborhood. Police released photos taken from surveillance video that captured the shooting, and authorities later found the car abandoned.

Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith Jr., have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges in the shooting and are being held in jail without bond. They are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20.

In a weekly newsletter, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said Govan ``solicited the murder and put it in motion.'' But no evidence has been made public to support that statement, and a suspected motive has not been disclosed. The investigation is ongoing.

``I know that you all are wanting details, you're wanting facts, you're wanting sort of answers to some of these mysteries and things like that,'' prosecutor Paul Hagerman told reporters after Thursday's hearing. ``Even if we knew them, we couldn't tell you. As a matter of ethics and our requirements under the law, we've got to confine ourselves to what's made public.''

Govan's lawyer, Bill Massey, said he was seeking the prosecution's evidence in the case, which Massey said may not go to trial until after next year due to the amount of evidence and the number of defendants.

Known for his depictions of tough street life and his independent approach to the music business, Young Dolph was admired for charitable works in Memphis. He organized Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, donated

thousands of dollars to high schools, and paid rent and covered funeral costs for people in the Castalia Heights neighborhood where he was raised.

His work as a rapper, producer and owner of the independent label ``Paper Route Empire'' took him away from Memphis, but the father of two had returned to the city days before his killing to visit a sick relative and organize a turkey giveaway that took place without him.

After Young Dolph's death, a section of a street near his boyhood home was renamed for him. A private funeral was held and he was honored during a public celebration at FedExForum, the home of the Memphis Grizzles of the NBA and the University of Memphis men's basketball team.

City officials and community activists also pointed to the killing as a symbol of the scourge of gun violence in Memphis. Since the rapper's death, Memphis has seen several other high-profile killings this year, including the shooting of a United Methodist Church pastor during a carjacking in her driveway; the kidnapping and shooting of an elementary school teacher who police said was abducted during an early morning run; and a man's daylong shooting rampage that was partially livestreamed and led to the death of three people.

Young Dolph's slaying also is one in a string of several killings of prominent hip-hop artists in recent years. His independent approach to the music business drew comparisons to Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot in 2019. Other rappers who have lost their lives to gun violence since 2018 include XXXTentacion, Pop Smoke and most recently, Takeoff, who was fatally shot outside a bowling alley after a party in Houston on Nov. 1.

Young Dolph was born in Chicago and moved to Memphis with his parents when he was 2. He released numerous mixtapes, starting with 2008's ``Paper Route Campaign,'' and multiple studio albums, including his 2016 debut ``King of Memphis.'' He also collaborated on other mixtapes and albums with fellow rappers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and others.

He had three albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with 2020's ``Rich Slave'' peaking at No. 4.

Makeda's, the bakery where he was shot, was boarded up and closed before it reopened in September.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) – Hip hop star Nicki Minaj has teamed up with Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares for the latest addition to the official soundtrack of the World Cup in Qatar. The single “Tukoh Taka,” with lyrics in English, Spanish and Arabic, was released on Friday, two days ahead of the start of the tournament.

It's the latest in a series of songs by artists from around the world released as part of FIFA's official soundtrack of the 2022 World Cup.

Maluma and Myriam Fares will perform at the opening of the FIFA fan festival in Doha on Saturday.

Features

A Bill of Rights for Long-Term Care Residents

By Peter Schurmann Ethnic Media Services

Do residents of long-term care facilities have rights?

The question gained new urgency for elder care advocates in the wake of the Covid pandemic, which led to prolonged quarantines and isolation for residents amidst soaring infection and fatality rates.

Today, advocates worry residents’ basic rights — from proper health care to voting and even when and what to eat — are not being met amid acute staffing shortages.

“Every individual has rights that must be honored and protected,” says Blanca Castro, California’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman, a title Castro says originally comes from the Swedish word for “advocate.”

“Just because you go into a long-term care facility, you are still the same person you were before you entered. You still have a name; you have a family… you still matter,” said Castro.

She spoke during a Nov. 16 media briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services, in partnership with the California Department of Aging and the California Department of Health’s VaccinateAll58 campaign.

More than 400,000 people receive care in long-term care facilities in California annually. Their stays can be a short stint — after a hip replacement or knee surgery — or long-term advanced care for memory-related illnesses or other ailments.

Castro’s office received more than 40,000 complaints last year, ranging from inappropriate discharges to medications not being given. Among the complaints, many had to do with residents not being allowed to see visitors during Covid lockdowns.

‘Dignity & independence’ for patients

“We are social animals,” said Castro. “We need voice, touch, contact. Facilities locked down during Covid, turning residents into prisoners… it did not have to be that way.” An estimated 10,000 people died from Covid in California nursing facilities in 2021. Social isolation contributed to many of those deaths, she stated.

New laws put in place since the start of the pandemic now require care facilities to have infection control plans — which dictate basic procedures like hand washing and mask wearing — that Castro says can help ameliorate the isolation many residents experienced.

Castro, whose office is supported through taxpayer dollars, explained that while not an enforcement agency, one of the state’s more than 700 long-term care ombudsman — along with 35 related programs — will come to communicate with the resident and their family and can refer cases to relevant departments that are tasked with enforcement when necessary.

Dignity and independence are priorities for her office, Castro adds. “The main question we ask is: what do you want? What does resolution look like to you?”

The Nursing Home Reform Act

Hagar Dickman, a staff attorney with the non-profit Justice in Aging, said The Nursing Home Reform Act lays out the full range of rights to which long-term care residents are entitled. Under the Act, facilities are required to provide the highest level of care they are functionally capable of.

“Person centered care guided by what each resident needs and wants,” she said.

The Nursing Home Reform Act, originally passed

in 1987, applies to facilities that accept both Medicare and Medicaid (MediCal in California), which a majority of facilities do. Among the rights it lays out are the right to consultation with residents and family in drafting healthcare plans. “Facilities cannot create care plans without discussing them with residents and their families first,” explained Dickman.

Other rights revolve around daily and otherwise mundane activities that most people outside of care facilities take for granted: waking times, mealtimes, what kind of food one is offered. All of these must be flexible.

But enforcing these rights often falls first to residents and their families: Dickman said they have to be aware that these rights exist. She also pointed to longstanding disparities in who is afforded these rights and who isn’t.

“Black Americans are three times more likely to reside in poor performing facilities,” she said, noting that her work as an advocate begins with that perspective of where the disparities are greatest and who is suffering most by being denied these fundamental rights.

Acute shortage of care workers Still, while long-term care facilities came under intense scrutiny during the pandemic, Castro was quick to note the difficulties of working in these settings, particularly for staff, many of whom come from communities of color and often receive subpar wages. “It is a challenging job… but people do it because they want to help.”

Castro said California is currently working to improve wages for care facility workers amid an increasingly severe shortage that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

“Understaffing in some of these settings worries me,” said Dr. Anna Chodos, associate professor of medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. She pointed out that during the height of the Covid crisis, data showed that as nursing ratios increased, infections dropped. That became especially apparent once vaccines became available. “We want to keep our eye on ensuring residents’ access to life saving vaccines.”

Staff training was another issue that came up often during the one-hour briefing.

Jerry Kirouac is a long-term care ombudsman based

in Redding, in northern California. “One of the biggest problems we have (in terms of ensuring residents’ rights)… is lack of facility knowledge. It is that training and the quality and consistency going into that training,” he said.

Kirouac spoke from a veterans’ care home in the largely rural city, located about 4 hours north of San Francisco. He was joined by several residents of the home, including Billy Thomas, 79 and a Marine veteran, who said communication was a problem at the facility. “Concerns and complaints don’t reach the administration,” he said.

Linda L., 77 and a Navy veteran, said the center needed to work on conflict resolution, citing an experience with a fellow resident that she said, “got swept under the rug.” Billy Ball, 84, has always voted as a veteran and cares most about that right, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Patients stressed in an October 5 memo that all facilities must ensure.

Speakers also urged residents and families to form councils, to work together to advocate for their rights. “There is power in numbers,” Dickman said.

By Mark Hedin Ethnic Media Service

For 25 years, California’s Contractor Development and Bonding Program has been working to expand and diversify the state’s contracting industry.

It’s a win-win.

Taxpayers save money on public projects when a larger pool of qualified bidders compete for government contracts, which go to whichever one offers the lowest price.

And the ability to do those jobs provides security for people who may not have college educations, financing or anything more than their skills — whether as painters, landscapers, electricians and so on — and a willingness to work hard.

Even in times of economic ups and downs, contracting work persists, often planned years before, for completion years later.

But small local, minority, and woman-owned

contractors nonetheless have to overcome many challenges as they develop their businesses.

To help them succeed and grow, CDABP has an array of programs available at no charge, that can take them all the way from completing their contracting license to submitting winning bids for government contracts and partnering with other businesses.

The insurance brokerage Merriwether & Williams, itself a women and minority-owned business, oversees CDABP, forming relationships with clients that can continue for years as their work progresses and business grows.

“Right now, we have a shortage of an adequate number of contracting firms for the level of work being done and being contemplated over the next few years,” Ingrid Merriwether said in an interview with Ethnic Media Services.

“Whenever you have a supply and demand imbalance, it’s going to cost the taxpayers, because contractors can

charge higher prices because there’s just an inadequate number of them in a position to compete.”

“For smaller contractors, minority contractors who haven’t been participating at an adequate level or an equity level, this is an opportunity to address that. The need is there,” she said.

Kathryn Barger, District 5 County Supervisor, recently pointed out, for instance, that Los Angeles has $120 billion worth of projects in the pipeline, such as for the 2028 Olympics and LA Metro transit expansion, funded by Measure M, from 2016.

CDABP can help clients access other policies intended to encourage small and minority business participation in government contracts, too, along with training on estimating jobs, successful contract bidding, obtaining insurance — including by arranging collateral pledges — partnering with other contractors and navigating the diverse requirements of different government agencies.

Government contracting opportunities extend far

The Department of Public Works website, for instance, lists thousands of open contracts for needs as varied as graffiti removal, tree-trimming, waste-hauling and advertising signage.

And among hundreds of county listings are contracts for working with bloodhounds on investigations, transporting bodies from hospitals to crematories and for a vendor to supply 150,000 legal folders.

A key challenge in securing government contracts that CDABP can help with is state and federal laws that bidders be “bonded” — have insurance to protect taxpayers if the contractor can’t finish the work.

“In a commercial or private marketplace, it’s just optional for the owner, but in public construction, it’s not optional, because these are taxpayer dollars,” Merriwether explained.

“When a public agency hires a contractor to build something, there’s a risk.

“If the contractor, let’s say, halfway through the contract, he’s like, ‘forget this, I’m not going to make any money on this job, I’m going to just walk,’ well, now the taxpayers are left hanging and they need some remedies.

“So a bond coming from a bonding company then gets triggered, and the bonding company shows up and says, ‘OK, we bonded this job, we’re now responsible.’

“So the bonding company will bring in a new contractor and complete the work at their expense. If you’re a subcontractor, the bonding company is going to make sure that if you have a legitimate invoice, you’re paid for the work that you did.”

But over the years the CDABP has been running, Merriwether said, “out of 1,100 bond transactions covering $331 million of public construction work, we’ve only had two contractors ever fail to complete their projects.

“That’s where that term came from, that my word is my bond.”

Networking events and training programs, such as a recent one on meeting OSHA requirements, can lead to subcontractor relationships with the bigger companies sometimes conducting them.

Merriwether also provides clients with weekly updates on state bidding opportunities.

Workshops on how to successfully submit bids are followed up with document reviews as bids are made, and help getting audits by accounting firms when required.

CDABP can offer start-up contractors all these services for free in part because the state has a mandate to ensure that companies working for the government are reflective of their communities.

“We are advocates for small businesses. It’s our job to make sure you can do business with us,” Keith Compton, director of diversity and economic opportunity for LA Metro said at the event Barger hosted. “We’re very serious about this.”

Those interested in joining CDABP can contact Merriwether & Williams at mwisinfo@imwis.com or by calling (213) 258-3000.

Amid acute staffing shortages made worse by Covid advocates for older adults say more needs to be done to protect the rights of residents in California’s long-term care facilities.

beyond heavy industrial work such as repaving roads or extending subway lines.

Stopping the Churn: California and Other States Want to Guarantee Medicaid for Kids

By Phil Galewitz California Healthline

Before the covid-19 public health emergency began in 2020, millions of children churned on and off Medicaid each year — an indication that many were losing coverage because of administrative problems, rather than because their family’s income had increased and made them ineligible.

Several Western states, including California, are seeking to change that and weighing new continuousenrollment policies for the youngest Medicaid members. The possibility of changing their decades-old enrollment rules comes as the states weigh the effects of changes brought on by the pandemic.

California lawmakers have approved a proposal for children who qualify for Medicaid to enroll at birth and stay enrolled until age 5, starting in 2025, pending federal approval.

Oregon has already secured approval for a similar policy. In 2023, when the public health emergency is expected to end, Oregon will become the first state to allow children who qualify for Medicaid to enroll at birth and stay enrolled until they turn 6, regardless of changes in their household’s income and without having to reapply.

“This is really a no-brainer in terms of supporting kids,” said Jenifer Wagley, executive director of Our Children Oregon, an advocacy group. She said that keeping kids insured — particularly at the youngest ages, when their bodies and minds are still developing — will ensure they don’t miss important checkups and care because of gaps in coverage.Washington state in July asked the Biden administration for permission to provide continuous coverage to kids until age 6, and a decision is likely in the next few weeks. And New Mexico has sought public comments on a plan to keep kids enrolled until age 6 and is expected to seek federal consent later this year.

Medicaid enrollment nationally is at a record high after the federal government prohibited states from dropping members during the public health emergency unless they died or moved out of state. That rule has helped push the country’s uninsured rate to a record low.

Of the nearly 90 million people on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program — a federal-state program that covers children in households with incomes above Medicaid eligibility — about 41 million are children. In California, nearly 1.2 million children younger than 5 are covered by Medicaid.

The California Department of Health Care Services, which oversees Medi-Cal, estimates the policy change would cost $39.1 million in 2025, assuming a January implementation, and $68 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The state is still weighing when to seek federal approval.

Mike Odeh, senior director of health for the California advocacy group Children Now, hopes the state moves ahead soon. “We would rather see the state pay for kids getting care than paying for paperwork,” he said. Having to reenroll every year, he added, can be a barrier for lowincome families. “We want them healthy and ready for school,” Odeh said.

Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, called states’ moving to longer periods of continuous coverage for children “a silver lining of the pandemic for children.”

She noted that from the fourth quarter of 2020 through the first quarter of 2022, the share of uninsured children in the U.S. fell from 6.7% to 3.7%, largely because of the emergency rule that has blocked states from

dropping Medicaid enrollees.

“States will have to do a lot of outreach about this new policy so that every baby leaves the hospital with health insurance and the parents don’t have to worry about coverage until the child goes to kindergarten,” she said.

If the public health emergency ends next year, nearly 5.3 million children could lose Medicaid coverage, according to a federal analysis that was released in August. About 1.4 million of them would be moved off the rolls because they no longer qualify, but nearly 4 million eligible kids would lose coverage for administrative reasons, such as failing to submit paperwork on time.

Because Medicaid’s household income eligibility thresholds are typically higher for children than adults, kids are less likely to lose coverage because of small changes in income. But children can lose their eligibility if parents fail to renew the coverage each year or don’t respond when a state seeks information to confirm that a family’s income

To address that problem, about half of states give children one year of continuous Medicaid eligibility regardless of changes in their household’s income. That group includes both Republican- and Democrat-controlled states, including some states — such as Alabama and Mississippi — that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA.

Before moving toward continuous coverage for kids up to age 6, Oregon offered 12 months of continuous eligibility for children. Nonetheless, state Medicaid officials estimate that in 2019, prior to the pandemic’s start, more than 70,000 children younger than 6 — one-third of those enrolled — churned in and out of Medicaid. About 29,000 of those kids had coverage gaps that exceeded six months, state officials told KHN.

Oregon officials estimate that after four years in place, the new enrollment policy will benefit more than 51,000 children in 2027, at a cost of $177 million.

will have access to preventive and primary care services that can reduce the need for treatments related to delays in seeking care.

Oregon provides Medicaid and CHIP coverage to children from families with incomes of up to 300% of the federal poverty level, which is $83,250 for a family of four.

Lori Coyner, Oregon’s senior Medicaid policy adviser, said the change will reduce health inequities because it will help children of color retain coverage and access to care.

In addition to keeping children on Medicaid longer, Oregon won federal approval in October to become the first state to give children 6 years and older and adults two years of continuous eligibility regardless of changes in their household’s income.

Nationally, KFF estimates that about 11% of children enrolled in Medicaid lost their coverage for at least one day in 2019 before having it restored. Washington state also reports 11%.

In California, Medicaid officials estimate that about 64,000 — or 6% — of the enrollees under 5 were dropped from the rolls and then reenrolled in the same year

Odeh believes the state’s churning estimate is too low. He thinks 89,000 children a year are affected. The California legislature included the continuous eligibility provision in the budget approved in June. California would cover children in Medicaid from birth until age 5 starting in 2025 as long as the state can afford it.

Medicaid officials in Washington state said they have long considered giving children continuous eligibility for multiple years. “Families on Medicaid are really busy, and the last thing they can think about is renewing their coverage — and so this gets dropped to the bottom of their priority list,” said Amy Dobbins, section manager of the Office of Medicaid Eligibility and Policy.

She said the covid public health emergency, during which more children have had coverage and received health services, only strengthened the case for continuous eligibility.

Dianne Hasselman, interim executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, predicts that some states may be cautious about following Oregon’s lead. “State legislators might also be concerned about increasing Medicaid program enrollment, particularly during a time when enrollment has already grown significantly,” she said. In addition, lawmakers could be leery of extending coverage to people with other insurance options, such as from a parent’s workplace, she said.

While pleased to see some states keeping children on Medicaid until age 6, Georgetown’s Alker emphasized that Oregon’s new policy will go into effect — at the public health emergency’s end — just as millions of children lose coverage.“States that are inattentive to the needs of children when the public health emergency ends will likely see a massive increase in uninsured children,” Alker said. “So very different outcomes lie ahead.”

has remained low enough to qualify.

Medicaid enrollees generally must report any changes to household income or other criteria that may affect their eligibility during the year, and states must act on these changes. That’s challenging for Medicaid beneficiaries and state agencies because people’s incomes often fluctuate. As a result, enrollees may lose coverage, be forced to switch between Medicaid and subsidized marketplace coverage on the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges, or experience coverage gaps if the paperwork proves difficult to complete.

“The public health emergency has clearly demonstrated the value of having continuous health insurance, particularly for populations that experience health disparities and have had historical barriers to health care access,” said Elizabeth Gharst, a spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program.

The six-year guarantee will also reduce administrative costs for Oregon, since it won’t have to process some applications each year. And officials hope it will reduce the program’s medical costs, as children who stay on Medicaid

This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

Panel Discuss Supreme Court Case

Threatening End of Affirmative Action

to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, a nine-member panel established after Gov. Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3121, authored by thenAssemblymember Shirley Weber. The task force is investigating the history and costs of slavery in California and is charged with recommending an appropriate remedy for the state to implement.

The online event titled, “The End of Affirmative Action: How SCOTUS Is Coming After BIPOC Students” delved into the impact of banning the consideration of race as a factor during the college admission process.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students would be affected by such a ruling, said panelist Lisa Holder, an attorney and president of Equal Justice Society (EJS). EJS is an Oakland-based nonprofit and civil rights organization that does work geared toward transforming the nation’s consciousness on race through law, social sciences, and the arts.

“(Ending Affirmative Action) essentially, completely upends our ability to level the playing field and remediate for centuries of discrimination and marginalization,” said Holder said. “If you do not have intervention and take affirmative steps to counteract continued systemic racism it’s going to take hundreds of years to repair those gaps. It will not happen by itself.”

Holder is also a member of the California Task Force

Also participating on the End of Affirmative Action panel were Sally Chen, education equity program manager at Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Sarah C. Zearfoss, Senior Assistant Dean for the University of Michigan Law School.

Shilpa Ram -- Senior Staff Attorney for Education Equity, Public Advocates and a board member of the ACS Bay Area Lawyer Chapter -- was the moderator.

On Oct. 31, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) listened to oral arguments in two cases challenging race-conscious student admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC) to promote creating diverse student populations at their schools.

The case emerged in 2014, when SFFA, a nonprofit advocacy organization opposed to affirmative action, brought an action alleging Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (Title VI).

SFFA argues that Harvard instituted a race-conscious

admissions program that discriminated against AsianAmerican applicants. SFFA also alleges that UNC is violating the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, by unfairly using race to provide preference to underrepresented minority applicants to the detriment of White and Asian-American applicants.

Chen is a first-generation college graduate from a working-class immigrant family. She is an alumna of Harvard College. She was one of eight students and alumni that gave oral testimony in support of affirmative action in the 2018 federal lawsuit Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard.

“Particularly as these cases were taking advantage of a claim that Asian American students don’t benefit from Affirmative Action or are harmed; we really saw how this was a misrepresentation of our community needs,” Chen said of hers and seven other students’ testimonies. “My testimony really spoke to that direct experience and making clear that Asian American students and communities are in support of affirmative action.”

In 1965, Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, requiring all government contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to expand job opportunities for minorities.

Fifty-seven years later, a decision by SCOTUS could be reached at the end of the current term in late June or early July 2023 banning affirmative action. The decision

would dismantle race-conscious admission policies that overwhelmingly help BIPOC students create a better future for themselves, members of the panel stated.

“Schools take race into account as a factor in admission because that is the single best, most effective way to create a racially diverse class,” Zearfoss said.

Zearfoss directs the University of Michigan Law School Jurist Doctorate (JD) and Master of Law (LLM) admissions and supervises the Office of Financial Aid.

California ended affirmative action policies in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 209.

Prop 209 states that the government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons based on race in public employment, public education, and public contracting.

Proposition 16 was a constitutional amendment designed to repeal Prop 209, but the initiative was defeated by voters in 2020. Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber introduced the legislation that was the basis for Prop 16 when she was a state Assemblymember for the 79th District.

“When we no longer live in a White supremacist society then we can start thinking about ending these interventions that are necessary to counteract preferences for White people that exist and continue to exist,” Holder said.

Republican

persistent inflation, the revenue that is coming into the state of California is coming in way below projection,” Fong said. “As someone who has been on the budget committee for a number of years, we have been warning about this. The ruling party in Sacramento continues to spend and grow government programs without any accountability and the budget is completely unsustainable. We have to refocus on fiscal responsibility.”

LAO’s budget forecast comes on the heels of Gov. Newsom and the Democratic-controlled legislature estimated $97-billion surplus that led to the expansion of Medi-Cal eligibility to all immigrants in 2024, a boost in the earned income tax credit, and free preschool for 4-yearolds.

A relief package, priced at $17 billion, to help families, seniors and low-income Californians and small businesses was also approved in June by lawmakers.

The surplus is gone once a budget is passed, according to the LAO, so the fiscal outlook provided to legislators assumes that current state laws and policies will remain in place.

“We make adjustments for caseloads and things that influence the budget expenditures, but if you keep the same policies what would your budget picture look like?” Petek said. “That is what we are trying to tee up for them as they await the governor’s proposal.”

(Moment / Getty Images)

Antonio Ray Harvey

California Black Media

A webinar hosted by ChangeLawyers, American Constitution Society (ACS) Bay Area, and Equal Justice Society was held on Nov. 15 to discuss the possible outcomes of the United States Supreme Court’s pending decision in the case Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard.

A Call To KCCD Leaders ‘Do Not Allow Such Hateful Rhetoric And Actions To Continue’

Ph.D

BC Professor

As seven African American students walked into a committee meeting at Bakersfield College, there were murmurs, frowns, and hostile stares. One faculty member said to another, “What the f— are they doing here?”

The meeting was the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Advisory Committee (EODAC) meeting. The agenda item the students came to support was a Racial Climate Task Force that I proposed.

And, ironically, the Racial Climate Task Force is to look into survey results that show BC students of color are more likely to experience racial microaggressions and physical and verbal attacks.

Afterward, one student said that, between the remark and dirty looks, “I did not feel safe in that room.”

As an added twist, the EODAC is a College committee that makes recommendations on advancing equity for students, staff, faculty, and administration. The Committee charge states that they “promot[e] attitudinal and institutional changes regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion” and “provid[e] workshops and trainings in diversity. . . to close gaps in employee groups and to promote awareness, action, and change to college values that consistently align with BC and KCCD’s diversity commitments.”

But, this issue is bigger than dirty looks from four faculty and a disdainful comment made by one professor; the professor has since said that she didn’t mean to curse and made the comment because she felt the students were being used as pawns. This is insulting because it implies that I manipulate my students and that students can’t decide for themselves whether or not to attend a meeting.  Unprompted, she added that she isn’t racist.

And, the issue is bigger than what happened after I left; another professor stated that classified staff are not independent thinkers and should not have near equal membership with faculty on committees. The concern was that their managers would tell them what to do. Classified staff spoke tearfully at a recent KCCD Board of Trustees

meeting about how hurt they felt at such elitist attitudes.

It’s unbelievable that those two incidents occurred in an EODAC meeting because both comments further marginalize groups of already marginalized people of color and center mostly white full-time tenured faculty.

And it’s bigger than what happened at the Curriculum Committee meeting the next week and widely covered by Bakersfield Californian reporter Jose Gaspar. He states that a professor requested to delay a vote on two non-credit leadership courses on Caesar Chavez and the farm workers on the grounds they promote partisan political activities. The courses were taken up at a subsequent meeting and approved.

All the previously mentioned professors are members of the Renegade Institute for Liberty (RIFL) and are part of a disturbing pattern of actions led by History Professor Matt Garrett, who has filed complaints against me and other professors and staff and sued KCCD legal counsel and a BC vice president. These lawsuits and complaints have been deemed “not sustained” by third-party counsel and cost the district thousands of dollars to investigate. RIFL, which is not a College-sanctioned group, has also brought in speakers that deny established facts about slavery and continued discrimination.

Typically, I’m not one to speak out. But my silence and that of others have emboldened the RIFL.  The group has targeted the Umoja Community Program, which I coordinate. Umoja, which means “unity” in Kiswahili, is a BC program designed to increase the success and retention of African-American students. It offers courses, academic counseling, college visits, mentoring support, and cultural trips and activities. The statewide organization was created in response to data that showed African-American students needed support in access, course completion, and sequence completion in order to achieve equity. Founders compiled best practices in teaching students of color, which are followed by all the Umoja programs across the state. Umoja is funded by state dollars earmarked for student success and equity.

I’ve not responded to RIFL’s intimidating jabs at BC’s

Umoja Community program through the RIFL Facebook page nor comments made on local radio shows.  But those jabs are getting more pointed and closer and closer to my students. I brushed aside lies like RIFL’s claim that Umoja classes are only for Black students: not true. White and Latinx students have taken Umoja classes. As further harassment, RIFL has published salaries of Umoja faculty and criticized the long overdue, required study space for Umoja, calling the program “segregationist” and “militant.” What’s militant about quadrupling (4.2) the graduation and transfer rates of African-American students?

In general, RIFL has created negativity and division in the name of free speech.  While there has been disagreement in the past, I’ve never seen such rude language and behavior in my 20-plus years at BC. They have encouraged this hostile, toxic environment.

Since BC’s slogan is “We Are BC,” I call on the community to join me in speaking out against the spreading of lies and misinformation designed to divide.  Demand that BC College President Zav Dadabhoy, KCCD District Chancellor Sonya Christian, and the KCCD Board of Trustees do not allow such hateful rhetoric and actions to continue.  The Renegade Institute for Liberty should not benefit from College branding nor use College facilities.  They should not be allowed to create an environment where students and employees don’t feel safe.

My students were traumatized by the hostile reception they received at the EODAC meeting from faculty members of the Renegade Institute. Students recognize the sadly familiar feeling of racism, and their responses were painfully visceral. Observing faculty behavior in that committee meeting, one said she is rethinking her chosen career as a teacher.

Those who actively fight College core values of equity, student engagement, and student success should not serve on decision-making committees nor teach our students.

WeTooAreBC!!

Dr. Parks is a Bakersfield College English professor and Umoja Community Coordinator.

A Sampling of Dining Out Options for Thanksgiving Soul Food Around California

on the 24th.

Hotville, then known as the BBQ Hot Chicken Shack, was founded by Thornton Prince in 1936 in a segregated part of town.

Thorton’s great-great niece Kim Prince now runs the family business. Their website boasts about how spicy their chicken is,

“If

Stiles

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and with that comes greens, beans, candied yams, turkey (roasted and deep-fried), dressing, mac n’ cheese, sweet potato pie and all the other soul food “fixins” that make the holiday meal arguably the tastiest meal of the year for many African Americans. We can choose from a diverse menu of food options that we prepare at home, or we can try to enjoy those options dining out.

The city of Inglewood, for example, is hosting a drivethru turkey giveaway on Nov. 23 with special guest Snoop Dogg.

The event will go from 9 am to 12 pm and is located at Hollywood Park.

The goal is to serve 2,500 Inglewood residents with free turkeys provided by Don Lee Farms.

While many people enjoy preparing and eating that turkey dinner at home, some people prefer to outsource their feast.

For those folks, here’s a small sampling of some soul food restaurants around the state that will be open on or around Thanksgiving.

StreetCar (San Diego)

First up is StreetCar in San Diego. On Nov. 24, they will be hosting a Thanksgiving Feast Event.

“Bring your friends and family on Thanksgiving Day for a celebratory feast,” it reads on their flier.

The event is located at 4002 30th St. and will go from 11:00am to 10:00pm.

Founded by Ron Suel and RaVae Smith in 2014, StreetCar specializes in southern cuisine and features an all-day brunch menu.

“You will find classic southern dishes and Louisiana favorites,” their website reads.

ComfortLA (Los Angeles)

Located

ComfortLA focuses on taking a clean approach to their menu, sporting a variety of all-natural soul food options.

“We use locally sourced, fresh and organic ingredients and healthier cooking methods to create top-notch, Southern cuisine including ‘Cousin Kina’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese,’ ‘Clean Mean Greens’ and our signature ‘Organic Not Your Average Fried Chicken’ with ‘That Sauce,’” it reads on their website.

They also have an Inglewood location, though that restaurant is not open on Thanksgiving.

Minnie Bell’s (Emeryville)

Minnie Bell’s – a soul food truck in Emeryville up north – may not be open the day of Thanksgiving, it will be open on the 23rd for those who want to celebrate a little early.

Founded by Fernay McPherson in 2013, “Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement” is born out of legacy.

“Fernay learned to cook from her great aunt Minnie and late grandmother Lillie Bell,” the website reads. “Fernay’s family arrived in San Francisco during the Great Migration as part of the relocation of more than 6 million African Americans from the rural South to cities in the North and West.”

Minnie Bell’s is located in the Emeryville Public Market at 5959 Shellmound St.

Hotville Chicken (Los Angeles)

The last establishment on this list is Hotville Chicken in Los Angeles.

This restaurant is not open the day of Thanksgiving but patrons can order ahead of time and pick their food up

as Thorton’s original recipe focused heavily on a fiery flavor.

you’ve never heard about Nashville-style hot chicken, it’s certainly time to get familiar,” it reads.

Prince’s focus is on community, as Thorton’s original chicken recipe “brought people together” even in a divided town.

Hotville is located at 4070 Marlton Ave.

Paula L. Parks

Aldon Thomas

California Black Media

In Downtown Los Angeles, ComfortLA is an option for those who want to eat out this holiday as it’s open on Thanksgiving Day.

on 1110 E. 7th St., ComfortLA was once a pop-up restaurant founded by Jeremy McBryde and Mark E. Walker.

Features

Brotherhood Crusade

Hosted Thanksgiving Grab and Go! Basket Distribution

and food insecurity.

“Giving back to the community is very important to me,” said Betts. “I am very blessed to partner with Brotherhood Crusade and align myself with such an incredible organization that continuously gives back and improves the quality of life for communities of color.”

Brotherhood Crusade would like to acknowledge and thank the additional partners, volunteer groups and donors that helped make the Thanksgiving Grab and Go Basket Distribution a success: AHF; APUU; B-Relyt; Blue Shield of California; Brotherhood Crusade Board Member, Alicia Molezion; Brotherhood Crusade Board Member, Jim Hill; Brotherhood Crusade Corporate Advisory Board Members; Cal State LA; School of Criminal Justice; City of LA, Recreation and Parks; Community Builders Group; Councilmember, Heather Hutt; Langdon Park Capital; Los Angeles Sentinel; Marsh Risk & Insurance Services;

Mothers in Action; PAVA; Rocket Doctor; SEIU 2015; SoCal Gas; St. John’s Well Child & Family; The Hutts Group; and UCLA Health.

To continue the season of giving and gratitude, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Acts Inspired By Mookie (AIM) has supported the organization with more than $150,000 to support food insecurities and in support of the 54th Annual Pioneer of African American Achievement Award Dinner. The event will honor Betts for his significant impact and contributions to the community. Proceeds from the Achievement Award Dinner will be used to continue to support and grow the many programs that Brotherhood Crusade provides for the youth of South Los Angeles.

To purchase tickets for the event or learn more about Brotherhood Crusade, visit brotherhoodcrusade.org or call Maybelline Saintjulien at 323-846-1649.

LOS ANGELES (November 19, 2022) – Brotherhood Crusade, in partnership with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, Acts Inspired By Mookie (AIM), AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson recently hosted a day of giving at their annual Thanksgiving Grab and Go Basket Distribution. Over 1,000 families received free food baskets, holiday toys, and gift cards.

Brotherhood Crusade’s principal mission is to champion equality and equity by removing and/or helping individuals overcome the barriers that discourage their pursuit of success in life and facilitate opportunities for a better quality of life.

“We were able to help over 1,000 families in the community,” said Charisse Bremond Weaver, Brotherhood Crusade, president and CEO.  “We all know how difficult it’s been with inflation negatively impacting our communities, so we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with likeminded organizations that understand meeting the needs of our community, especially during the holidays.”

Dodgers MLB All-Star and the co-founder and president of AIM, Mookie Betts, distributed baskets and interacted with attendees along with over 20 community volunteer groups and donors. Betts’ foundation was established to assist communities facing economic hardship

Mookie Betts and family (Photo Courtesy: LA Dodgers)

Second from the left, Charisse Bremond Weaver, president and CEO of Brotherhood Crusade stands with Mookie Betts and family, and Nichol Whiteman, CEO of Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (Photo Courtesy: LA Dodgers)

Shopping for ACA Health Insurance?

Here’s What’s New This Year

By Julie Appleby California Healthline

It’s fall again, meaning shorter days, cooler temperatures, and open enrollment for Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance — sign-ups begin this week for coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2023. Even though much of the coverage stays the same from year to year, there are a few upcoming changes that consumers should note this fall, especially if they are having trouble buying expensive policies through their employer.

In the past year, the Biden administration and Congress have taken steps — mainly related to premiums

and subsidies — that will affect 2023 coverage. Meanwhile, confusion caused by court decisions may trigger questions about coverage for preventive care or for abortion services.

Open enrollment for people who buy health insurance through the marketplaces begins Nov. 1 and, in most states, lasts through Jan. 15. To get coverage that begins Jan. 1, enrollment usually must occur by Dec. 15.

Many people who get coverage through their jobs also must select a plan at this time of year. And their decisions could be affected by new ACA rules.

So, what’s new, and what should you know if you’re shopping? Here are five things to keep in mind.

1. Some Families Who Did Not Qualify for ACA Subsidies Now Do

One big change is that some families who were barred from getting federal subsidies to help them purchase ACA coverage may now qualify.

A rule recently finalized by the Treasury Department was designed to address what has long been termed the “family glitch.” The change expands the number of families with job-based insurance who can choose to forgo their coverage at work and qualify for subsidies to get an ACA plan instead. The White House estimates that this adjustment could help about 1 million people gain coverage or get more affordable insurance.

Before, employees could qualify for a subsidy for marketplace insurance only if the cost of their employerbased coverage was considered unaffordable based on a threshold set each year by the IRS. But that determination took into account only how much a worker would pay for insurance for himself or herself. The cost of adding family members to the plan was not part of the calculation, and family coverage is often far more expensive than employeeonly coverage. The families of employees who fall into the “glitch,” either go uninsured or pay more through their jobs for coverage than they might if they were able to get an ACA subsidy.

Now, the rules say eligibility for the subsidy must also consider the cost of family coverage.

“For the first time, a lot of families will have a real choice between an offer of employer-sponsored coverage and a marketplace plan with subsidies,” said Sabrina Corlette, a researcher and co-director at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms.

Workers will now be able to get marketplace subsidies if their share of the premium for their job-based coverage exceeds 9.12% of their expected 2023 income.

Now, two calculations will occur: the cost of the employee-only coverage as a percentage of the worker’s income and the cost of adding family members. In some cases, the worker may decide to remain on the employer plan because his or her payment toward coverage falls below the affordability threshold, but the family members will be able to get a subsidized ACA plan.

Previous legislative efforts to resolve the family glitch failed, and the Biden administration’s use of regulation to fix it is controversial. The move might ultimately be challenged in court. Still, the rules are in place for 2023, and experts, including Corlette, said families who could benefit should go ahead and enroll.

“It will take a while for all that to get resolved,” she said, adding that it is unlikely there would be any decision in time to affect policies for 2023.

An Urban Institute analysis published last year estimated that the net savings per family might be about $400 per person and that the cost to the federal government for new subsidies would be $2.6 billion a year. Not every family would save money by making the change, so experts say people should weigh the benefits and potential costs.

2. Preventive Care Will Still Be Covered Without a Copay, but Abortion Coverage Will Vary Many people with insurance are happy when they go in for a cancer screening, or seek other preventive care, and find they don’t have to pay anything out-of-pocket. That comes from a provision in the ACA that bars cost sharing for a range of preventive services, including certain tests, vaccines, and drugs. But a September ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas led to confusion about what might be covered next year. The judge declared unconstitutional one method the government uses to determine some of the preventive treatments that are covered without patient cost sharing.

Ultimately, that might mean patients will have to start paying a share of the cost of cancer screenings or drugs that prevent the transmission of HIV. The judge has yet to rule on how many people the case will affect. But, for now, the ruling applies only to the employers and individuals who brought the lawsuit. So, don’t worry. Your no-cost screening mammogram or colonoscopy is still no-cost. The ruling is likely to be appealed, and no decision is expected before the start of the 2023 coverage year.

The other court decision that has raised questions is the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Even before that decision was announced in June, coverage of abortion services in insurance plans varied by plan and by state.

Now it’s even more complicated as more states move to ban or restrict abortion.

State insurance rules vary.

Twenty-six states restrict abortion coverage in ACA marketplace plans, while seven states require it as a benefit in both ACA plans and employer plans purchased from insurers, according to KFF. Those states are California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

Employees and policyholders can check insurance plan documents for information about covered benefits,

including abortion services.

3. Premiums Are Going Up, but That May Not Affect Most People on ACA Plans Health insurers are raising premium rates for both ACA plans and employer coverage. But most people who get subsidies for ACA coverage won’t feel that pinch.

That’s because the subsidies are tied to the cost of the second-cheapest “silver” plan offered in a marketplace. (Marketplace plans are offered in colored “tiers,” based on how much they potentially cost policyholders out-ofpocket.) As those baseline silver plans increase in cost, the subsidies also rise, offsetting all or most of the premium increases. Still, shop around, experts advise. Switching plans might prove cost-effective.

As for subsidies, passage this summer of the Inflation Reduction Act guaranteed that the enhanced subsidies that many Americans have received under legislation tied to the covid-19 pandemic will remain in place.

People who earn up to 150% of the federal poverty level — $20,385 for an individual and $27,465 for a couple — can get an ACA plan with no monthly premium. Consumers who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level — $54,360 for an individual and $73,240 for a couple — get sliding scale subsidies to help offset premium costs. People with incomes more than 400% are required to pay no more than 8.5% of their household income toward premiums.

For those with job-based insurance, employers generally set the amount workers must pay toward their coverage. Some employers may pass along rising costs by increasing the amounts taken out of paychecks to go toward premiums, setting higher deductibles, or changing health care benefits. But anyone whose share of their jobbased coverage is expected to exceed 9.12% of their income can check to see whether they qualify for a subsidized ACA plan.

4. Debts to Insurers or the IRS Won’t Stop Coverage Thank covid for this. Typically, people who get subsidies to buy ACA plans must prove to the government on their next tax filing that they received the correct subsidy, based on the income they actually received. If they fail to reconcile that with the IRS, policyholders would lose eligibility for the subsidy the next time they enroll. But, because of ongoing covid-related problems in processing returns at the IRS, those consumers will get another reprieve, continuing an effort set in place for the tax year 2020 by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Also, insurers can no longer deny coverage to people or employers who owe past-due premiums for previous coverage, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at KFF. This follows a reexamination of a wide variety of Medicare and ACA rules prompted by an April executive order from President Joe Biden.

“If people fell behind on their 2022 premiums, they nevertheless must be allowed to reenroll in 2023,” Pollitz said. “And when they make the first-month premium payment to activate coverage, the insurer must apply that payment to their January 2023 premium.”

5. Comparison Shopping Will Likely Be Easier

Although ACA plans have always been required to cover a wide range of services and offer similar benefits, variation still existed in the amounts that patients paid for office visits and other out-of-pocket costs. Starting during this year’s open enrollment, new rules aimed at making comparison easier take effect. Under the rules, all ACA health insurers must offer a set of plans with specific, standardized benefits. The standard plans will, for example, have the same deductibles, copays, and other cost-sharing requirements. They will also offer more coverage before a patient has to start paying toward a deductible.

Some states, such as California, already required similar standardization, but the new rules apply nationally to health plans sold on the federal marketplace, healthcare. gov. Any insurer offering a nonstandard plan on the marketplace must now also offer the standardized plans as well.

Under a different set of rules, starting Jan. 1, all health insurers must make available cost-comparison tools online or over the phone that can help patients predict their costs for 500 “shoppable services,” such as repairs to a knee joint, a colonoscopy, a chest X-ray, or childbirth.

This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.