Barbara Lee, Other House Dems Prepare to Enter California Senate Race
“House Party” Movie Review
The Valley’s The Valley’sNews Observer
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Celebrated in Los Angeles with Plenty of Sun and Blue Skies
Dr. Dre, Missy, Lil Wayne to Be Honored at PreGrammy Event
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne will be honored at the Recording Academy’s second annual Black Music Collective event during Grammy week next month.
The academy announced Wednesday that the three Grammy winners and executive Sylvia Rhone will receive the Global Impact Award for their personal achievements in the music industry. The event will be held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, ahead of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5.
“I am so thrilled to honor and celebrate these four giants in the music industry,’’ said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. “Last year’s inaugural event was such a highlight during Grammy week and now with Dre, Missy, Wayne and Sylvia there to pay tribute to this year, it’s definitely going to be another night to remember. I continue to be proud of the work of our Black Music Collective as it’s (a) vital part of what we do here at the academy.’’
Black Music Collective is a group created in 2020 of prominent music industry leaders – including honorary chairs John Legend, Jimmy Jam and Quincy Jones – who are looking to find ways to drive Black representation and inclusion.
Last year, Legend, MC Lyte and D-Nice were honored. The event also highlights LVRN, a Blackfounded record label that has built a roster that includes 6lack, D.R.A.M., Westside Boogie and Summer Walker.
Dr. Dre, a seven-time Grammy winner, has produced big hits for Jay-Z, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Nas and 50 Cent. He won his first Emmy for his Super Halftime performance with Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Lamar and 50 Cent.
By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer (Los Angeles,
Elliott is a four-time Grammy winner who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. She broke through with her debut album “Supa Dupa Fly’’ and has collaborated with several top music acts including Aaliyah, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Lil’ Kim, J. Cole, Busta Rhymes and Chris Brown.
CA)-
The third Monday in January is known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- a day to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on a Federal holiday.
Marches, parades, Prayer breakfast, speeches and Day of Service were some of the ways Dr. King’s life was celebrated throughout the nation this past weekend, culminating with festivities on Monday.
Locally, the City of Los Angeles honored Dr. King’s legacy at the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade. The Kingdom Day Parade is America’s biggest and oldest birthday celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A large diverse, multicultural crowd lined the parade route. The crowd grew as the day progressed.
This year’s theme “Making America the Last Best Hope of the World.” The grand marshal is Attorney George C. Fatheree III; leader of a team of attorneys who helped secured the return of Bruce’s Beach to its rightful owners. It is amazing that the skies cleared up hours before the start of the parade. The 3-mile parade started at 10:00am at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, traveled west to Crenshaw Boulevard, South of Vernon Avenue, and concluded at Leimert Plaza Park.
The parade featured a variety of floats, local elected officials (City, County, State and Federal level), popular radio personalities from Radio Free KJLH, and Real 92.3, and from television stations ABC7, NBC Channel 4, and T52 (TeleMundo), equestrian units, marching bands, community organizations, labor unions, youth groups and dance ensembles, to name a few.
Participants in the parade consisted of Adrian Dove,
A great time was had by all in attendance, glad that the Kingdom Day Parade is back after a two-year hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lil Wayne, who has won five Grammys, has a variety of massive hits including “Lollipop’’ feat. Static Major and “A Milli.’’ He also helped ignite the careers of Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga.
Rhone has been regarded as one of the most influential music executives in the industry. She made history in 1994 when she was named chairman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group. At the time, the promotion made her the only African American and first-ever woman to hold the titles.
‘Wakanda Forever’ Scores 12 NAACP Image Award Nominations
LOS ANGELES (AP) – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’’ earned 12 NAACP Image Awards nominations on Thursday, while “The Woman King’’ and “Abbott Elementary’’ will enter next month’s ceremony as other top nominees.
The “Black Panther’’ sequel – which found blockbuster success – led all film nominees. The Marvel film delved into the concept of Wakanda’s grief in the wake of the death of T’Challa – a character played by Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020.
The film “The Woman King’’ starring Viola Davis and the ABC television series “Abbott Elementary’’ with Quinta Brunson each received nine nods. Both Davis and Brunson are nominated for entertainer of the year along with Mary J. Blige, Zendaya and Angela Bassett.
The awards honoring entertainers and writers of color will air live in Pasadena, California, on BET on Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. EST. The two-hour show will be held in front of an audience for the first time in three years.
“This year’s nominees have conveyed a wide range of authentic stories and diverse experiences that have resonated with many in our community,’’ said Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP. “We’re proud to recognize their outstanding achievements and performances.’’
“Wakanda Forever’’ and “The Woman King’’ will compete for outstanding motion picture along with “A Jazzman’s Blues,” “Till’’ and “Emancipation.’’
ABC emerged with a leading 28 nominations with the help of “Abbott Elementary,’’ “black-ish’’ and “The Wonder Years.’’
Netflix, the streaming giant, received 15 nominations. RCA Records/RCA Inspiration has 11 nods, while Penguin Random House and HarperCollins Publisher led with nine in the literary categories.
In music, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar both came away with five nominations.
“We take pride in recognizing the trailblazing achievements and artistry of this year’s esteemed nominees and celebrating the powerful legacy of the NAACP,’’ said Connie Orlando, the EVP of specials, music programming & music strategy at BET. “We look forward to bringing the Image Awards back to Pasadena in front of a live audience and delivering unforgettable moments that epitomize the brilliance of the Black community.’’
Volume 38 Number 10
Serving the San Fernando Valley for Over 38 Years
Group Newspapers
Thursday, January 19, 2023
Observer
of
Southern California
One!Take
Adrian Dove, Chairman, Kingdom Day Parade (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Marc Brown, ABC7 (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Korean Dance Company Presented by Kim Eung Hwa (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Los Angeles County
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Los Angeles City Councilmembers Heather Hunt, Curren D. Price, Jr. and Marqueece Harris-Dawson (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Los Angeles Rams Cheerleaders (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager and State Senator Steven Bradford (Photo by Ricky Richardson)
Chairman, Kingdom Day Parade, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilmembers, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Chief of Police Michael Moore, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager, State Senator Steven Bradford, LAUSD Superintendent Albert M. Carvalho, and LAUSD Board Members, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the 2023 Kingdom Day Queen Jahmea Bent and Her Court.
Page A3 Page A2
Caution and Equity are Hallmarks of Gov. Newsom’s First Budget Under Black Director
Thomas StilesOn Tuesday Jan. 10, at a press conference held in Sacramento, Gov. Gavin Newsom presented his first draft of the state’s 2023-2024 budget to the Legislature.
The proposal, which totaled $223.6 billion, is the first spending plan developed under the supervision of Joe Stephenshaw, the first Black director of the California Department of Finance. The state’s budget for the next fiscal year presents a more modest outlook than last year’s, which totaled $240 billion.
In his presentation, Newsom assured Californians that the state has $35.6 billion in reserves, which the governor says he intends not to touch.
Stephenshaw, who took the podium after the governor, explained that the decrease in the budget and the decision not to tap into the reserves are not actions taken in anticipation of an impending recession.
Instead, he said, the state is practicing “moderation” due to witnessing “slower growth” revenues than was expected last year.
An assessment of Newsom’s budget proposal by the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) determined that a recession is not an unlikely possibility and praised the proposed budget for making financial sense.
“Notably, the Governor does not propose using any reserves,” LAO’s statement read. “This approach is prudent given the downside risk to revenues posed by the current heightened risk of recession.
The statement also cautioned lawmakers.
“We recommend the Legislature maintain this approach during its own planning process,” the statement continued.
Sen. Steve Bradford (D-Gardena), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) said the state’s more cautious spending plan for the next fiscal year is a “step in the right direction” but promised to continue to fight to fund priorities that are critical for California’s most “marginalized” and “vulnerable” communities.
“As many Californians are struggling to pay for groceries, housing, and gas, the state faces its own money concerns. A projected budget shortfall of about $24 billion will challenge the Legislature and the Governor to ensure our investments will provide services to those Californians who need them the most,” he observed.
“I look forward to the budget process and will work to make sure any adjustments to investments in jobs, healthcare, education and public safety are viewed under a lens of equity,” Bradford added.
Some observers praised the Newsom’s draft budget because it did not come with new taxes.
“I was pleased to see that taxes are not part of the new state budget,” Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) said in a statement released by his office on the day of the announcement.
“Even though California faces a budget deficit, we will continue moving forward to improve education, reduce homelessness, and combat fentanyl use, especially among our children and youth to ensure public safety and economic development in the face of threats from flooding, wildfires, drought, and other climate extremes,” Ramos promised.
The budget proposal focuses heavily on education, with provisions for public schools, colleges, universities and other academic support, accounting for about 46% of
the general fund. About 36.3% is allotted to K-12 education and 10.1% is earmarked for higher education.
Chair of the CLBC Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) praised Newsom for specifically committing $300 million to K-12 education to close the academic achievement gap of low-income students.
“Thank you, Governor @GavinNewsom for including this funding in the budget and shout out to my colleague Asm. Akilah Weber, MD, for her tireless work on this issue,” Wilson tweeted.
Some Republican lawmakers issued brisk criticisms of Newsom’s spending plan and Democrats’ endorsement of it.
“Democrat politicians have wasted a record surplus on
new social programs and pork projects, while allowing our aging infrastructure to crumble. Now, we are faced with a $22 billion deficit as a result of their fiscal recklessness. It’s high time we refocus our budget on the core functions of government,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (D-Yuba City).
“As California bounces between flooding and drought, it is abundantly clear that we need new water storage, and yet there is still no dedicated funding this year or next to meet that need. Instead, the Governor protects failed programs that haven’t made a dent our state’s highest-inthe-nation poverty rate.”
In his presentation, Newsom evoked Proposition 98 which requires a minimum funding level for community colleges and other schools.
After education, the second-highest funded priority is health services and initiatives at 23.4% of total spending.
If the Legislature approves, some of the monies for health funding will go toward mental health for programs like CARE Court and CalAim.
There are also funds dedicated to reproductive care.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California stood behind the governor’s decision.
“Maintaining and pursuing new investments is critical in the pursuit of accessibility and equity for California patients and those forced to seek care here,” the statement read.
Another 8.6% of the budget will go toward human services, 4.3% will go to natural resources, and 10.7% will go to other efforts.
“With our state and nation facing economic headwinds, this budget keeps the state on solid economic footing while continuing to invest in Californians,” said Newsom.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) –also a member of the CLBC – expressed her support on Twitter.
“Governor Newsom’s proposed 2023-24 state budget preserves a lot of the progress we’ve made over the past few years and helps navigate short term fiscal issues while maintaining our long-term vision for CA,” she tweeted.
During the press conference, Newsom indicated that he believes continued investments in things like universal healthcare will bring about radical change for the state.
Over the next five months, the Governor and the Legislature will work to hash out their differences and present an updated draft proposal, commonly known as the “May Revise.”
By law, Legislators have until June 15 to approve the final budget, which takes effect July 1.
CBC Begins ‘Busy’ 2023 Meeting with Biden Administration over Border Policies
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentWhile House Republicans spent a week publicly bickering and 15 rounds voting to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus was already hard at work on behalf of its millions of constituents. In the 118th Congress, the
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President: Ellen Coley CEO: Jon Coley Publisher/ Editor: James Luckey Jr. Operations Manager: James LuckeyCredo - The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national antagonisms when it accounts to every person, regardless of race, color, or creed full human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as any one is held back.
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CBC will have 58 members, nine of whom are new to the chamber. Steven Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada, was chosen as chair. The rest of the executive committee is made up of Democrats from New York, Louisiana, Georgia, and Washington: Yvette Clarke, Troy Carter, Lucy McBath, and Marilyn Strickland. Due to the lengthy speakership vote, Congress could not do business during the first week of the new legislative year. Despite this, Horsford and other CBC members still managed to talk about one of their 2023 goals. Members were worried about the Biden administration’s plan to stop people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti from crossing the border. Horsford stated, “America is a nation of immigrants.” He argued that the right to access could save lives in many situations. Horsford and Clarke said that the government’s policy, which is very similar to that of the Trump administration, should be looked at again immediately. Even though Biden’s new program intends to speed up the asylum process, “the reality is that the administration’s actions have the potential to threaten the safety and humanity of migrants,” as Horsford put it.
Horsford’s parents are native Trinidadians, while Clarke’s ancestors came to the United States from Jamaica. During a meeting with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which Horsford led, the topic of Haitian migrants was
central. Horsford says, “Members talked about the reallife experiences of their constituents with migration and their worries about the continuation of Title 42. They also stressed the importance of giving everyone fair and equal access to asylum and other ways to move.” Trump’s pandemic-era Title 42 law allowed the United States to deport hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers on public health grounds. Horsford praised the CBC and Mayorkas for “taking the right step in the right direction” by collaborating on a government-wide strategy to address migration at entry points. The caucus’ chair said the CBC is eager to collaborate with Biden on finding “humanitarianfocused solutions.” The CBC has not yet released all its priorities for 2023 due to the delay in electing a speaker, but it expects a busy session. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the youngest new member at age 25, is the first person from Generation Z to serve in Congress. Summer Lee, 35, is the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives. After being sworn in for the first time on January 3, 1991, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, now 85, is beginning her 16th term this month. “I do not know if we have ever needed you more than we do now,” said Marcia Fudge, the former chair of the CBC and the current secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The CBC “has
center that ensures that the people in
the conscience of the Congress, the
Barbara Lee, Other House Dems Prepare to Enter California Senate Race
According
about
plans,
brief interview she’d officially announce, “when it’s appropriate.” “Right now, in respect to [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein and the floods and what I’m doing, I’m doing my work. And we’ll let them know when I intend to go to the next step. But now’s the time not to talk about that,” she said, according to Politico. Lee’s office didn’t return messages from the Black Press. However, Politico reported that Lee declined to say whether she’d run against 89-yearold Feinstein if the California senator chose to run again rather than retire. “I’m not really doing anything except letting colleagues know that there’ll be a time to talk about the Senate race,” she said. Lee’s decision to run comes a day after Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) also announced a bid for the seat currently held by Feinstein (D-Calif.). Politico further noted that Lee was widely seen as leading the list of potential Feinstein replacements if she were to retire early and Gov. Gavin Newsom were to choose a successor, though there’s no indication Feinstein would do so. The outlet reported that the governor vetted Lee when thenSen. Kamala Harris departed for the vice presidency, and he publicly committed to choosing a Black woman if he had the chance to make another appointment. Some other House members had emerged as potential contenders, but Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) isn’t expected to seek the seat. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has said he would defer a decision for a few months.
A2 The Valley’s News Observer Thursday, January 19, 2023
been
moral
communities whose blood, sweat, and tears built this country are never forgotten by this storied institution for over 50 years,” Fudge asserted.
World & Nation
Member:
The Valley’s
U.S. Rep Barbara Lee speaks onstage at Civic Center Plaza during the Women’s March San Francisco on January 19, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (PHOTO BY KELLY SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Rep. Barbara Lee plans to run for the Senate, a decision that comes despite fellow Democrat and incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein having yet to announce her intentions.
to Politico, the 76-year-old Lee has told her colleagues in a closed-door Congressional Black Caucus meeting. Asked later
her
Lee said in a
Gov. Newsom presenting the 2023-24 state budget Jan. 10 ( Facebook page)
Aldon
California Black Media
In the 118th Congress, the CBC will have 58 members, nine of whom are new to the chamber.
Entertainment
“House Party” Review
By
Bringing the ‘90s back is hard work. So hard this new House Party reboot only gets half the job done. But when it’s on, it’s on.
For those who were in a drug induced comma during 1990 (you know who you are), the duo Kid ‘n Play (Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin) threw a House Party that brought hip hop joy to the masses. How popular was it? Three more HP films followed. The event planners behind this ’23 party remix are equally ambitious. They hired Grammy-winning music director Calmatic (real name Charles Kid II, winner Best Music Video for Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”) to helm a project written by Atlanta co-writers Jamal Olori & Stephen Glover. The pedigree is there, what about the attention to details?
Damon (Tosin Cole, Till) and Kevin (Jacob Latimore (The Chi) have been friends since childhood and losers forever. In Los Angeles, you’re either rich or poor, and these struggling party promoters are broke bros. Their daytime grind is working for a house cleaning company. Swabbing toilets. sweeping up, dusting, throwing out the garbage… They dream big, but their game is small.
Kev is desperate to pay for his young daughter’s tuition and his baby moma pressures him to come up with $10K. Typically, Damon (pretentiously pronounced da-MON)
finds ways to solve Kev’s problems, but most often gets him into more trouble. His not-so-smart idea this time? Why don’t they throw a big, money-making, superstar-invited house party in the mansion they’re currently cleaning? The owner will be gone for two weeks, they’ll hire security, ropeoff the fancy rooms and clean up. What could go wrong?
For starters, the villa belongs to LeBron James—and his ego. Plus, someone could call the cops. Right?
The premise is ripe for comedy. The script sets the stage: challenges, solutions and worst possible outcomes. Quirky hip-hop characters are assembled, and they all blossom. Kev’s lost love Venus (Karen Obilom, Doom Patrol) is his boss at the cleaning service, and their sexual tension is burning hot. Her gal pal Mika (Shakira Ja’nai Paye), a modern, quintessential soul sister (colored hair, fake eyelashes, long fancy fingernails), is onboard.
Add in a crazed DJ (comedian D.C. Young Fly), a spiritual advisor with ties to the Illuminati named Cudi (Scott Mescudi, a.k.a. Kid Cudi) and a nosy white neighbor (Andrew Santino) with a roaming pet Koala bear and the casting is just crazed. Star-studded cameos (Mya, L.A. Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Odell Beckham Jr.) are icing on the cake.
All the good ingredients are in place. So, what’s the rub? At 1h 40m the footage is too long. Too many lapses and dead spots. Too many scenes needed to be clipped to
their core (editor Matthew Barbato, Dave). In a beginning sequence, three rival menacing party promoters (Rotimi, Allen Maldonado, Melvin Gregg) harass and beat up the boys. They’re silly, goofy antagonists, but their overextended improv antics kill momentum and needed to be trimmed. Anyone who’s seen the perfectly timed HP trailer will grow impatient. Anyone who remembers the tightly paced Girls Trip knows that short, succinct scenes are key.
On the other hand, the screenplay and direction have their moments. The dialogue can be hysterical, especially when it’s delivered by actors who go for it. E.g., Damon’s Aunt Jean (Renata Walsh) bitches about his dirty room: “Clean up this room. It smells like ass and onions in here… don’t make me get my gun!”
Calmatic is successful with sight gags, physical pranks and the dance offs in party scenes. Though the crux of the movie takes place at LeBron’s place, the most outrageous wacky stuff comes in a sequence where Cudi takes the duo to an underground world, populated by weird Caligulalooking people. The debauchery, depravity and horrific violence on view are so funny viewers will lose their lunch, spill their drinks or gag on their weed. That’s the frustration with this update. It could have been better, tighter, funnier and even more frenzied.
all perfectly lit and shot (cinematographer
Cole and Latimore fit together well and if their dialogue was shorter, they’d shine brighter. Obilom, Paye, Cudi and Santino make their marks and claim their turf too. Hard to believe LeBron James can hold down his part of the screen, but he does.
Overall, this movie knows how to talk to its demographics (young, urban and don’t give a ----). If firsttime feature film director Calmatic, the screenwriters and producers (including James) learn from their mistakes and achievements, audiences will R.S.V.P. to future House Parties—even if they’re on streaming services and not in theaters.
In truth, this new HP didn’t bring back the ‘90s. It’s trying to funk up the 2020s!
Lizzo, Swift and Styles Lead iHeartRadio Award Nominations
By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) _ Lizzo, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles lead the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations with seven nods each, with Jack Harlow and Drake close behind with six each.
The iHeartRadio Music Awards honor the most played artists of the year on their stations and app, and fans can vote in several categories including best fan army, best lyrics, best cover song, best sample and best music video. Voting on Twitter begins Wednesday using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags and will close March 20.
For top song of the year, Lizzo's “About Damn Time'' faces off against Swift's “Anti-Hero,” Styles' “As It Was,'' Justin Bieber's “Ghost,'' Doja Cat's “Woman,'' “Glass Animals' ''Heat Wave,” Latto's “Big Energy,'' Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow's “Industry Baby,” Harlow's “First Class,'' and Imagine Dragons' “Enemy.''
The iHeartRadio Music Awards will be aired March 27 on Fox from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and aired on iHeartRadio stations and the app.
With five nominations each are Doja Cat, Beyonce, Dua Lipa, Tems, Bad Bunny and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Silk Sonic, Future, Latto, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd, BLACKPINK, Karol G and Nicki Minaj have six each.
The artist of the year crown pits Beyonce against Doja Cat, Drake, Dua Lipa, Styles, Harlow, Bieber, Lizzo, Swift and The Weeknd. Best duo or group nominees are AJR, Black Eyed Peas, BLACKPINK, Silk Sonic, Glass Animals, Imagine Dragons, Maneskin, OneRepublic, Parmalee and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Country artist of the year nominees are Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen. Hip-hop artist of the year nominees are Drake, Future, Kodak Black, Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo.
Nominees for alternative artist of the year are Imagine Dragons, Maneskin, Twenty One Pilots, Weezer and Red Hot Chili Peppers, the last of whom also are on the list of rock artists of the year, along with Ghost, Papa Roach, Shinedown and Three Days Grace.
The Latin pop/reggaeton artist of the year nominees are Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Farruko, Karol G and Rauw Alejandro. And nominees for best R&B artist are Blxst, Bleu, Silk Sonic, Muni Long and SZA.
Thursday, January 19, 2023 The Valley’s News Observer A3
JACOB LATIMORE, LEBRON JAMES and TOSIN COLE in House Party
SHAKIRA
JA’NAI
PAYE
and TOSIN COLE in House Party
TOSIN COLE , JACOB LATIMORE and cast in House party
KAREN OBILOM in House Party
Dwight Brown Film Critic for DwightBrownInk.com and NNPA News Wire
Problems with the script and direction aside, the production team is stellar. The colors pop (art director
Frances Lynn Hernandez), the sets—from Damon’s stanky room to LeBron’s trophy man cave—greatly reflect Hollywood’s rags or riches stories (production designer Scott Falconer; set decorators Laura Harper and Maya Levy). The clothes are ghetto hip, star chaser flashy or glamorous according to the characters (costumes by Derica Cole Washington, Zola). Audiences will live for the music (music supervisor Keir Lehman, Queen & Slim; composer Oak Felder The United States vs. Billie Holiday). And it’s
Andrew Huebscher).
Features
The Lunar New Year: Treasuring an Asian American California Tradition
Jaivon Grant California Black MediaAlthough it is celebrated in many countries around the world like Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, the Lunar New Year is widely recognized as an important social and economic holiday -- in China and places with significant Chinese populations.
In the Golden State, people of Chinese descent comprise 23% of all Asians and that sub-group in aggregate accounts for about 20% (5.8 million people) of the state’s population.
In Los Angeles, there are nearly 678,000 Chinese immigrants (not counting Chinese Americans who are second-generation Americans and beyond.)
Mei Mei Huff is the Executive Director of the ACT Against Hate Alliance (AAHA), a Los Angeles-based organization that is working to eliminate hate by targeting its root causes.
According to Huff, the Lunar New Year is a time when families get together and celebrate traditions over a warm dinner and fond memories.
“People get together to have family reunions and dinner. While different areas prepare different dishes to celebrate New Year, the sumptuous meal will include different kinds of meat, fresh vegetables, different seafood, dumplings, rice cakes, etc., and each item is designed to bring prosperity and abundance to our family members,” Huff said. “It is truly an important day in Eastern cultures, and it’s about celebrating the most meaningful things to you.”
The Lunar New Year, also referred to as the Spring Festival, signifies the arrival of spring and the start of a new year on the lunisolar calendar (based on the positions of the moon and sun).
“Each
The
2023 is the year of the Rabbit.
In addition to the animals, five elements -- earth, water, fire, wood and metal -- are also mapped onto the traditional lunar calendar. Each year is associated with an animal that corresponds to an element.”
The Chinese New Year is thought to have originated in the Shang Dynasty in the 14th century B.C., but its exact start day is unknown. It serves as a time for grand feasts to honor heavenly deities and ancestors. Hundreds of millions of people travel worldwide to go home and celebrate with their families.
Lunar New Year’s Eve meal to symbolize good luck. In the Chinese language, the pronunciation for “fish” is the same as the word for “abundance” or “surplus.” Because of this, the fish will not be totally eaten to signify that there will be surplus in the year to come.
Families frequently prepare for the Lunar New Year by thoroughly cleaning their houses, which represents ridding the area of evil spirits and opening space for good will and fortune.
“We would wear new clothes, and my father would light fireworks to ward off any evil spirits or demons around the house,” said Huff. “It’s a tradition to dispel all the demons and monsters to bring peace and health to the family.”
Some other traditions include elders giving out red envelopes that contain money to children. Red-paper couplets, intricate red paper-cut art, and red posters decorated with calligraphy messages of good health and fortune are placed on the doors, windows and around the homes.
Hongxia Xiao -- going by the American name Sammie – is a San Francisco resident who immigrated from China more than 10 years ago. She says, since moving to the United States, she still cherishes the Lunar New Year traditions.
“No matter where I am, I will always celebrate the [Chinese] New Year,” said Sammie. “It represents getting rid of the old and bad, and bringing in the new.” She also celebrates by having leftover fish symbolizing that one will have a surplus in money, luck, love, and fortune in life.
San Francisco is reported to have the biggest Lunar New Year parade outside of Asia. It is a tradition that began during the Gold Rush era in the 1860s, when an influx of Chinese citizens immigrated to that region of the state.
The Lunar New Year celebration concludes with the Lantern Festival, which includes parades, dancing, games, and fireworks.
California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices Love Thy
(Daniel Acker / Bloomberg)
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young California Healthline
California
sued the six major companies that dominate the U.S. insulin market, ratcheting up the state’s assault on a profitable industry for artificially jacking up prices and making the indispensable drug less accessible for diabetes patients.
The 47-page civil complaint alleges three pharmaceutical companies that control the insulin market — Eli Lilly and Co., Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk — are violating California law by unfairly and illegally driving up the cost of the drug. It also targets three distribution middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers: CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx.
“We’re going to level the playing field and make this life-saving drug more affordable for all who need it, by putting an end to Big Pharma’s big profit scheme,” Bonta said at a news conference after filing the lawsuit in a state court in Los Angeles. “These six companies are complicit in aggressively hiking the list price of insulin, at the expense of patients.”
In the lawsuit, Bonta argued that prices have skyrocketed and that some patients have been forced to ration their medicine or forgo buying insulin altogether. The attorney general said a vial of insulin, which diabetics rely on to control blood sugar, cost $25 a couple of decades ago but now costs about $300.
A 2021 U.S. Senate investigation found that the price of a long-acting insulin pen made by Novo Nordisk jumped 52% from 2014 to 2019 and that the price of a rapidacting pen from Sanofi shot up about 70%. From 2013 to 2017, Eli Lilly had a 64% increase on a rapid-acting pen. The investigation implicated drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers in the increases, saying they perpetuated artificially high insulin prices.
“California diabetics who require insulin to survive and who are exposed to insulin’s full price, such as uninsured consumers and consumers with high deductible insurance plans, pay thousands of dollars per year for insulin,” according to the complaint.
Eli Lilly spokesperson Daphne Dorsey said the company is “disappointed by the California attorney general’s false allegations,” arguing that the average monthly out-of-pocket cost of insulin has fallen 44% over the past five years, and the drug is available to anyone “for $35 or less.”
Mike DeAngelis, a spokesperson for CVS, said it would vigorously defend itself, saying that pharmaceutical companies alone set list prices. “Nothing in our agreements prevents drug manufacturers from lowering the prices of their insulin products, and we would welcome such action. Allegations that we play any role in determining the prices charged by manufacturers are false,” he said.
OptumRx, a division of UnitedHealthcare, said it welcomes the opportunity to show California “how we work every day to provide people with access to affordable drugs, including insulin.” And company spokesperson Isaac Sorensen said it has eliminated out-of-pocket costs for insulin.
Other companies targeted in the suit, and the trade associations that represent them, did not immediately
respond to inquiries seeking comment, or declined to comment on the lawsuit. Instead, they either blamed one another for price increases or outlined their efforts to lower costs. Costs for consumers vary widely depending on insurance coverage and severity of illness.
California follows other states, including Arkansas, Kansas, and Illinois, in going after insulin companies and pharmaceutical middlemen, but Bonta said California is taking an aggressive approach by charging the companies with violating the state’s Unfair Competition Law, which could carry significant civil penalties and potentially lead to millions of dollars in restitution for Californians.
If the state prevails in court, the cost of insulin could be “massively decreased” because the companies would no longer be allowed to spike prices, Bonta said.
Bonta joins fellow Democratic leaders in targeting the pharmaceutical industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched an ambitious plan to put the nation’s most populous state in the business of making its own brand of insulin as a way to bring down prices for roughly 3.2 million diabetic Californians who rely on the drug.
“Big Pharma continues to put profits over people — driving up drug prices and restricting access to this vital medicine,” Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards told KHN. “That is why California is moving towards manufacturing our own affordable insulin.”
By launching an aggressive attack against the pharmaceutical industry, California is also wading into a popular political fight. Many Americans express outrage at drug costs while manufacturers blame pharmacy middlemen and health insurers. Meanwhile, the middlemen point the finger back at drugmakers.
Edwin Park, a California-based research professor with Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, said California’s push to enter the generic drug business, while also suing the pharmaceutical industry, could ultimately lead to lower patient costs at the pharmacy counter.
“It can put downward pressure on list prices,” Park said, referring to the sticker price of drugs. “And that can lead to lower out-of-pocket costs.”
There isn’t much transparency in how drug prices are set in the U.S. Manufacturers are predominantly to blame for high drug costs, because they set the list prices, Park said. A growing body of research also indicates that the pharmaceutical middlemen are a prime driver of high patient drug costs. To lower prices, it’s critical to target the entire supply chain, experts say.
“The list price has definitely gone up,” said Dr. Neeraj Sood, a professor of health policy, medicine, and business at the University of Southern California who has studied drivers of high insulin costs. “But over time a larger share of the money is going to the middlemen rather than the manufacturers.”
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.
Huff says fish is usually eaten as the last course of the
This California Black Media feature was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
A4 The Valley’s News Observer Thursday, January 19, 2023
The 2023 Lunar New Year begins on January 22 and traditionally the celebration runs for 15 days.
year, the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals included in the cycle of 12 stations or ‘signs’ along the apparent path of the sun through the cosmos,” according to History.com.
12 zodiac animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday
Neighborhood. HElp
prevent wildfires.
Features
Stephanie Mills Gets Candid on Kanye, Kim, Michael, Prince, Rolling Stone and More
Exclusive:
want us to,” she declared.
ByAfter gaining global acclaim for playing Dorothy in The Wiz, which set the Broadway stage on fire, and producing some of the most memorable tunes in music, Stephanie Mills inexplicably remains under the radar, especially for someone with one of the best voices in history.
One may argue that she is the most undervalued and overlooked performer ever.
But Mills, 65, doesn’t care that the music industry still hasn’t given her those much-deserved flowers.
During a spirited one-on-one interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s live morning show, Let It Be Known, she said, “If they don’t give me my flowers, I’m good with that.”
“Every time I walk up onto that stage, someone gives me flowers. Mills observed, “People come out, and they adore my show.”
In 2022, Mills performed in front of sold-out crowds across the United States as generations of fans have continued to devour the sonic treats she gives, especially when performing classics like “I Never Knew Love Like This Before,” “You’re Puttin’ A Rush on Me,” and “Home,” which, according to the majority of Black Twitter, no one besides Mills should sing.
Even when discussing such topics as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and the inane Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranking of the “Greatest 200 Singers of All Time,” her genuineness shone through in every part of the chat.
When asked about the magazine’s most egregious oversight, Mills said, “Leaving Celine Dion and me off the list, and putting Michael Jackson at No. 86.”
According to Mills, “Why should we care at all?”
“Rolling Stone is meaningless,” she chides.
“With Michael Jackson (No. 86) so far down on the list, and neither Celine Dion nor myself on it, it’s meaningless,” Mills stated. “Willie Nelson is not a singer [yet he made Rolling Stone’s list at No. 54.” She scoffed at the selection of Adele at No. 22.
“Adele has never finished a performance,” Mills decried.
“No way do I believe anything on the list. This is just a PR effort to get people talking. In my opinion, Rolling Stone is meaningless.”
Mills, who earned a Black Press of America Lifetime Legacy Award in 2022, said the music industry has continued to whitewash R&B.
“We can’t make it in the industry, because it doesn’t
“They’re looking for Adele, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, and Billie Eilish. I can sing the same song as Adele, and it still won’t get played. The music business is still very divided between what we call pop radio and R&B radio.”
She argued that it should come as no surprise that whitewashing persists.
Mills said, “I had a tremendous hit with ‘Never Knew Love Like This’ and they don’t play it. They always want us to grovel and plead for a place in their world, but we already have our own. Why the need to squabble over Rolling Stone? Obviously, the author of this piece is not musically literate and has no ability to sing.”
For artists like Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, and others who have been able to crossover, Mills said they suffered lots of stress and permanent damaged.
“Michael and Prince felt they needed to medicate themselves to get through their struggles, the stress that came with it and they are dead,” she said.
Don’t get it twisted, Mills isn’t throwing posthumous shade at any of those superstars.
She enjoyed a close and fond relationship with Jackson, and adored Prince, and Whitney Houston.
Mills elaborated, saying, “The issue is that the pop side earns so much more money than the R&B side, and that is by design to make you think [pop] is superior.”
“But there’s just as much money on the R&B side. We have to know how to tap into it,” she concluded.
Along with a phenomenal career, Mills also counts as an activist.
She’s quite vocal on social media about her support for Black people and her appreciation for Black culture.
Witnessing anti-Black sentiments from other African Americans bothers her, she said, noting that individuals like Kanye West have crossed the line.
As Mills put it, “some of us don’t want to be Black, but simply a pet,” referring to those Black individuals whom she said despise the color of their skin.
“They are embarrassing. They personify the aspiration to belong to and be accepted by the white majority,” she declared.
Revealing what she’d say to West if given the opportunity, Mills said she’d ask the hip-hop star, “Are you completely crazy? In other words, you have completely lost your way.”
Mills said she would add, “You came from a Black woman.”
“When we give in to the demands [white people] make of us, we bring destruction upon ourselves,” she remarked.
“Kanye has strayed so far from his core identity as a beautiful Black man that it has driven him insane.”
Mills isn’t buying the idea that West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian is to blame for his epic fall.
“It’s not the Kardashians’ fault. They’re just being themselves,” she said.
“Kim didn’t force him to marry her. If you are crazy enough to go over there, you deserve whatever the backlash.”
She credited West with helping Kardashian and introducing her to “a world she might not have been in.”
“He took her to the next level in her life,” Mills said.
“But Kanye thought he was so loved and welcomed in that world that he could do anything. However, they have made it clear to him that ‘no,’ he is not welcome there. What we’re saying is, ‘No, we’re going to take everything from you.’”
Mills said it’s paramount that artists stand on their own and not allow corporations and music labels to control them.
“That’s why Dave Chappelle went ghost when they wanted him to put on a dress and stuff,” Mills offered. “He went away and came back on his terms.”
“We worry so much about losing what we don’t have. You will not miss out on what is intended for you. You can’t be a slave, and that’s exactly what Prince meant. To them, you’re like a little pet. They could care less.”
Mills was also moved to reach out to hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion after producer Tory Lanez shot her in 2020.
Mills objected to the lack of encouragement Megan received.
“I love Megan Thee Stallion, and at no time, in no place, in my mind, could I ever go against a woman who has been physically attacked and shot by a guy,” Mills added.
“He intended to do her in completely. He aimed for her feet. She dances. That was deliberate. I called Meg to tell her she should ghost him. He is not on your side. You should never want to be associated with him. He should be in jail.”
With violence permeating the entertainment industry, specifically in hip-hop, Mills cautioned that performers can no longer engage in risky behavior and expect to survive in the modern environment.
“You need to always be aware of your environment,” she demanded.
“There’s no way [Migos star] Takeoff should have been out there at a dice game. You’re an entertainer.”
Takeoff, 28, whose real name was Kirshnik Khari Ball, was shot and killed in Houston in November 2022, after a fight broke out during a dice game.
Ball wasn’t the subject of the dispute.
“There are some people you simply can’t associate with,” Mills stated.
“No, I don’t have to visit the worst neighborhoods in Brooklyn to prove that I’m a true Brooklyn girl.”
In recent years, the infamous Karens – racist white women who obnoxiously confront people of color – have received lots of media attention.
Mills said she would not hesitate to reveal her inner Brooklyn girl if she’s ever confronted.
“It’s clear they know who to mess with,” Mills said. “I know she’ll remember me if I get a Karen. She will no longer identify as a Karen.”
Meanwhile, despite the hectic nature of 2022, Mills has a full agenda for 2023.
For an upcoming PBS television show celebrating Black Broadway, she recently went to Howard University for rehearsals and filming.
In addition to her busy touring schedule, she’s currently in Canada filming a movie for Lifetime that should debut early this year.
Mills also plans to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with engagements in Atlanta this month on behalf of the King Foundation.
She and her super manager, Amp Harris, have a plan in place to guarantee that Mills will always receive her flowers.
“Amp allows me to focus solely on my performance.”
Mills was adamant that nothing could stand in the way of she and Harris’ plans, which include movies, theater, and a busy touring schedule.
“I feel like I’m getting my flowers in the form of the movie, the PBS special, and my shows,” Mills said.
10 MLK Quotes Promoting Equal Rights, Unity, and a Multicultural America
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. was more than a social activist who, through his strong advocacy and rare brilliance, became America’s most celebrated symbol of racial justice and social progress. He was a symbol of unity, hope, and peace for people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
He was a gifted student, who enrolled in Atlanta’s Morehouse College at the age of 15, to study medicine and law.
But MLK had no intention of following the path others imagined for him, instead becoming a pastor.
Morehouse president Dr. Benjamin Mays, a strong advocate for racial equality and a renowned theologian, inspired him to join the ministry.
As we celebrate MLK Day -- on what would have been his 94th birthday -- it’s important to acknowledge what the inspirational civil rights leader did for communities across the United States who face(d) racial discrimination - even today.
Here are 10 quotes from across MLK’s life that represent what he stood for.
1. “I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed… that all men are created equal.”
This quote is culled from perhaps his most memorable speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963. While highlighting the racial injustices that Black Americans faced, MLK reminded the marchers that Jim Crow discrimination had ended legally -- but not in practice. It had been nearly a century since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, but Black Americans were far from being “free,” he proffered.
King advised that those leading the charge on civil
rights not let “bitterness and hatred” let their movement “degenerate into physical violence.” He encouraged his followers not to see their White supporters as enemies because Americans from all backgrounds and races need to act in solidarity.
2. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
This is MLK’s call-to-action to take an active role against injustices that are faced in society. Being passive and hoping for the best is no way to fight a problem that will cause exponential damage to the unity that so many civil rights activists have fought to achieve today and onward.
3. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
Every positive contribution -- big or small -- counts in the fight towards achieving equality. It’s easy to notice the bigger aspects of an object or idea and miss the smaller pieces that comprise them.
4. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
It takes true mental fortitude to establish trust with a perceived enemy. MLK was encouraging us to look past the negative things that people have done to us. It’s important to consider that even friends commit acts that you do not condone. Friendships are built on acceptance and succeed because of forgiveness between two parties. It is a nearly impossible feat without love in one’s heart.
5. “If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation.”
Constantly seeking revenge will inevitably lead to an endless downward spiral of destruction for all who are involved in that dynamic. Within the same speech, King noted that “violence ends by defeating itself.” Rather than destroying enemies, we should give them perspective and understanding.
6. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere… Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
When one offense is overlooked somewhere else in the world, it makes it possible for many other injustices to be swept under the rug -- especially the ones that affect us directly. For example, it should not take losing a loved one to an act of violence for us to care about everyone’s right to living in a safe community.
7. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
This quote speaks for itself. Perseverance is tested through hardship, not times of peace -- and this applies to all aspects of life. Will you be in the trenches when confronted by adversity?
8. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”
King often spoke of having love in one’s heart. In his sermon --mirroring the light-driving-out-darkness metaphor -- the civil rights icon expressed that only love could drive out hate. Loving your enemies is the only way to close the rift that separates (and in this case segregates) different racial and ethnic communities.
9. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Disappointment does not last forever. Eventually, it ends. Despite challenges one faces, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel -- when hope is in the heart.
10. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
No matter how you do it, continue to grow and move towards progress. King preached that non-violence can be achieved. He encouraged his followers, and those who looked up to him, to not give up -- press on, no matter how impossible the goal may seem. A little progress is better
Thursday, January 19, 2023 The Valley’s News Observer A5
Fans continue to devour the sonic treats she gives, especially when performing classics like “I Never Knew Love Like This Before,” “You’re Puttin’ A Rush on Me,” and “Home,” which, according to the majority of Black Twitter, no one besides Mills should sing.
Entertainer Stephanie Mills receives Legacy Award at the 2022 NNPA Conference. (Photo: Mark Mahoney/NNPA)
Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Jaivon Grant California Black Media
than none at all.
This California Black Media feature was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
WASHINGTON DC - JULY 30, 2014: The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, featuring a portrait of the civil rights leader carved in granite, was dedicated by President Barack Obama in 2011.
Features
While Black Newspapers Reveal Serial Rapists, Mainstream Turns to Comedy
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentIn a news story that likely will leave some headscratching along with palpable outrage, Kansas City police dismissed a Black News report of missing women.
Then one showed up.
“The story shows why it’s absolutely essential to have radical Black media outlets that are unapologetic and unafraid to report on issues that white news outlets don’t want to talk about or that they will water down or whitewash,” Ryan Sorrell, the 27-year-old founder of the Kansas City Defender, told the independent Capital B News.
The Black Press has been the primary voice of the Black community for 196 years. It informs those who are frequently forgotten or ignored by the mainstream media.
The Black Press of America has always spoken truth to power.
Despite the horrors of slavery, the disgust and inhumanity of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Era, and the global Black Lives Matter Movement, the Black Press has marched on.
And the community has continued to depend on the Black Press without being let down.
Reports that mainstream outlets quickly have dropped news and information further underscores the importance of the Black Press of America.
The latest news is that CNN, which once held itself as the leader in cable news, is looking for a comedian to fill its crucial 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. time slot.
Media folks are talking about Bill Maher, Arsenio Hall, and Trevor Noah as possible replacements for the spot that Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon once occupied.
“The ‘news entertainment’ personality could fill the prime time hours of 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a nontraditional version of the news,” Semafor, the global news platform, reported.
The outlet cited five people familiar with the planning.
Reportedly, CNN executives have looked at other
Executives
for weeks.
The woman reportedly escaped while Haslett was dropping his son off at school. The Defender reported that police searched his home and discovered a “dungeonlike cell” in his basement, painted black and equipped with several “devices” to restrain the woman.
Authorities charged Haslett with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault.
The Defender reported that Haslett was known to post racist content on Facebook. He also had problems with Black soldiers when he was in the military.
More than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies are represented by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
These newspapers and media companies, which comprise the Black Press of America, provide news and information to people all over the world.
Meanwhile, the Semafor report noted that CNN “is also reckoning with its need to have talent on hand to cover major breaking news events, such as the House Speaker’s race, which ran late into the evening and boosted CNN’s ratings.”
Further, the report noted that other outlets have already started looking at comedy to replace news.
“Fox has found success with Gutfeld!, a conservative alternative to late-night TV shows dominated by liberal hosts that tries very hard to be funny and regularly beats its traditional late-night competitors,” Semafor reported.
“NBCU executives have considered moving Seth Meyers’ show to MSNBC.”
Semafor also offered that such an experiment could also deliver a programming disaster for the mainstream news outlet.
Quoting the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple, Semafor observed, “Consider a scenario in which said entertainer was on air at the moment that an overseas war broke out, or an earthquake struck, or some states person died. Watching the network scramble to switch back into hard-news mode — well, that would surely be entertaining.”
Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee Introduces Anti-White Supremacy Bill, then Schools Republican Boebert on Hate
ByThe Democratic representative from Texas has introduced House Resolution 61, which would amend Title 18 of the United States Code to broaden the definition of hate crimes, with the goal of preventing and prosecuting hate crimes motivated by white supremacy and conspiracy to commit such crimes.
The text of the bill reads as follows: “A person commits a white supremacy inspired hate crime when white supremacist ideology has motivated the planning, development, preparation, or perpetration of actions that constituted a crime or were undertaken in furtherance of activity that, if effectuated, would have constituted a crime.”
With respect to any information or evidence obtained by the Department of Justice of any unlawful action specified in Jackson-Lee’s bill, the DOJ shall have the authority to conduct operations and activities pursuant to such crimes.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) would also be authorized to conduct investigations, intervene, and take any other measures it deems necessary and appropriate to prevent, mitigate, or stop any potentially violent action.
The Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program would keep track of white supremacistinspired hate crimes and other related actions, and Justice Department officials would have the authority to prosecute those responsible for them.
Jackson Lee has requested that the DOJ report its findings annually to the relevant Congressional committees.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, claimed the legislation “makes a mockery of the First Amendment.”
While Boebert, a right-wing leader, misrepresented the legislation after reading a misleading news article, Jackson Lee schooled her on Twitter.
“First of all, it took me about 32 seconds of reading
San Francisco Committee Recommends Massive Reparations Payout for Black Residents
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentEach Black inhabitant of San Francisco, including those arrested during the racist war on drugs, should receive a one-time, lump-sum payment of $5 million from the African American Reparations Advisory Committee.
Assuming the city council approves the proposal, it would be the largest payment of reparations in American history.
In a study released this week, members of the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee noted, “We have ultimately established that the repercussions of numerous programmatic and policy actions by San Francisco’s administration have been generational and overlapping.”
Committee members asserted that most prominent period that illustrates how the city and county of San Francisco as an institution contributed to the depletion of Black wealth and the forced relocation of its Black inhabitants was the period of urban renewal.
Further, the committee concluded that “public and private entities facilitated and coddled the conditions that created near-exclusive Black communities within the city, limited political participation and representation, disinvested from academic and cultural institutions, and intentionally displaced Black communities from San Francisco through targeted, sometimes violent actions”
(San Francisco’s African American population grew rapidly between 1940 and 1963).
To address what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “a national racial reckoning,” the Board of Supervisors established the AARAC committee in December 2020.
According to the Chronicle, what happens next “will demonstrate whether San Francisco lawmakers are serious about tackling the city’s checkered past or are merely pretending to be.”
The committee’s investigation determined that segregation, structural oppression, and racial prejudice developed from the institution of slavery had a tremendous impact on the development of the city, even though California was never formally a slave state.
Throughout the 20th century, the Chronicle reported, “San Francisco was a Ku Klux Klan stronghold, prohibited Black people from residing in particular districts, kept them out of city employment, and bulldozed the Fillmore,” a historically Black neighborhood and commercial center.
AARAC chair Eric McDonnell told the newspaper, “Centuries of devastation and destruction of Black lives, Black bodies, and Black communities should be met with centuries of restoration.”
A tale of two cities emerges when one examines San Francisco, as one observer put it.
This committee’s actions are consistent with those of other jurisdictions, where similar bodies have advocated for reparations for African Americans.
Residents
Additionally, individuals may be required to show that they were born in San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, have been residents of the city for at least 13 years, and are either a former inmate themselves or a direct descendant of a former inmate who served time during the war on drugs.
The Chronicle said that “to put that in context,” the state reparations task panel believes Black Californians may be awarded $569 billion for housing discrimination alone between 1933 and 1977.
Evanston, Illinois, voted to pay $400,000 to select African Americans as part of the city’s vow to spend $10 million over a decade on reparations payments shortly after the San Francisco committee was founded.
The government of St. Paul, Minnesota, has apologized for its role in institutional and structural racism and formed a committee to investigate reparations.
A report detailing the committee’s proposed financial compensation for African Americans was subsequently made public.
A reparations task committee was established by the state of California last year, and its report from that year detailed the incalculable harm that slavery had caused to African Americans.
After George Floyd was murdered, the District of
Columbia City Council announced it would create a task team to investigate compensation.
Legislators in both Maryland and Virginia have expressed an interest in researching reparations.
Meanwhile, there has been no movement on a federal level on a bill by Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to establish a committee to investigate reparations.
The San Francisco committee recommended that low-income African Americans get an annual payment equivalent to the region median for at least 250 years, on top of the $5 million payout.
As an added measure, the city would establish a public bank framework and provide citizens with extensive financial education to ensure that those without bank accounts have access to equal opportunities, including increased access to credit, loans, financing, and other means of managing their money.
The committee also seeks to pay for a broad debt cancellation plan that wipes out all types of debt including student loans, personal loans, credit card debt, and payday loans.
“Given the history of financial institutions preying on underbanked communities — and especially given the vulnerability of subsets of this population such as seniors and youth — this body recommends putting legal parameters and structures in place to ensure access to funds and to mitigate speculative harm done by others,” the committee concluded.
A6 The Valley’s News Observer Thursday, January 19, 2023
The Black Press has been the primary voice of the Black community for 196 years. It informs those who are frequently forgotten or ignored by the mainstream media.
comedic news-focused talk shows for inspiration.
have also discussed turning the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. hours into a series of shows modeled like a variety program, with “shows within shows” for different journalists, one network official told Semafor.
The discussions are aimed at turning away from the competition with MSNBC for liberal news junkies and toward pulling viewers from HGTV, ESPN, and Netflix,
Semafor reported further.
The potential move at CNN comes even as critical news about people of color is only found in the Black Press, like the story the Kansas City Defender broke. Excelsior Springs authorities arrested Timothy Haslett Jr., 39, after a Black woman claimed she escaped from a basement and sought help from his neighbors, alleging Haslett raped, whipped, and detained her against her will
The Department of Justice’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program would keep track of white supremacist-inspired hate crimes and other related actions, and Justice Department officials would have the authority to prosecute those responsible for them.
Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
That’s enough of racism and bigotry, says Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
the article you cited to understand that none of you know what you are talking about,” Jackson Lee scolded.
To be convicted of a hate crime in some jurisdictions, “H.R. 61 simply deals with adding white supremacy to a list of reasons,” the Texas Democrat explained. She elaborated:
“So, when the article states that ‘only white people can be charged with’ this crime, that’s flagrantly false. “Your argument assumes that only white people can hold white supremacist views and that only certain groups of people can perpetrate violence motivated by white supremacy.
“I would hope now that your argument would not shift to ‘why is white supremacy being added to this law?’ That would be egregious.
“Yes, white supremacy should be added to this law. Why? Because as Director Wray testified, it’s a major domestic terrorist threat.”must have self-identified as Black or African American on public documents for a minimum of ten years and be at least 18 years old when the committee’s plan is approved to receive the compensation.
Features
California Takes Steps to Manage Impact of Weather and Water Stormy Winter:
Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media
Over the last few weeks storms have torn through many of California’s communities, prompting evacuations in areas like Planada and Merced due to widespread flooding.
There have been at least 19 fatalities due to storm related incidents, according to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Friday Jan. 13, marked the end of the seventh storm and beginning of the eighth storm in a series of nine storms. That day, Gov. Newsom paid a visit to Santa Barbara, joining first responders, volunteers and members of Cal Guard as they filled sandbags in preparation for the storm to come.
“The magnitude of this is not isolated to smaller communities, it is scaled across the largest state in our union,” Newsom said at a press conference held in Santa Barbara.
Newsom said that Californians can expect these storms to continue through at least the 18th of this month. But what does this mean for the state’s long-standing drought?
Since 2019, California has been experiencing its driest period in 1,200 years, according to a study published by Nature Climate Change.
Molly White, the State Water Project’s Water Operations Manager, says that the statewide reservoir storage sits at 87% of the historical average, surpassing the 2021 and 2022 levels.
“We’re certainly, across the state, seeing an increase in storage with this storm activity,” White said during a presentation hosted by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).
However, there are variations in water storage from county to county.
supply, depending on the year; others rely more heavily on surface storage.
Tim Godwin, DWR Supervising Engineering Geologist at the Sustainable Groundwater Management Office, talked about how the framework for groundwater storage is outlined in the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
Signed in 2014, SGMA was conceived to protect water present below the earth’s surface by requiring local agencies to form groundwater sustainability agencies to manage water in their respective regions.
“Groundwater is best managed locally,” Godwin said during the online presentation. “It also acknowledges that groundwater and surface water are intimately connected.”
The Flood Operations Center (FOC) has identified six focus areas critical in the flood prevention effort: the Pajaro River in Santa Cruz and Monterey County, the Salinas River in Monterey County, the Cosumnes River in Sacramento County, Bear Creek River in Merced County, the Russian River in Mendocino and Sonoma County, and the State-Federal Flood Control system in Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valleys.
Even when the storms slow, state officials claim that water levels will remain high due to the fluctuations in some of these target areas.
On Jan. 14, President Joe Biden approved the state’s emergency declaration, making federal funding available for Merced, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz.
Additionally, Newsom proposed $202 million in flood prevention in the 2023-2024 budget proposal.
Newsom claimed that these storms – and other tumultuous weather conditions are not happenstance, but a symptom of climate change.
“Megadroughts. Wildfires. Historic floods and atmospheric rivers. This whiplash weather is not an
anomaly. California is proof that the climate crisis is real, and we have to take it seriously,” Newsom tweeted.
Newsom commended those who have been at the front line of these treacherous storms.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the first responders and everyday Californians stepping up across the state to help support communities impacted by these ongoing storms,” Newsom said in a statement. “With more difficult days ahead, it’s critical that Californians stay alert to conditions in their area and follow guidance from local emergency responders to stay safe.”
Thursday, January 19, 2023 The Valley’s News Observer A7
Hiroshima is one of the only places outside of the United States to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day because he wrote a letter to Japan weeks before his death, requesting to visit the country and spread his message of peace.The California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System in action! California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Swift Water & Flood Team 13 assisted in rescuing approximately 175 residents impacted by rising flood waters in San Joaquin County. (Photo caption: CalOES/ FB page) A large tree that was ripped from the roots in the Jan. 9 storm nearly missed a Sacramento CA home. (Photo: CBM Staff) This has much to do with how areas get their water supply as some areas rely on groundwater – which usually accounts for about 30% to 60% of the state’s total water
A8 The Valley’s News Observer Thursday, January 19, 2023 Local
Sports
Titans Hire 49ers’ Ran Carthon as 14th General Manager
By TERESA M. WALKER APNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans have hired San Francisco director of player personnel Ran Carthon as their general manager.
The Titans announced the hiring Wednesday morning, wrapping up a search that formally started Jan. 12. Carthon will be the franchise’s first minority GM. He is tentatively scheduled to be introduced at a news conference Friday.
Controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk, who ran the search committee that interviewed seven candidates, said in a statement they are excited to add Carthon with his variety of experience as a player, scout and personnel executive.
“I was impressed with his natural leadership qualities and his ability to connect with people,” Strunk said. “With talent evaluation being critical to this role, the roster they have built in San Francisco stands out. He played an important role there constructing one of our league’s best teams.”
Carthon will be the sixth minority among the past eight GMs hired in the NFL, which has held two programs since late May to promote more minority candidates for front office jobs. Carthon, who will be 42 on Feb. 10, attended that first session last May.
Carthon joined San Francisco in 2017 along with coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. The 49ers since then have made three playoff appearances,
winning two division titles and the 2019 NFC championship. The 49ers had seven Pro Bowl picks in 2021 and six this season.
The 49ers will host Dallas on Sunday night in the NFC divisional round after earning the No. 2 seed.
Carthon started as San Francisco’s director of pro personnel before being promoted to his latest role in 2021. In that position, he evaluated top college prospects while also assessing pending free agents for the team’s target list.
Carthon, who also interviewed last year for general manager jobs with Chicago and the New York Giants, worked for the Rams between 2012 and 2016 as director of pro personnel. He started as a pro scout with Atlanta in 2008 through 2011.
He interviewed with the Titans last Friday. Strunk headed up the search committee to replace Jon Robinson who was fired Dec. 6 in his seventh season in the midst of the Titans’ seven-game skid en route to a 7-10 finish.
arthon played running back at Florida and was part of the Gators’ 2000 Southeastern Conference Championship team. He spent three years in the NFL as an undrafted free agent starting with Indianapolis in 2004 and played in nine games with the Colts between 2005 and 2006.
Born in Osceola, Arkansas, Carthon earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Florida after his playing career in 2008. He took part in the NFL Career Development Symposium at the Wharton School of Business in 2013 while with the Rams and again in 2018 with San Francisco.
His father, Maurice, played in the NFL and coached with seven teams.
A Hot Start Ends in Fizzle for Chargers
The LA Chargers made history in the wrong way during their Wild Card play-off opener. They jumped out to a 27-0 over Jacksonville and it appeared they were on to a rout as the nearly all thing in the first half went their way.
They picked off Jags QB Trevor Lawrence four times each one led to a score. It was the third largest comeback in NFL play-off history coming away with a 31-30 win in front of 70,250 at TIAA Bank Field
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft finished the day completing 28 of 47 passes for 288 yards and four TD’s. He misfired on 12 of his first 16 passes.
“You couldn’t write a crazier script,” said Lawrence. “We said in the locker room that’s kind of how our season’s going. We’re never out of the fight. I’m kind of speechless, honestly, just to see what belief can do and to see when a team believes in each other what you can accomplish.” It was a tale of two halves. As each team dominated one.
“It’s embarrassing,” said defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day (on ESPN) “It feels really bad, and it just sucks.”
Los Angeles came out like gangbusters picking off JAGS QB Trevor Lawrence four times each one led to a score. Justin Herbert had four passes TD’s in the first half while completing
It was the teams first play-off game in 4 years. The second half they looked that way. They only had four offensive drives in the second half, their final two ending in a missed field goal from 40 yards out and a three-and-out setting up Jacksonville’s revival. The close plays that everything went L.A.’s way defensively in the first half went Jacksonville’s in
the second. The Chargers didn’t get one stop on the Jags’ four second-half drives and aided Jacksonville’s comeback by committing silly penalties at the wrong time. Joey Bosa committed three fouls (two of them unsportsmanlike conduct penalties) were particularly harmful. The veteran had an offside flag that preceded a sack of Lawrence in the third quarter- The flag extended the Jags’ first scoring drive of the second half, and his second unsportsmanlike foul on Jacksonville’s final TD inspired Doug Peterson to go for two from the 1-yard line, a successful attempt that turned Riley Paterson’s field goal at the gun in to a game winner.
After the game he commented on the officiating “I need to be more accountable for my actions, obviously … I think there just needs to be more accountability. If I say something I get a $40,000 fine. But if they blow a call that ruins an entire team’s season, they’re probably back in the locker room after the game like, ‘Ha, got that a–hole. You know, yeah, got him. Fifteen yards. What a loser.’ I guarantee you that’s what they’re f–king talking back.”
There were other things that were overlooked in the game that may have led to a different ending. Place kicker Cam Dicker has been great all season, missed the first PAT. He also missed two field goals later. That’s 7 points that would have definitely changed things.
Right now the saying- “Wait until next year”
ADD CHARGERS: After the crazy loss in the Wild Card round the team fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterback coach Shane Day. Lombardi was hired by head coach Brandon Daly in 2021.
His first season the Chargers were the number one passing offense in the AFC. They also were top five in points and total yards.
A NASCAR first at BUSCH LIGHT CLASH
In the ever-evolving
world of NASCAR there will be a first at this year’s event Feb. 5th at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The top three finishers will receive metals. That according to the sanctioning body, drivers will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals.
A medal ceremony will take place on a podium in Victory Lane, which is located beneath the Olympic cauldron at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy, will present the medals to cap this historic event.
“These will be tremendous prizes for our drivers who are competing inside a venue that’s hosted two Olympic Games and is preparing for a third,” Kennedy said. “Not only do the medals honor the rich tradition of this stadium, but they also provide a special element unique to NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.”
Jostens will produce these exquisite medals, along with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Trophy that’s presented to the winner of the season-opening exhibition. Each custom-crafted keepsake features the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum logo beautifully embossed on one side. The other side features the Coliseum’s centennial mark and the NASCAR 75th Anniversary logo.
The race winner’s medal weighs 4.7 ounces and is covered in 24-karat plated gold. It will certainly gleam beneath the Coliseum lights and iconic flame that towers above the temporary, quarter-mile asphalt track.
NASCAR announced earlier this month that 27 cars will compete in the 150-lap Clash main event. Up to 40 NASCAR Cup Series drivers will attempt to qualify for that main event via four heat races and two last-chance qualifiers that will determine the final field of 27.
Practice and qualifying for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will begin at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday, Feb 4th.
Thursday, January 19, 2023 The Valley’s News Observer A9
FILE - San Francisco 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon waits for the team’s NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Santa Clara, Calif., Nov. 28, 2021. The Tennessee Titans have hired San Francisco director of player personnel Ran Carthon as their 14th general manager and first minority for a franchise founded in 1960. The Titans announced the hiring Wednesday morning, Jan. 18, 2023, wrapping up a search that formally started Jan. 12.(AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn, File)
Earl Heath
Contributing Sports Writer
Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (AP) – A Southern California sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Friday, just two weeks after another deputy in the department was slain in the line of duty.
The deaths of deputies Darnell Calhoun on Friday and Isaiah Cordero on Dec. 29 were the first since 2003 where a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was killed in the line of duty, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.
The suspect in Calhoun’s death is in custody and was listed in critical condition after a gunbattle with a second deputy, Bianco said Friday during a news conference.
Calhoun was fatally shot in the city of Lake Elsinore, the sheriff said. He died after being taken to the hospital in serious condition.
“I shouldn’t be here tonight having to do this again,’’ Bianco said Friday outside the hospital. “I’m devastated to tell of the loss of another of our deputy sheriffs who was killed in the line of duty today.’’
Calhoun is survived by his pregnant wife, Bianco said. He had previously worked for the San Diego Police Department _ the agency said on Twitter it was “devastated’’ to learn of his death _ before transferring to Riverside last year.
“He was the most cheerful, the most positive, the most good, wholesome man you could imagine,’’ Bianco said.
Calhoun, 30, was the first deputy to arrive at the scene of an disturbance around 4:30 p.m. Friday following a call of “unknown trouble” where voices could be heard in the background, indicating a struggle, Bianco said.
“At this point, we are not completely sure of the circumstances surrounding the initial contact,’’ Bianco said.
The second deputy found Calhoun wounded in the street and confronted the suspect in a shootout. The suspect’s identity has not been released.
Lake Elsinore is about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Friday’s shooting comes as the sheriff’s department is reeling from Cordero’s death. The 32-year-old was fatally shot last month during a traffic stop in the city of Jurupa Valley, east of Los Angeles.
Cordero had pulled over a pickup truck and the driver, 44-year-old William Shae McKay, shot the deputy as he approached the vehicle. Law enforcement pursued McKay in a manhunt that included a chase along freeways in two
counties, authorities said.
McKay was killed during a shootout with deputies af- ter the truck crashed.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Cordero’s family have called for the resignation of a Southern California judge who allowed McKay’s release from custody on bail despite his lengthy criminal history.
The sheriff said McKay was convicted of a “third strike’’ offense in 2021 that should have put him in state prison for 25 years to life, but the judge lowered his bail, allowing his release, and later released him following an arrest for failing to appear at his sentencing.
By JOHN ANTCZAK Associated PressTallying the damage will take time, but the number of homes and other structures that will be red-tagged as uninhabitable could be in the “low thousands,’’ said Brian Ferguson, spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
The damage is spread across 41 of California’s 58 counties, Ferguson said.
Light rain and snow showers lingered in some areas, but skies were finally largely clear.
A shot of precipitation from a quick system was predicted for Wednesday or Thursday, followed by a dry period, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters cautioned that although the midweek rainfall will be light, it could be enough to cause problems be- cause the state is so saturated.
Flood
Nine atmospheric rivers since late December have caused power outages, flooding, levee breaks, washouts and landslides. At least 20 people have been killed.
The amount of rain and snow has been staggering.
The San Francisco “water year’’ to date – since Oct. 1, 2022 – has recorded 21.75 inches (55.24 centimeters) of rain, making it the sixth-wettest water year on record, the National Weather Service said.
The amount of water in the snowpack covering the Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges is more than 250% of normal to date and 124% of the April 1 average, when the pack is normally at its peak, according to the state Department of Water Resources.
President Joe Biden is planning to travel to California’s central coast on Thursday to visit areas that have been devastated by the extreme weather. The White House said in a statement Monday that the president would meet first responders and state and local officials, survey recovery efforts and assess what additional federal support is needed.
By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper
We have just come off of four days of celebrating the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There were speeches by the faithful, “selected” quotations from the oppressors who needed to give the appearance of remembrance, and the singing of “We Shall Overcome” by everyone, including those who intend that we will never realize the dream on their watch as they work to turn the clock back to the status quo that existed before Dr. King’s speeches and protest marches to bring about equality.
For those of us who still realize that the struggle requires more than parades, breakfast gatherings, and speeches, often by people who are the very ones blocking progress, we must move to a plan of action and join people like the Rev. Bishop William Barber, II who was co-chair and organizer of the 2022 Poor People’s March on Washington, D.C. in June of 2022. If we don’t know how to get involved at our local level, then we must join those like Bishop Barber and give our energy as well as our dollars as an expression of our deeds in a struggle that continues. Our deeds must reflect our hearts in the decisions we make.
We must ask ourselves: “Are we doing things because of our personal commitment to the struggle or are we seeking personal recognition and positions of safety in those things we say we want to be involved in? For example, African Americans still spend trillions of dollars each year, often on things we want and not on what we need or what we might do to help the needs of others around us. We still spend needless dollars with people who neither respect nor appreciate us as a part of the American fabric.
Let’s take a hard look at the issues around us. Are we respected where we spend our money or just tolerated? Who are we singing “We Shall Overcome” with? Are we speaking to each other even when we have disagreements? How do we honor and celebrate the man without having the heart of the man which allowed him to do the things he did?
We can celebrate and honor Dr. King by seeking to become as committed as he was when he recognized that “Injustice against anyone is injustice to everyone”. Let’s get about the business of having our deeds match our celebration of the man every day, as we take our place in the struggle.
Local A10 The Valley’s News Observer Thursday, January 19, 2023
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California’s weather was calmer Tuesday after weeks of atmospheric rivers that slammed the state with damaging rains, wind and surf that flooded homes, highways and farm fields, collapsed hillsides and toppled countless trees.
warnings remained in effect for the Salinas River in Monterey County and parts of Mariposa and Merced counties in the Central Valley.
California Weather Calms but Storm Damage Seen as Extensive Now That We Have Celebrated King, Let’s Honor Him with Our Deeds California Deputy Fatally Shot, Suspect Critically Wounded