Valley's News Observer 3.31.22

California Assembly Approves Constitutional Amendment Abolishing “Involuntary Servitude” – Page A5

Will Smith Assaults Take One! Chris Rock, Then Wins Best Actor Oscar – Page A3

News Observer The Valley’s

Volume 37 Number 20

Serving the San Fernando Valley for Over 37 Years

Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California

4th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference

By Ricky Richardson Contributing Writer Wilmington – Several hundred young men of color and their advisors/counselors gathered inside the Student Union at Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA. 90744.

This group of amazing young men were in attendance for the 4th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference, Friday, March 25, 2022, from 8:00am-3:00pm. Los Angeles Harbor College was the idea setting for the conference. Attendees were in a synergistic space that offered encouragement, support and empowerment, to learn, grow, thrive and network with other students with a shared commonality. Los Angeles Harbor College “Education Changes Everything” sums up the annual Men of Color Leadership Conference.

The conference is held every year as part of the Men of Color Action Network commitment to assist African American and Latino male students to succeed while pursuing their education at local community colleges. Students are connected to tools, resources, contacts, community, to assist them on their career paths. It is important to note that the conference is FREE of charge. This is so that organizers can reach as many Men of Color for the conference without having to overcome barriers for students seeking professional development opportunities.

The Men of Color Leadership Conference gets bigger and better each year, while building on the success of previous year’s conference. The conference seamlessly combined lessons from each iteration.

The inaugural Men of Color Leadership Conference was held at Santa Monica College in 2018, with a theme “Agents of Change.”

The 2nd Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference took place at El Camino College in 2019, the theme, “A Holistic Approach to Healing Men of Color.”

Compton College hosted the 3rd Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference in 2020. The conference was held virtually due to the pandemic with the theme, “Voice, Vote, Revolution.”

Los Angeles Harbor College was the site for the 4th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference, “Staying in The Game: A Legacy of Local Heroes,” focused on student retention and academic excellence to assist and guide students toward their educational and career goals.

Participating colleges at this year’s conference were Long Beach City College, Compton College, El Camino College, Los

Dr. Luis Dorado, Interim Preident, LAHC, Dr. Thomas A. Parham, President, CSUDH and Dr. Henan Joof, Interim VP, Student Services (Photo: Ricky Richardson)

Angeles Southwest College, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, Mt. San Antonio College, College of the Canyons and Los Angeles Harbor College.

Board of Trustee members, Chancellors, Presidents/ Superintendents, and Vice Presidents from the respective colleges were also in attendance to show their support.

Emcee Ximena Palacios and Arturo Ramirez, DJ RZRO, CALI 93.9 provided an eclectic soundtrack of music for the morning breakfast and lunch break.

Ivan Silva, Los Angeles Harbor College Dreamers Counselor served as Master of Ceremonies. Dr. Luis Dorado, Interim President, Los Angeles Harbor College, gave an overview of the day’s program, afterwards, introduced Dr. Thomas A. Parham, President, Cal State University Dominguez Hills.

Dr. Francisco C. Rodriguez, Chancellor, LACCD (Photo: Ricky Richardson)

Dr. Parham delivered a powerful speech to plant seeds of possibilities into the minds and hearts of the captivated audience.

Dr. Parham also provided the “tools for student to unlock the barriers that will keep them from achieving their goals, and to imagine a better, brighter future for themselves.”

Students were able to attend a variety of engaging breakout workshops, to build inner strength, self-confidence and resilience. Method to My Greatness: the Power to Becoming

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Shaq, Curry Win Oscars for ‘Queen of Basketball’ Documentary

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer The story of Lusia Harris only gets better: It’s now won an Oscar.

And just like his longtime Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant did four years ago in another category, Shaquille O’Neal can say he’s an Oscar winner, as well.

“The Queen of Basketball” – with a pair of basketball legends in O’Neal and Stephen Curry among the executive producers and top promoters of the 22-minute film – won the Academy Award for short subject documentary Sunday.

It comes about two months after the death of Harris, who scored the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history and was the first woman officially drafted by an NBA team.

Ben Proudfoot directed the short, which educated even some ardent basketball fans on the story of the trailblazer.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that there is an audience for female athletes and questions whether their stories are valuable or entertaining or important . let this Academy Award be the answer,” Proudfoot said at the award ceremony in Los Angeles.

Harris is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as is O’Neal. But even the four-time NBA champion – widely considered one of the greats in the history of the game – wasn’t familiar with her story.

“I didn’t know who she was at first,” O’Neal said earlier this month.

Few did.

But the film and the involvement of O’Neal and Curry – the Golden State star wore sneakers earlier this month emblazoned with the phrase “Queen Lucy” on them – helped her story be told more and more.

Harris helped Delta State University win three straight national championships in the 1970s and earned a silver medal for the United States at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Harris was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft, but she was pregnant at the time and never actually went through with trying to make the team.

Proudfoot also used the winning Oscar moment to call for the release of two-time Olympic gold medalist and top women’s player Brittney Griner, who has been jailed in Russia. Griner was detained after arriving at a Moscow airport, reportedly in mid-February, after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges allegedly containing oil derived from cannabis.

Griner may face up to 10 years in prison under Russian law.

“Bring Brittney Griner home,” Proudfoot said.

Continued on page A8

Gov’s Relief Plan Would Send Over $9 Billion in Direct Payments to Californians Tanu Henry California Black Media Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed an $11 billion relief package to assist Californians struggling with the skyrocketing costs of gas, food and other commodities.

The plan includes a mix of direct payments to individuals; suspension of public transportation fares tax rebates; and support for state, county and municipal programs that align with the governor’s goal to make California a zero-emissions state by 2035.

The state will provide about $9 billion in funding to cover $400 direct payments to car owners whose vehicles are registered in the state -- with a limit of two rebates per person. The payments will be sent to car owners on debit cards.

“We’re taking immediate action to get money directly into the pockets of Californians who are facing higher gas prices as a direct result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” said Newsom.

“But this package is also focused on protecting people from volatile gas prices and advancing clean transportation – providing three months of free public transportation, fast-tracking electric vehicle incentives and charging stations, and new funding for local biking and walking projects,” he added.

The plan includes nearly $500 million in funding for clean transportation alternatives and supporting pedestrian and bicyclerider safety programs.

Shortly after Newsom announced his plan, Republicans slammed it, calling it “out of touch,” pointing out oversights and explaining why they think their proposal is better.

Last week, California Assembly Republicans introduced legislation that would temporarily suspend the state’s 51-cent-

(Shutterstock Photo)

per-gallon gas tax. Democrats unanimously voted against the bill 40-18, arguing that, if the legislation passed, funding would be taken away from important transportation projects without a guarantee from gas stations that they would lower prices.

“You can’t make this stuff up,” tweeted Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher, whose district includes Yuba County and other Sacramento Valley counties, including all of Glenn and

Tehama and parts of Butte and Colusa.

“I’m losing count … is this now the 5th plan from Capitol Democrats in the past couple of weeks? Why not take #50centsoffnow?” Gallagher’s tweet continued.

Gallagher also found fault with the governor’s plan for providing relief to people who own electric vehicles and leaving out military personnel who live and serve in California but whose cars may not be registered in the state.

California has the highest number of active-duty military personnel in the country.

Assemblymember Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) said, “Corrupt politicians will always prefer ‘rebates’ to actual tax relief because that keeps them in charge of who gets the money and when it’s delivered.”

Kiley who refers to Assembly Democrats as “the Supermajority” said the Republican proposal to cut the gas tax “entirely” wouldn’t cost the state “any loss of funding for roads.”

“That money would be backfilled from the state’s general fund, and we are said to have a $45 billion - maybe as high as $60 billion surplus right now,” Kiley told “The Issue Is,” a Fox 11 Los Angles news show that covers “the most controversial and interesting issues impacting California.”

Newsom says his plan, which could go into effect by July after the state Assembly and Senate approve it, would bring relief to tens of millions of Californians.

“This direct relief is on top of the $10-plus billion we have distributed over the last year with the Golden State Stimulus,” said Newsom. “All told, close to $20 billion in direct tax relief here in the state of California.

Burglary Can’t Stop Oakland Post From This 20-Year Streak

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Paul Cobb has experienced setbacks and uphill battles before. As a young man, he eagerly joined the voter registration fights in Selma and boldly spoke out for civil rights.

For 39 years, Cobb served as a newspaper columnist, putting pen to paper on some of the most pressing issues in the Black community.

When he purchased the Oakland Post in 2004, Cobb immediately ordered an audit of the newspaper and determined never to miss a deadline.

So, it’s little wonder that following a late-night break-in at the Oakland Post on Wednesday, March 23, Cobb remained firm in his resolve.

“We have never missed getting the newspaper out, and this will not stop us either,” he said in a telephone call with NNPA Newswire. “We are racing over time, but we will get the newspaper out,” he insisted.

A burglar entered Cobb’s Oakland Post, leaving the downtown office in disarray and covered in glass. Reportedly, police have obtained video of the incident that includes the suspect.

“The place was ransacked,” Cobb remarked, adding that it

appeared the thief attempted to steal a television, some computers, and rifled through files and desks.

A National Newspaper Publishers Association member, attorney Thomas L. Berkley, and wife Velda M. Berkley founded the paper in 1963. With a weekly publication run, the newspaper remains dedicated to covering African Americans’ major issues in Oakland – education, civil rights, crime, employment, and the fight against racism.

According to the Post’s website, the newspaper became the largest African American newspaper in Northern California, circulating over 55,000. In addition, it counted as the central paper of the Post Newspaper Group, which included five Bay Area newspapers, including the Richmond Post and the Spanish language newspaper El Mundial.

In 1972 the newspaper moved its business offices and printing facilities from Berkeley, California to 630 20th St. in Oakland, California. Following Thomas Berkley’s death, Cobb purchased the Post in 2004.

A community organizer who once led the Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal and served as a mayoral appointee on the Board of Education, Cobb said the burglary proved disconcerting.

It also occurred only weeks after officials renamed a part of

14th Street after Chauncey Bailey, the late Post reporter killed in 2007.

“I’m happy none of our staff was hurt,” Cobb stated. “I’m really to go to press now.”

The Oakland Post following a late-night break-in on Wednesday, March 23, Cobb remains firm in his resolve. (Courtesy Photo)

Proudfoot also used the winning Oscar moment to call for the release of two-time Olympic gold medalist and top women’s player Brittney Griner, who has been jailed in Russia.

Three Plead Guilty to Burning Las Vegas Police SUV Amid 2020 Protest

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) – Three men have pleaded guilty to reduced federal charges in Las Vegas, admitting that they set fire to a police vehicle during a May 2020 racial injustice protest in the days following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Tyree Walker, 23, Devarian Haynes, 23, and Ricardo Densmore, 24, will each face two years in federal prison, three years of federal supervision following their release, 100 hours of community service and a $100 fine, according to plea agreements filed this week in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

Each had faced conspiracy and arson charges in a fourcount indictment filed in June 2020 that could have gotten them five to 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Each pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder and remained free Friday on supervised release pending sentencing June 22 before U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon, records showed.

Attorneys for the three men did not immediately respond to email messages about the pleas. Walker appeared in court Monday, Haynes entered his plea Tuesday and Densmore pleaded guilty Thursday.

Densmore recorded and posted video on social media showing Haynes pouring a flammable liquid from a fuel can through a missing window of a marked police patrol SUV, Walker dropping a flaming paper object inside, and Haynes dropping the gas can into the vehicle, according to an affidavit filed by a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent.

After arrests and during questioning, each man admitted his participation with the other two, according to the affidavit.

The early May 31, 2020, incident occurred during more than a week of racial injustice protests that sometimes drew thousands of people in downtown Las Vegas, on the resortlined Strip – which was nearly deserted following closures due to the coronavirus pandemic – and in other Nevada cities.

Some protesters threw rocks and bottles, police used tear gas, several injuries were reported, some downtown Las Vegas businesses were vandalized and police made dozens of arrests.

On June 2, 2020, an armed man was shot and killed by Las Vegas police after a crowd was ordered to disperse near the Las Vegas federal courthouse, and a Las Vegas police officer was wounded and left paralyzed in a shooting during a separate protest near a Strip hotel-casino.

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The Valley’s News Observer

World & Nation

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Sen. Manchin Says He’ll Vote for Judge Jackson, Virtually Assuring the Historic Confirmation

Sen. Manchin declared his intention to vote in the affirmative after the country witnessed perhaps the most unprofessional confirmation hearings in history.

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will win confirmation as the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice, a strong hope turned virtually factual with the commitment from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Friday, March 25.

Sen. Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have remained wildcards in the Democratic Party, routinely voting against their caucus and President Joe Biden’s agenda.

But on Friday, Sen. Manchin declared his intention to vote in the affirmative after the country witnessed perhaps the most unprofessional confirmation hearings in history.

“I met with Judge Jackson and evaluated her qualifications to be a Supreme Court Justice,” Sen. Manchin announced in a statement.

“After meeting with her, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court.”

Following public testimony on Thursday, the historic confirmation hearings concluded.

The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to meet on Monday, March 28. The committee has tentatively scheduled a vote on the nomination on April 4.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said he expects a full vote by April 11.

Democrats hope that some Republicans join them in voting to confirm Judge Jackson. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), one of the main actors in these hearings, voted in 2021 to confirm Judge Jackson to the powerful D.C. appellate court.

Sen. Graham has said he’ll vote against confirmation this time.

Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine, also voted to confirm Judge Jackson in 2021.

No Democrat has publicly opposed Judge Jackson’s nomination, and Republicans have sought out Sens. Manchin and Sinema because of their track record of voting against the Democratic agenda.

It’s expected Sen. Sinema will follow Sen. Manchin and vote to confirm Judge Jackson.

If the confirmation vote splits along party lines, Vice President Kamala Harris will cast the tiebreaker, assuring Judge Jackson’s ascension as the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice.

“There is nothing in Judge Jackson’s record suggesting that the committee should have difficulty reporting her nomination out,” Schumer demanded.

NYC’s Homeless Population Grows Amid Mental Health Crisis Affects People of Color

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Homelessness in New York City has reached its highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s, with Black and Hispanic residents disproportionately affected.

The nonprofit Coalition for Homeless reported that about 57 percent of heads of households in shelters are Black, 32 percent are Hispanic/Latinx, 7 percent are white, less than 1 percent are Asian-American or Native American, and 4 percent are of unknown race/ethnicity.

The numbers are startling, and when adding a mental health

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component and recent high-profile attacks on the homeless community in the Big Apple and the nation’s capital, many advocates said the statistics are more alarming.

Earlier this month, police arrested Gerald Brevard III, 30, linking him to shootings that left two homeless people dead and three wounded in the District and New York City.

The arrest came just a day after police departments in both cities published fliers with a photo of the suspect and telling vulnerable residents to seek shelter.

According to the Coalition for Homeless, in January 2022, approximately 48,413 city residents were homeless, including 15,057 children who sleep each night in the central municipal shelter system. In addition, a near-record of 18,749 single adults slept in shelters each night in January 2022.

Research provided by the Coalition revealed that, compared to homeless families, homeless single adults have higher rates of severe mental illness, addiction disorders, and other severe health problems.

Additionally, the number of homeless New Yorkers sleeping each night in municipal shelters is now 15 percent higher than ten years ago.

The number of homeless single adults is 92 percent higher than ten years ago.

Further, in November 2019, officials estimated that 77 percent of adult families, 68 percent of single adults, and 53 percent of families with children sleeping in shelters had at least one disability.

“New York City faces unique challenges with its homeless population in terms of mental health,” said Jesston Williams, the executive director of Tangelic, a start-up organization geared to helping people move on from traumatic experiences.

“Homeless single adults experience higher rates of addiction disorders, mental illness, and other severe health complications than homeless families. Furthermore, the pandemic seems to have worsened these underlying structural issues and what organizations, the government, and citizens can do to alleviate the problem,” Williams wrote in an email.

Since Brevard’s shooting spree and subsequent arrest, the New York officials announced plans to remove the homeless from subway stations where many take shelter.

Williams said the plan includes strict enforcement of mental health services, transit system rules, and housing options.

Studies have shown the cause of homeless for most include eviction, inadequate affordable housing, job loss, domestic violence, and hazardous housing conditions.

“Installing dozens of mental health professionals who can order involuntary hospitalization of homeless people deemed a danger to themselves or others [can help],” Williams noted.

Michael Rose, a founding partner at the New York City law firm Hatch & Rose, said the more things change, the worse they are for the homeless.

“The mask that the city wears may change with gentrification, but the real face of New York never does,” Rose insisted.

“Seeing so many people living on the streets is a constant

The nonprofit Coalition for Homeless reported that about 57 percent of heads of households in shelters are Black, 32 percent are Hispanic/Latinx, 7 percent are white, less than 1 percent are Asian-American or Native American, and 4 percent are of unknown race/ethnicity.

reminder for most residents that we’re all just a couple of paychecks from being there ourselves, and in the city that never sleeps where the pace of life is always frantic at best, that’s a red rag to a bull. It can and does eat away at people and can be the spark that lights a tragic, brutal touch paper.”

Rose wondered how all could address the issue.

“Maybe if we actually cared enough as a city to do something more about eliminating homelessness, we could start our journey down the path to being the best version of ourselves that we can be,” Rose stated.

“Will that happen? Speaking from experience as a New York

lifer, I think its chances are slim to zero.”

Still, advocates remain adamant that being homeless brings about specific other mental stress, particularly if homelessness persists.

Multiple reports have outlined that mental stress and illness have proven even more evident in homeless individuals who already struggle with mental health issues.

“Many of them have experienced more isolation and material harm that would physically and mentally impact anyone,” Catherine Trapani, executive director of Homeless Services United, told reporters.

Reports Say Black News Channel Has Shut Down According to the Los Angeles Times, the Black News Channel, which launched just before the pandemic, has ceased operations.

The newspaper said that the Tallahassee, Fla.-based outlet, whose majority stakeholder is Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, failed to meet payroll on Friday after telling employees that paychecks would be delayed.

The Black News Channel reported has a staff of 230, and some current and former employees had previously filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the network that remains pending.

Citing people briefed on the matter, the Times said Khan would no longer invest in the operations of BNC after shopping the channel to several media companies, including Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios.

Reportedly, Khan found no interest.

Before the Times report, Roland Martin broke the information that BNC failed to pay its employees this week.

Martin, the host of Roland Martin Unfiltered and owner of the Black Star Network, tweeted a memo written by BNC Human Resources Vice President Nicole Collins. The memo dated Friday, March 25, informed the staff that payroll “would be delayed.”

“We are actively working to resolve this matter quickly and will advise you with an update as soon as possible,” Collins wrote.

Staffers “are angry and demanding answers,” Martin tweeted.

“I have been inundated with phone calls, texts, and emails from staffers on this issue.”

The media mogul said he spoke to BNC’s CEO Princell Hair, who advised that he’s working on getting employees paid.

However, Martin claimed staffers had been “left in the dark.” The concept of the Black News Channel began with former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, an Oklahoma Republican who brought in a group of initial investors.

After at least two delays, the channel finally launched after Khan kicked in $50 million and took the reigns as majority shareholder. In much of its first year, BNC filled its website from content provided by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of the Black Press of America.

NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. frequently appeared on the channel providing commentary on various news topics.

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Entertainment

The Valley’s News Observer A3

Will Smith Confronts Chris Rock, Then Wins Best Actor Oscar

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) – When Will Smith marched onto the Oscars stage and smacked Chris Rock, the unpredictable moment served as a jarring interruption to Hollywood’s feel-good celebration.

But once Smith returned moments later to accept his firstever Academy Award, he delivered a tearful apology for an act sure to overshadow his milestone achievement. He seized the opportunity during Sunday night’s awards to speak on being a fierce defender just like his tennis dad character Richard Williams from “King Richard.”

Smith felt like the protector of many including his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, after Rock made a joke about her appearance that didn’t sit right with him.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said as he began his acceptance speech after winning best actor honors. He apologized afterward to many people – including tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, Richard Williams’ daughters – but did not mention Rock in his apology.

Smith then spoke about being a protector for those who worked with him on the film such as Aunjanue Ellis along with Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, the two actors who played Venus and Serena.

“I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,” said Smith during his acceptance speech after winning his first-ever Oscar. “I know to do what we do you’ve got to be able to take abuse. You’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you’ve got to smile and pretend like that’s OK.” The exchange began when Rock took aim at Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, all right?” Rock’s reference was made from the 1997 film “G.I. Jane,” starring Demi Moore, who shaved her head to portray a fictional Navy Seal candidate.

Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. She has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.

The joke missed, badly.

Smith walked onto the stage from his front-row seat and took a swing at Rock with an open palm, generating a loud smack. Smith walked back to his seat and shouted for Rock to leave Pinkett Smith alone. Rock replied that he was just making a “G.I. Jane” joke – and Smith yelled back at him a second time.

Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth,” and the crowd hushed as it became clear this was no act.

The moment shocked the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home. At the commercial break, presenter Daniel Kaluuya came up to hug Smith, and Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage. The two talked and hugged and Tyler Perry came over to talk as well.

Smith shared what Washington told him: “At your highest moment, be careful because that’s when the devil comes for you.

“I’m hoping the Academy invites me back,” Will Smith said, as he concluded his on-stage remarks.

A representative for Rock didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

After the show, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying it “does not condone violence of any form.”

The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.

“The incident involved one individual slapping another,” the statement read. “The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”

“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock said before resuming his role as presenter.

A few minutes later, rapper Sean Combs – on stage to introduce a tribute to “The Godfather” – tried to play peacemaker and suggested Smith and Rock settle their differences at an Oscars afterparty.

“Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the Gold party,” Combs said.

The reverberations did not stop there. Several people approached Smith and Pinkett Smith in the commercial breaks that followed; Keith Urban hugged Smith during one stoppage in the show, and Nicole Kidman also went over to say a few words as well.

Backstage, during interview sessions with winners, the Rock-Smith incident seemed like something few – if anyone – wanted to discuss.

“I’m not talking about that,” said Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the director of “Summer of Soul,” which won an Oscar for best documentary.

The confrontation overshadowed Smith’s milestone accomplishment. He was previously nominated twice for best actor, for his role in “Ali” in 2002 and “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2007. In those films, he portrayed real-life characters: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Chris Garner, a homeless salesman.

This time, Smith won against formidable competition including Andrew Garfield, Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch and Denzel Washington – who won his first and only best actor Oscar award in 2002 over Smith for “Training Day.” Pinkett Smith was also the subject of jokes from Rock when he hosted the Oscars in 2016. She did not attend the Oscars that year, saying at the time her decision stemmed from a lack of diversity among award nominees and how Black artists were not properly represented.

“I think we have to sometimes remember, like at a certain point, everyone breaks,” said TV personality Karamo Brown.

“But I think these are two men that will actually come together, figure it out and like say ‘OK, enough is enough, I’m sorry.’ ...

I haven’t been in that situation. I never condone violence or anything of that nature, but I also could understand protecting those you love.”

Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. She has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Will Smith marched onto the Oscars stage and smacked Chris Rock, the unpredictable moment served as a jarring interruption to Hollywood’s feel-good celebration.

Comedians React with Horror at Will Smith’s Oscar Slap

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) – Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars provoked intense opinions online, especially from comedians who felt it was an assault on their art.

“Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian,” Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter. “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”

The violent exchange began when Rock took verbal aim at Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, “Jada, I love you.

‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, all right?” Rock’s reference was made from the 1997 film “G.I. Jane,” starring Demi Moore, who shaved her head to portray a fictional Navy Seal candidate.

Will Smith, her husband, walked onto the stage and took a swing at Rock with an open palm, generating a loud smack.

Smith walked back to his seat and shouted for Rock to leave Pinkett Smith alone. Rock replied that he was just making a “G.I. Jane” joke _ and Smith yelled back at him a second time.

Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth,” and the crowd hushed as it became clear this was no act. Smith later won the best actor Oscar; Rock chose not to file a police report.

“Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges,” producer, director and actor Rob Reiner commented on Twitter.

George Takei said Smith’s losing his cool was a bad look when so many people were watching: “Many people, especially kids, look up to actors. Because of that, we have an obligation to try to be good role models. With celebrity comes responsibility.”

Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. She has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Some commentators noted that alopecia is a painful experience that many Black women go through and should not be joked about. Rock himself helped create the documentary “Good Hair,” exploring African American women and their relationship to their hair.

However unfunny Rock’s joke was, it paled in comparison to some awards show digs in years past, including from acerbic Ricky Gervais, who has skewered the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Judy Dench and Felicity Huffman.

Judd Apatow was highly critical of Smith in a now-deleted Twitter post, describing the attack “out of control rage and violence.” He noted that celebrities have been the target of jokes for decades: “They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind.”

And Mark Hamill called the incident the ugliest Oscar moment ever, tweeting “Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault... not so much.”

Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, wrote: “I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment.”

But former late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien was among those making light of the situation, writing on Twitter: “Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?”

Q&A: Hit-Boy Talks Grammy Producer Nod, Rapper Aspirations

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Hit-Boy won top Grammy rap honors with some of hip-hop’s biggest heavyweights _ Jay-Z, Kanye West, known as Ye, and Nas _ and now he is ascending into a new musical weight class as a producer.

The Southern California native is only up for two nominations, but both are major, including album of the year, thanks to his work on H.E.R.’s “Back of My Mind.” The other is his first nomination ever in the producer of the year, non-classical category for Nas’ “King Disease II” and the “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album” soundtrack, which featured him on one song as a rapper.

The Grammy Awards show will air live on April 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount+.

Hit-Boy has garnered three Grammys from his stellar production offerings on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “. In Paris,” Nipsey Hussle’s “Racks in the Middle” and Nas’ album “King Disease,” which gave the veteran rapper his first-ever Grammy last year. He’s also worked with a slew of other top-notch artists including Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige and Drake.

The 34-year-old producer recently spoke with The Associated Press about the relevance of winning a Grammy, his rapper aspirations, how Pharrell Williams’ advice helped him and whether he thinks his producer-of-the-year nomination was long overdue. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. ___ AP: Does winning a Grammy still matter?

Hit-Boy: It’s a little extra stamp of all the hard work you put in. You don’t just get one of these by just playing around.

You have to be at the top of the top. It’s like the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl. It’s that extra piece of motivation to know you’re doing the right thing musically. The nominations alone. But winning with Nipsey, winning with Nas, I have real meaningful Grammys. Kanye West and Jay-Z. I didn’t win by just playing around. I made some records that will stand the test of time.

AP: With so many producers out these days, how have you maintained your elite status?

Hit-Boy: I dedicate my life to this. I sacrifice family time. I sacrifice personal time to add value to what other (music artists) are doing.

AP: Has anything gotten easier for you after winning three Grammys?

Hit-Boy: I’m still going through obstacles daily. You think you’ve gotten to a point where you’ve done so much work and had whatever high Billboard (chart placement) or Grammys. None of that matter. It’s all about the next move. It’s really a ‘What have you done for me lately.’ You have to always keep pushing forward.

Just the business alone, dealing with bad publishing deals and just bad deals in general. You really need to have a solid mind and love the music to keep going. At times, as a human being, it’s just too overwhelming. It’s too much. I’m thinking, I can’t figure this part out. It’s just a lot. But when you love the music, it always comes back together.

AP: Where did you get that philosophy?

Hit-Boy: That came from Pharrell. He told me this in 2007.

I was working with Teyana Taylor, who was signed to him at the time. I had pretty much did like a whole EP or album worth of music for her. He was hype about it. He was a fan of my production. It was mutual respect. I was able to get on the phone with him. We spoke about the struggles and bumping your head and just going through the game. You’re going to have to deal with it regardless. But if you love the music, you will always get back to the center. That’s something I’ll never let go.

AP: Some thought you should’ve been nominated for producer of the year last year. Is your current nomination in the category long overdue?

Hit-Boy: I feel like this recognition is happening when it’s supposed to. I’ve had years when I’ve had billboards and top 10 joints, like big joints. I’m getting less press now and getting less love by doing a Nas album or doing an EP with Big Sean or helping Dom Kennedy with his album. I’m doing real and soulful music. . I’m just going straight for the heart. I’m making music that’s going to stick. This is not a gimmick to anything I’m doing right now.

AP: Any high hopes of winning producer of the year?

Hit-Boy: Knowing how the Grammys are, you have to be content with knowing like “Cool, I got the nomination.” Until that moment, I just don’t know. I can’t really get my hypes up.

Even though so many other outlets have given me their producer of the year awards, the Grammys is just different. The criteria is different. You don’t know everybody who is voting. I’m just thankful for the nomination.

AP: On the song “Broad Day” from the “Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album,” you performed as a rapper on a track sampled from R&B group Troop, which featured your uncle, Rodney Benford. How was that for you?

Hit-Boy: That was a special moment. For it to be in a

meaningful film - what wasn’t a pushover - that song really meant something to me.

AP: Do you care about being recognized as a rapper too?

Hit-Boy: People ask me “What do you enjoy more? Rapping or producing?” I like to make fire songs regardless of if I lay a verse that’s hard on a hook. As long as it’s dope, it’s inspiring me at the moment, I’m rocking with it. I’ve been rapping before I even produced. I’ve been tapped in on bars. The people that really know, know. It’s a timing thing. It’s cultivating that energy and really telling that story. I’ve got new music I feel strongly about,

and it’s going to coincide with what I’m doing as a producer.

AP: What do you want to accomplish next?

Hit-Boy: Winning a Grammy as an artist would be a step up for me. That would be a level up. I am an artist. That’s something I’ve been doing, before I was producing. But I’m doing a production album. It’ll be my production with different artists.

That’s another way I can win as an artist as well. I’m just giving myself the best chances to win. That’s investing in myself at the end of the day.

Features

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The Valley’s News Observer

Thursday, March 31, 2022

12 Orgs Fighting Youth Homelessness Win Grants Totaling $38 Million Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California awarded $38 million in grants to 12 community-based organizations working to combat homelessness among youths and young adults in the state. The governor’s office says the grants are part of a $14 billion ongoing commitment to end homelessness in the state.

The funds, distributed through the Homeless Youth Emergency Services and Housing Program, will be used to assist young people who are facing housing insecurity or are currently unhoused in 12 different counties.

“These grants will provide relief and emergency support to young people across California experiencing homelessness, who are too often left in dire situations to fend for themselves,” said Newsom.

“We’re providing immediate aid for those living on our streets – bringing resources and services directly to young people in need and helping them onto a path towards a stable future,” the governor continued.

The funds will also go toward providing “mental health support with crisis intervention and stabilization services,” according to Newsom’s office.

About a quarter of California’s Homeless population suffers from severe mental illness, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Newsom is also proposing special courts to adjudicate cases involving mental health involving unhoused people across the state.

“There’s no compassion stepping over people in the streets and sidewalks,” Newsom said at a press briefing earlier this month. “We could hold hands, have a candlelight vigil, talk about the way the world should be, or we could take some responsibility to implement our ideas. That’s what we’re doing differently here.”

“This funding represents an important lifeline in protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) Director Mark Ghilarducci. “Through the partnership with these community-based organizations we are able to provide meaningful support and change lives.”

According to the California Homeless Youth Project, 200,000 Californians under the age of 18 are homeless for one or more days during the year.

“Addressing youth homelessness takes a village,” said Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramírez. “This is why this investment in community-based organizations that make up the village and provide bridges of support to young people is an important part of our efforts to prevent and end homelessness.”

Advocates for homeless youth say there are many factors that can lead to youth homelessness, including addiction and hostile reactions from community members about a young person’s social identity.

“Youth overwhelmingly cite family conflict and breakdown -- commonly abuse or neglect, alcohol or drug addiction of a family member, pregnancy, and rejection over sexual orientation -- as the major reasons for their homelessness or episodes of running away,” reads the California Coalition for Youth website.

The organizations receiving the funds are: Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara County); Center for Human Services ( Stanislaus County); Community Human Services (Monterey County); Interface Children & Family Services (Ventura County); Larkin Street Youth Services (San Francisco County); Orangewood Foundation (Orange County); Redwood Community Action Agency (Humboldt County); Ruby’s Place (Alameda County); San Diego Youth Services (San

(Shutterstock Photo)

Diego County); Volunteers of America Los Angeles (Los Angeles County).Waking the Village (Sacramento County); and Women’s Center – Youth & Family Services (San Joaquin County) Newsom also announced his administration is allocating more than $116 million in funding to seven different “Homekey” projects as a part of the governor’s effort to provide housing for homeless people.

Newsom’s pandemic-oriented homelessness program, called Project Roomkey, will continue to receive support from the federal government as well. The state-run initiative converts

hotels and other facilities into temporary housing for homeless people.

A companion program, Project Homekey, provides funding to create permanent housing for formerly unhoused people to counties, cities, local councils and other government authorities.

“Continued support from FEMA will allow us to extend Project Roomkey to get more people off the streets and into shelter,” the governor said. “Since the start of the pandemic, California has moved with unprecedented speed, helping more than 50,000 homeless individuals.”

Last month, California’s junior U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla introduced a bill proposing a nearly $532 billion federal

investment over 10 years into tackling California’s and the nation’s twin homelessness and housing affordability crises.

Speaking at a Project Homekey site in Sacramento called La Mancha Way Apartments, Padilla, a Democrat, said, the legislation titled “The Housing Act for All” would provide funding for both existing programs and experimental initiatives.

“Every person has a right to the dignity and security of housing,” said Padilla. “It’s going to take all levels of government working together to rebuild a more inclusive and equitable society for all. The legislation is an opportunity to invest and align resources in expanding affordable housing and strengthening proven solutions.”

Confirmation Hearings for Judge Jackson Wraps with Independent Witnesses Mascott insisted that Judge Jackson “may have a different view than traditionally applied methods of originalism,” a philosophy Republican-appointed judges have embraced.

Perhaps more forceful than the committee members, Democratic witnesses pushed back.

“We have waited far too long for this day, but we are nonetheless overjoyed that it has finally arrived. Judge Jackson’s presence on the court will matter tremendously,” said Wade Henderson, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) decried the assault on Judge Jackson because of her gender and race. The congresswoman urged the Senate to consider Judge Jackson’s record. “[This is a] glass ceiling that many Americans believed that they would never live to see broken,” Congresswoman Beatty asserted. “Judge Jackson’s confirmation vote must not be isolated to her gender or her race. Instead, I urge you to examine her credentials and sterling judicial records closely. They read like a storybook for a perfectly prepared jurist to sit on the nation’s highest court.”

Legal Notices

Ketanji Brown Jackson (Courtesy Photo)

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent With public hearings, the historic – and mostly despicable – confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson concluded on Thursday, March 24.

And the Republican Party punctuated their four-daylong, racially-charged, and otherwise disrespectful digs at Judge Jackson.

In the classic “I’m not racist, I have a Black friend” portion of their shameful and spineless public denigration of the accomplished Harvard Law graduate, the GOP trotted out First Liberty Institute associate counsel Keisha Russell, a Black woman.

With the close of Thursday’s public hearings, the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to meet on Monday, March 28. The committee has tentatively scheduled a vote on the nomination on April 4.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said he expects a full vote by April 11.

Democrats hope that some Republicans join them in voting to confirm Judge Jackson. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), one of the main actors in these hearings, voted in 2021 to confirm Judge Jackson to the powerful D.C. appellate court.

Sen. Graham has signaled he’ll vote against confirmation this time.

Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine, also voted to confirm Judge Jackson in 2021.

If the confirmation vote splits along party lines, Vice President Kamala Harris will cast the tiebreaker, assuring Judge Jackson’s ascension as the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice.

“There is nothing in Judge Jackson’s record suggesting that the committee should have difficulty reporting her nomination out,” Schumer demanded.

Russell, a favorite of GOP allies Fox News and other decidedly Republican-leaning networks, spent her testimony discussing critical race theory.

“CRT makes race the predominant factor,” Russell remarked as she read a prepared statement. “America’s history as a lesson and blueprint as to how we must constantly seek to uphold and protect America’s founding promises. For these reasons, First Liberty opposes the nomination.”

Additionally, the GOP trotted out Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and administrative law professor Jennifer Mascott, both opposing Judge Jackson’s nominations, falsely stating that the Biden administration has embraced “ideology of the anti-incarceration and anti-police movement.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2022 049954 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: GOOTS at 1310 N Hoover Street, Los Angeles, Ca. 90027 County: Los Angeles Mailing: Same REGISTERED OWNERS(S): LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR, INC., 1310 N Hoover Street, Los Angeles, Ca. 90027 The business is conducted by: a Corporation SIGNED: DAN GUTERMAN, President The date registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on: N/A This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Mar 3, 2022 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: (Signature not legible) Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BE-

FORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Mar 3, 2027 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Mar 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

MENT GENERALLY EXPIRES ST THE END IOF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Mar 4, 2027 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Mar 24, 31, Apr 7, 14, 2022

SIGNED: DENNIS GRIMMETT The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 7/2021 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Mar 3, 2022 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: H. SOTO Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2014, THE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE AFFIDAVIT OF IDENTITY FORM. This statement expires on Mar 3, 2027 LOS ANGELES BAY NEWS OBSERVER (E) PUB: Mar 31, Apr 7, 14, 21, 2022

������������������������������� FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2022 050384 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: DELGADO PRODUCTIONS at 678 19th Street Apartment D, San Pedro, Ca. 90731 County: Los Angeles Mailing Same REGISTERED OWNERS(S): JOSE DELGADO, 678 West 19th Street Apartment D, San Pedro, Ca. 90731 The business is conducted by: an Individual SIGNED: JOSE DELGADO, Owner The date registrant started to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above: 3/2021 This statement filed with the County Clerk of Los Angeles County on: Mar 4, 2022 DEAN C. LOGAN, Los Angeles County Clerk By: C. PORTER Deputy NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATE-

������������������������������� FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO: 2022 049957 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: SOCIAL NETWORKING SERVICES at 23834 Box Canyon, West Hills, Ca. 91304 County: Los Angeles Mailing Same REGISTERED OWNERS(S): DENNIS GRIMMETT, 23834 Box Canyon Road, West Hills, Ca. 91304 The business is conducted by: an Individual

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Features

California Assembly Approves Constitutional Amendment Abolishing “Involuntary Servitude” Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media Assembly Constitutional Amendment (ACA) 3, the California Abolition Act, has one more hurdle to clear before voters can approve or reject it in the General Election in November.

The state Assembly voted 59-0 to approve the legislation on March 21, which would amend the Constitution of California to end involuntary servitude in the state. Should the Senate vote in favor of ACA 3 before the end of June of this year, it will go to the voters for a final decision.

Article 1, Section 6 of the California Constitution currently allows the practice of involuntary servitude as a means of punishing crime.

Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles), who authored ACA 3 in 2020 while serving in the Assembly, says involuntary servitude is a euphemism for forced labor, a practice she says is much more nefarious and is comparable to slavery. .

Kamlager formally announced the bill on the grounds of the State Capitol in March 2021.

“In our great state of California -- often touted as one of the most progressive states in the country -- this cannot stand,” said Kamlager. “By removing this language from our constitution, we are moving our state into the 21st century and taking steps to ensure that no Californian is ever put in a position of involuntary servitude again. Dissolving these remnants of slavery and racial inequality is more important than ever before.”

The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified in 1865. It prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude with one exception: if involuntary servitude was imposed as punishment for a crime.

After the U.S. Civil War and continuing through the early 1940s, incarcerated individuals were “leased out” to plantation owners and manufacturers as cheap labor. This system, called “convict leasing,” was later replaced by “chain gangs.”

Article I, section 6, of the California Constitution, contains the same prohibitions on slavery and involuntary servitude and the same exception for involuntary servitude as punishment for crime.

California’s incarcerated people have no practical ability to refuse to work.

Samual Nathaniel Brown, for example, who contributed to writing ACA 3, was incarcerated at California State Prison, Los Angeles County. Brown says he was forced to sanitize the cells of other incarcerated people infected with COVID-19 while wearing

(Shutterstock Photo)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that was inadequate.

Brown told California Black Media if he had refused that assignment, he would have been written up for insubordination by prison guards, which would have jeopardized his chances of an early release.

Brown was released from prison in December 2021 after serving a 24-year sentence.

“People need to know that California for so long has been the largest plantation state in the nation. Mass incarceration looms large here,” Brown said. “This is

not the Deep South. Forced labor is big business here. Taking (involuntary servitude language) off the books will make the modern-day Black Codes ineffective. It will no longer feed the machine as it once did all the way back to 1865.”

Jamilia Land is a member of the Anti-Violence Safety, and Accountability Project (ASAP), an organization that advocates for prisoners’ rights. She told California Black Media (CBM) that she applauded the Assembly’s vote to move ACA 3 forward, but she is disappointed that none of the organizations that support or sponsor the legislation received “notification for participation”

when it was up for a vote.

“We just want to get this thing right and with integrity.

There was a large coalition that helped make this happen,” Land said. “It’s important that Samuel Brown, my husband, who cowrote ACA 3’s language, and the coalitions get the recognition they deserve.”

Max Parthas, the co-director of the Abolish Slavery National Network (ASNN, says 12 states prohibit enslavement and involuntary servitude but for some “exceptions for criminal punishment remain,” he added.

ASNN is a national coalition fighting to “abolish constitutional slavery and involuntary servitude in all forms, for all people.” It supports repealing and replacing the 13th Amendment with language that fully prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude.

“Nine states permit involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment and the state of California is one of them,” Parthas said. “We’re not talking about illegal slavery. We are talking about legalized, state-sponsored slavery. To see that ACA 3 is being approached is inspiring to myself and all the other states across the country working towards the same goal.”

Three states have voted to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude -- Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska -- and in all three cases the initiative was bipartisan and placed on the ballot by a unanimous vote of legislators, Parthas told CBM. If the California Senate passes ACA 3, a campaign to educate Californians about successes in Colorado in 2018 and Utah and Nebraska in 2020 would be necessary, said Parthas.

“Educating is a complex, but it begins with the wording on the ballot. It must be clear,” Parthas said. “Colorado actually failed the first time by 1% because they felt that the language was confusing in what they were trying to achieve. The second time the state got it right and it passed.”

Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, is a coauthor of ACA 3.

In addition to ASAP and ASNN, other organizations in the state supporting the legislation are the Young Women’s Freedom Center, Native Women Unity Association, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Prison From the Inside Out, Love We Don’t See, Courage California and the Village Advocates.

In the U.S. Congress, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) is leading similar legislative efforts to end involuntary servitude.

“California is so close to getting it done. I think our enslaved and formerly enslaved ancestors would be proud,” Parthas said.

President Biden Releases $5.8 Trillion Budget Proposal

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent On Monday, March 28, President Joe Biden released his 2023 budget proposal that includes significant tax hikes on the wealthy.

The $5.8 trillion proposal, a wish list of administration priorities, aims to reduce America’s growing deficit over the next ten years while raising military spending and aiding domestic programs.

The President believes the plan would reduce by $1 trillion America’s fiscal deficit.

“Budgets are statements of values, and the budget I am releasing today sends a clear message that we value fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and around the world, and the investments needed to continue our equitable growth and build a better America,” the President said in a statement.

Overall, the administration said the budget would cut costs for families, expand the economy’s productive capacity, and reduce the deficit.

“The Fiscal Year ‘23 budget builds on this solid economic growth. It is a continuation of President Biden’s commitment

to address longstanding issues in the economy and make investments that will ensure strong, sustainable growth that benefits all Americans,” Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, stated.

“First, the budget is fiscally responsible. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the economy recovered faster in 2021 than expected. Revenues are up,” Young asserted.

Young noted that by reducing the deficit by more than $1.3 trillion this year, the administration had accomplished the largest-ever one-year decline and less than half of the 2020 deficit Biden inherited from Donald Trump.

“This progress was not an accident. It was a direct result of the President’s strategy to combat the pandemic and grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out — a strategy that was built on smart, fiscally prudent investments that helped jumpstart our recovery” Young asserted.

“And we’ve seen that strategy pay off. In 2021, we created more than 6.5 million jobs — the most our country has ever recorded in a single year,” Young continued.

“Our economy grew at 5.7 percent — the strongest growth in nearly 40 years. And the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.8 percent — the fastest decline in recorded history.

The budget outlines the President’s vision to expand this progress.”

The President’s proposal emphasizes domestic and international security support, with $773 billion earmarked for defense spending.

The budget contains about $1 billion in additional assistance for Ukraine and $6.9 billion for the European Defense Initiative, NATO, and countering Russian aggression.

It also provides billions in funding for law enforcement, including $30 billion for state and local law enforcement, crime prevention, and community violence intervention programs and $1.7 billion for a Justice Department firearm trafficking strike force.

It also bolsters the public health infrastructure, providing $81.7 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services over five years to prepare for future pandemics and provide $9.9 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to public health infrastructure and strengthen the workforce.

Biden’s budget also calls for pay increases for federal workers.

“We applaud President Biden for proposing significant

increases in discretionary spending for our federal agencies, which have been starved of resources for too long,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

“The budget also provides a total of $7.1 billion for pay and benefits for Transportation Security Administration officers, an increase of $1.6 billion from the 2021 enacted level, to finally provide Transportation Security Officers salaries commensurate with what other federal employees doing similar work are paid,” Kelley noted.

“TSA officers have been relegated to second-class status in the federal workforce in terms of pay and union rights, and this budget proposal aims to rectify those unconscionable disparities.”

He concluded: “We’re also pleased by the proposed funding increase at the Bureau of Prisons to address critical staffing shortages at federal prisons across the country by hiring front-line correctional officers and additional staff.”

Optimistic About Judge Jackson’s “Significant Moment” in American History Tanu Henry California Black Media California’s junior United States Sen. Alex Padilla says he is as excited as he is honored to be serving on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary as he and his colleagues conduct hearings to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the United States Supreme Court in the judicial branch’s 233-year history.

On Feb. 25, President Joe Biden nominated Jackson, a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, to become the 116th Justice on the highest court in the nation.

If Jackson is confirmed, she will replace Justice Stephen Breyer, one of her mentors, who announced his retirement in January.

“I’m honored to be sharing in this historic and significant moment in our nation’s history,” Padilla told California Black Media (CBM) in a telephone interview.

The first Latino to represent California in the upper house of the United States Congress, Padilla spoke with CBM while taking a short break from a daylong hearing March 23. During that session, lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, cross examined Jackson.

“I am optimistic about Judge Jackson’s confirmation process.

She is an outstanding nominee. She has the qualifications, and she has the experience,” Padilla continued. “If she is confirmed, she will bring a much-needed perspective to the Supreme Court.”

In January 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated Padilla to replace current Vice President Kamala Harris in the United States Senate. Before that, he served as Secretary of State of California for six years.

Jackson met with Padilla at his office at the U.S. Capitol prior to her confirmation hearings last week.

“I’m impressed by Judge Jackson’s commitment to the rule of law, her long record of public service, and her clear understanding of how the law affects people’s everyday lives,” Padilla said after that meeting.

Because of the even 50-50 split of Democrats and Republicans currently elected to the United States Senate, no one party has a majority of members on any committee. So, there are six members from both parties serving on the Committee on the Judiciary.

Padilla says the upcoming vote on Jackson presents an opportunity for members of the Committee on the Judiciary – and the Senate, more broadly -- to put the extreme partisanship and rancor that has characterized the U.S. Congress in recent years behind them.

California’s senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also a Democrat, serves on the committee as well.

Senator Padilla meets with Supreme Court Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. (File Photo)

Last week, some Republican members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary were questioned in the media about the truthfulness of some of their claims about Jackson and the overall nature and tenor of their questioning during the hearings.

For example, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) portrayed Jackson as soft on sex offenders, calling up sentences she handed down in seven cases.

“Judge Jackson’s views on this matter are not only mainstream; they are correct in my view. Undoubtedly, Jackson — a progressive who worked as a criminal-defense lawyer — is more sympathetic to criminals than I am,” wrote Andrew McCarthy, a senior fellow at the conservative National Review Institute, disagreeing with Hawley’s assertion.

“If I were a judge, I’m sure I’d impose at least marginally

more severe sentences than she has. (Contrary to Hawley’s suggestion, however, she appears to have followed the guidelines, at the low end of the sentencing range, as most judges do.),” McCarthy continued.

Charlie Savage, the New York Times Legal Policy and National Security correspondent wrote, “Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, ripped into Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Monday during her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, tying the nominee to a wide range of conservative grievances. But the lawmaker’s accusations appeared to often be based on quotes taken out of context.”

Savage examined statements and accusations Blackburn made about Jackson on a range of issues, including parental rights, critical race theory, transgender athletes and criminal sentencing.

Before serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Jackson was a federal judge on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia and Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

She has also worked in private practice and as a clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court.

An alum of Harvard College, where she studied government, and Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Jackson graduated from Palmetto Senior High School before that in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, where she grew up.

Jackson is close to her parents, Johnny and Ellery Brown and her brother, Ketajh Brown, a former Baltimore City police officer and soldier in the United States Army. All three of them attended Jackson’s confirmation hearings last week.

Both of her parents, HBCU graduates, are educators (her dad is an attorney, too).

Jackson is married to surgeon Patrick Graves Jackson, who she met in college. The couple has two daughters. One of them, attending her mom’s hearings last week, was captured in photos watching the proceedings in rapt attention, beaming with pride.

“We know that progress doesn’t come easily.

Breaking barriers and being the first means not just significant opportunity, but also tremendous responsibility,” said Padilla in his opening statement last week when the hearings began.

“But Judge Jackson, I also know that you are equipped with a tremendous record of experience and accomplishment, and you are ready to blaze this trail,” Padilla continued. “Judge Jackson, even before your next opinion or dissent, your appearance before us today already begins a new chapter in our nation’s history.”

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Sports

The Valley’s News Observer

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Paul George Spearheads the Clippers Comeback in his Return

By Cameron Buford whatsgoodinsports.com Coming into game 76 of 82 this 75th NBA season, the Western Conference’s eighth-seeded Clippers at 36-39 would welcome the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz and their 45-30 record into Crypto.com Arena. With the Clippers looking to end their fivegame losing streak, the equally ailing Jazz are looking to end their streak of four consecutive road losses. The good thing for the Clippers is that their leading scorer and seven-time all-star Paul George would be returning to the court for the team’s final playoff push.

George would be making his Crypro.com Arena debut, as he’s been recovering from an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that has held him out since December. During that time frame, the team has gone 20-25, yet playing inspired basketball. Throughout the season, the Clippers have had multiple comebacks wins after trailing by at least 20 points this season, highlighted by their 35-point comeback against Wizards on Jan. 25, which was the second-biggest comeback in NBA history.

Shortly after tip-off, George would show why he has been named four-time all-defense by swiping three steals in the first quarter. Though George’s presence provided an initial boost for the Clippers, the Jazz was unfazed and jumped out to an early 18-point lead to close the first quarter.

It was much of the same in the second quarter for the Jazz however their shooting percentage came down from their first quarter. They still shot 56.4 percent from the field and 52.6 percent from behind the arc. Although the Clippers did struggle to make buckets in that initial half, George did shoot three for eight and dished out four assists, yet the Jazz would still take a double-digit lead into the locker room.

The Jazz went on a 13-2 run coming out of the half to maintain control of the game. Mitchell led the Jazz with 14 points in that quarter. However, Paul George would score an impressive 20 points in that quarter, including 10 of their final 12 points, to narrow the Jazz lead to 94-82.

“Just always come out with energy,” George suggested to his teammates. “Our intensity has to be there. The game completely changes when we give ourselves a chance.” George’s game exemplified this upon his return to play, in his first game back.

“I mean right when we were down 25, I looked at [Terance Mann], and I’m like ‘we’ve been here before,’” Clippers Isiah Hartenstein said of their comeback. “There was like a weird feeling that we were coming back, we were going to come back. A

Paul George drives vs Jazz (Photo: NBA.com)

lot of it has to do with [Tyronn Lue] with the adjustments he has.

I haven’t seen a coach make so many in-game adjustments and great ones as he does.”

The Clippers would hold the Jazz to 21 points in that final quarter while scoring a game-high 39 points in that quarter. Then late in the fourth quarter down by three points, Donovan Mitchell tried to call a timeout on an inbounds pass along the baseline with

10 seconds left, but the Jazz didn’t have any timeouts remaining.

Jackson’s made the technical foul shot to put the Clippers ahead by five point with only seconds remaining in the game.

“We turned the ball over eight times I think in the fourth quarter. We gave up, I want to say, 12, 14 second-chance points,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. “Those are possessions we don’t get a chance to score. That’s 39 points around those two things.”

The Jazz suffered their fifth consecutive loss, and this win sends another message to them and the rest of the Western Conference teams that the Clippers are primed for another special run. The growth of this team has been impressive, and the addition of one of their multitime all-stars adds even more excitement for Clippers Fans.

“I feel good,” George said.

“There’s no pain.” Paul George said after playing 31 minutes and scoring 34 points in his first game back since December 2021.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Paul George’s 34 points tonight are the most ever by a player who has missed their team’s previous 40+ games within one season.

Kindly share your thoughts on the Clippers’ season and their playoffs potential. It appears that the Clippers are virtually locked into the eighth seed, this all but secures their spot in the Play-In tournament. Let me know your thoughts on the Clippers season, by reaching out to me on Twitter @whatsgoodnsport or shoot me an email at voiceofthefans@ outlook.com.

Lastly, be sure to subscribe to our weekly “Voice of the Fans Podcast,” which is available for you on most podcasting platforms; Apple and Google Podcasts, including Spotify, TuneIn, and iHeart Radio. We have passionate banter about everything NFL while addressing current NBA topics. Along with discussing various issues in and around the world of sports. Thank you, as always, for spending time with me and Making Our Voice, Your Choice!

Trailblazer Booker Turner Passes

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer The sports world lost one of its best ambassadors recently as long time basketball official Booker Turner passed away at the age of 92 .

Turner had been a fixture with officials and coaches and fans around the country for several years.

Turner had likable demeanor where people enjoyed being around him asking him questions about the game and he didn’t mine answering.

He attended Roosevelt High in East Los Angeles.

After his retirement in 1991 He spent many years evaluating officials, men and women for the PAC-12.

“He became the right man for his time, he was born to be a referee,” said longtime friend and official Lo Clark. “His personality fit the game as soon as he walked in the gym he was respected by the coaches.”

In 1963 when his amateur basketball playing career ended due to a knee injury. That’s when Clark brought him in to officiating. He quickly rose through the ranks, moving from high school to community college to four-year college games at a rapid pace. The two were teammates on the same pro softball team.

Sponsored by Broadway Federal BANK based out of Long Beach.

Turner played centerfield and Clark was a first baseman.

“He (Turner) was a pretty good hitter, he was tough to pitch to,” said Clark.

Clark who had done 13 California Community College Championships along with several high school championships spent two years in the PAC-8.

At one point when only two-men worked a game Clark and Turner ended up on the same game San Diego played at Pepperdine. There was a delay before the game and neither could figure out what it was about.

The game started and finished without a hitch. Afterwards it was assigner’s trying to the stop two officials from working the game together.

“They were trying to stop two blacks from working together in the same game, they made an error and didn’t want that to

happen, but it was too late to change it” said Clark.

In the early 70’s Turner was offered a job in the NBA. But, with two small children at home, he didn’t feel right about leaving his wife, Betty, alone for weeks at a time. He had a steady fulltime job as a purchasing agent for a local meat company, He was content to earn extra spending money by officiating games in his spare time.

“Sad to tell that the GREAT Booker Turner passed away” said Ed T. Rush a veteran of 33 NBA finals said on social media.

“Booker was one of the very best men in the history of our game.

He made such a positive difference in the lives of many.”

In 1977 Turner who was a PAC 8 member at worked a NCAA tourney first-round games in Raleigh, North Carolina between North Carolina and Purdue.

That was followed by a game in College Park, Maryland as Carolina taking on Notre Dame. Coaches were Dean Smith and Digger Phelps (Notre Dame).

His reputation grew as an official that took no guff and was respected by big time coaches like Bobby Knight (Indiana), Smith (North Carolina) and the legendary John Wooden.

He became director of PAC 10 officials and helped pave the way for many minority officials.

“When Booker did that it became known As “The BLACK 10” said Clark. “Some Universities were not ready to see minorities come in working games.”

At that time early in the 1970’s pay was round-trip jet coach fare, $30 a day per diem and $200 for each game worked. Officials in the 2022 tournament earn as much as $3,500 per game.

Throughout his career Turner worked six NCAA Final Four games, including the championship contests in 1981 and 1984.

In the 1981 NCAA Tournament, Turner of the Pac-10 Lou Moser (ACC) and Kenny Lauderdale of the SEC were the threesome earned the right, through its graded performance system each round, to work the title game. It was Smith’s Tar Heels who lost 63-50 to Knight and Indiana.

It was a day of struggle for the country as earlier that afternoon President Reagan had survived an assassination attempt that day, and there was a question until early that evening whether

(From left to right) Former PAC-12 official Bruce Hicks, coach Dave Miller, and Booker Turner. (Photo: Earl Heath)

or not the game would even be played.

In 1984 it was Georgetown and John Thomson taking down Houston and HOF coach Guy Lewis. Thompson became the first African American to win a basketball NCAA title.

I once asked Turner how John Thompson was during the game, he replied, “I had no problem with Coach Thompson.”

He stayed part of the game working clinics and giving seminar’s on officiating. He was a proud member of the California Basketball Officials Association LOS ANGELES Unit where he is

a member of the Hall of Fame. It the same Unit produced Violet Palmer who was the first black female to join any professional league, the NBA and had a 19 year career there. She also is a member of the LA UNIT HOF. Turner was preceded in passing by wife Betty and daughter “Danny” Turner. He is survived by his son Ronnie.

There will be a Memorial service held Tuesday April 5th 11:00AM at Faith Central Bible Church-Tabernacle -321 N. Eucalyptus Ave. Inglewood CA. 90302

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Features

Los Angeles News Observer A7

Madeleine Albright, First Female Secretary of State, Dies at 84

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state who counted as great friends to Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state, and Condoleezza Rice, the first Black woman secretary of state, has died at 84.

Albright’s first notable foray into the U.S. political scene came when President Jimmy Carter tapped her as his national security counselor.

Born in Prague, Czechia, Albright stood just four feet and ten inches tall. But her legacy is as significant as any political figure.

Albright’s family escape the Nazis before arriving in America.

Albright would make her mark in the political sphere by advising Sen. Walter Mondale, Gov. Michael Dukakis, and President Bill Clinton.

Under Clinton, she became the nation’s United Nations representative and then secretary of state.

She cherished her kinship with Rice and Powell, both of whom acknowledged seeking her out for advice when they were cast in the role of secretary of state.

Following Powell’s death in 2021, Albright spoke of the bond between the two respected servants.

“He was truly an incomparable man in every way and incredibly smart, dedicated to this country,” Albright told NPR. “And turned out we were – got to be very, very good friends. And he was somebody that understood what our country needed and had served it with great honor.”

Albright often spoke of her concerns about divisions in America, particularly during the Donald Trump presidency.

In 2021, she spoke of being bothered by individuals who “know about where facts come from” but ignore them.

Born in Prague, Czechia, Albright (right) stood just four feet and ten inches tall. But her legacy is as significant as any political figure.

“In a (2018) book that I wrote is ‘Fascism: A Warning,’ I

went back, and I actually looked at how fascism began, which

it did with Mussolini,” Albright stated during a broadcast conversation with Rice.

“The best quote in the whole book comes from Mussolini, and he said, ‘if you pluck a chicken one feather at a time, nobody notices,’ and that is what I think is kind of happening in the United States,” she stated.

“The major thing Mussolini did was to identify with one group at the expense of another, who then became the scapegoats.

That is what worries me now. We have been, I think in many respects, artificially divided to blame somebody else.

“I think we need to respect why people are coming from where they’re coming from and to make it a point to listen. And we’re not doing that enough. But the main issue now is, how are we getting our information?”

Albright reportedly died surrounded by her family. Her three daughters and grandchildren survive her. “As the first woman to serve as America’s top diplomat, Madeleine Albright helped bring peace to the Balkans, paved the way for progress in some of the most unstable corners of the world, and was a champion for democratic values. And as an immigrant herself, she brought a unique and important perspective to her trailblazing career,” former President Barack Obama stated.

One of my favorite stories: At a naturalization ceremony, an Ethiopian man came up to Madeleine and said, ‘Only in America could a refugee from Africa meet the Secretary of State.’ She replied, ‘Only in America could a refugee from Central Europe become Secretary of State.’

“It’s because of people like Madeleine that the story of America is, ultimately, one of hope – an upward journey. Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Albright family and everyone who knew and served with a truly remarkable woman.”

VP Harris Releases Plan to Stop Bias

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday unveiled an action plan to stop racial discrimination in the appraisal of home values.

The 21-step plan seeks to improve oversight and accountability in the home appraisal business. It includes a legislative proposal to modernize the governance structure of the appraisal industry.

“A home appraisal is a critical element of the home buying and lending process, intended to provide an independent, fair, and objective estimate of the market value of a property so that lenders can accurately evaluate risk,” the administration stated in a Fact Sheet.

“Homeownership is the primary contributor to wealth building for Black and brown households and continues to hold promise for building multigenerational wealth and housing stability for households of color. But, bias in home valuations limits the ability of Black and brown families to enjoy the financial returns associated with homeownership, thereby contributing to the already sprawling racial wealth gap.”

Administration officials said the median white family holds eight times the wealth of the typical Black family and five times the wealth of the typical Latino family.

According to a recent study, eliminating racial disparities in the wealth families gain from owning a home would narrow

the wealth gap by an additional 16 percent between Black and white households and an additional 41 percent between Latino and white households.

On June 1, 2021 – the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre – President Joe Biden announced the creation of the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) to develop a transformative set of actions to root out racial and ethnic bias in home valuations. The Task Force has now released the PAVE Action Plan.

The White House said when the plan is enacted, it will represent the most wide-ranging set of reforms ever put forward to advance equity in the home appraisal process. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge and Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice co-chairs the Task Force.

The Action Plan details a set of commitments and actions, most of which can be taken using existing federal authorities, that will help every American to have a chance to build generational wealth through homeownership.

As part of the action plan, the government will expand the complaint hotline for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

There also will be appraisal bias training in homebuyer education classes and efforts to ensure that the computer systems used to value homes do not perpetuate racial biases.

To view the plan, visit http://www.PAVE.HUD.gov.

Local

A8

The Valley’s News Observer

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Two Hopefuls in Race to Replace Former Asm. Burke Have Black Caucus Ties Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media The two Black candidates running in the April 5 special primary election to replace former Assemblymember Autumn Burke in the 62nd Assembly District have ties to the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC).

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed the special election for the Los Angeles County legislative district to be held on June 7.

Nonprofit director and businesswoman Tina Simone McKinnor, 58, and Lawndale Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles, 55, have both served as staffers, surrogates and organizers for African American state legislators.

If elected, one of them will become the 11th member of the CLBC, succeeding Burke who resigned in January.

Burke said she left the legislature to spend more time with her family. For seven years, she represented the district which includes Inglewood, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Lennox, Los Angeles, Venice, Westchester, Marina del Rey, West Athens, and Westmont.

“Our campaign is picking up momentum. As we have the opportunity to discuss our values, people are joining this campaign to make bold change in Sacramento,” Mckinnor tweeted March 4 after announcing U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) had endorsed her candidacy.

On March 10, Waters also endorsed Pullen-Miles.

The Los Angeles Times and Courage California, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that supports LGBT equality, gun control, improved immigration policies, and healthcare reform, have also endorsed McKinnor.

The LA Times praised McKinnor’s plans to fight homelessness and her support of environment-friendly initiatives, as well as her understanding of the ins and outs of Sacramento.

McKinnor, 58, is currently the Civic Engagement Director of LA Voice PICO, a multi-racial, multi-faith community-based organization providing professional development training to

people. She has also served as district director and chief of staff for Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) when he was a member of the state Assembly, two years as chief of staff for Burke, and campaign staff member for Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, who served in the state Assembly and Senate.

Since 2014, Pullen-Miles has served as mayor of Lawndale, a South Bay Los Angeles County city with about 32,000 residents.

Tina McKinnor (Courtesy Photo)

He was also district director for Burke up until her resignation and served on Lawndale’s City Council from 2004 to 2014.

Pullen-Miles website states that he will seek “equitable solutions” for longstanding problems in his district and the state.

“He is the only candidate with the experience needed to lead

us during these difficult times. That’s why he’s running for State Assembly: to fix our broken state government and move our state forward with the right priorities for our families,” it reads.

Burke, the California Democratic Party and the New Frontier Democratic Club have thrown their support behind Pullen-Miles.

There are two other candidates running against McKinnor and Pullen-Miles in the special election estimated to cost taxpayers up to $2.6 million, according to the Los Angeles County Clerk Office. Hawthorne City Councilmember Angie Reyes English and Nico Ruderman, a former member of the Venice Beach Neighborhood Council, are also vying to represent the 62nd District’s 450,000 constituents.

If none of the four candidates wins 51% or more majority of votes in the primary, the estimated 193,300 voters in the 62nd District will decide in June who becomes their next Assemblymember. The winner will serve a two-year term.

McKinnor, who backed CLBC-sponsored legislation to decertify police officers convicted of misconduct, is also an advocate of improving the healthcare system and a strong supporter of small businesses.

Pullen-Miles, whose campaign slogan is “I’m Pullen for you!,” centers his candidacy on his track record as a job creator; his advocacy for public safety and homelessness prevention; and his championing of efforts aiding the state’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CLBC currently has 10 members, including chair Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and vice-chair Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles). Other members are: Assemblymembers Reggie Jones Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), Mike Gipson (D-Carson), Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove), Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Akilah Webber (D-San Diego) and Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles).

Robert Pullen-Miles (Courtesy Photo)

Men of Color Leadership Conference Continued from page A1

Ximena Palacios and Arturo Ramirez, CALI 93.9 (Photo: Ricky Richardson)

Your Own Architect; Mindfulness and Mental Health for Men of Color; News of the World; Rising from Shame: The Baggage You Didn’t Know You Were Carrying; Playing the Game: Drawing Parallels to Success from Sports, Academic and Life; and No My Name, My Face, My Story as a Community College Athlete.

Two back to back enlightening workshops were presented for Professionals. How to Climb the Professional Ladder (Academic Affairs and Student Services). The first

workshop for Student Services featured a dynamic panel- Michael Tuitasi, Vice President of Student Affairs, Santa Monica College; Dr. Henan Joof, Interim Vice President, Student Services, Los Angeles Harbor College and Dr. Eric Becerra, Director of Special Projects, Long Beach City College. Dr. Gregory Toya, Director of Student Development, El Camino College served as Moderator.

The second workshop for Academic Affairs featured and equally dynamic panel- Reggie Ellis, Athletics Director, Santa Monica College; Dr. Keith Curry, President/CEO, Compton College; Dr. Michael Paul Wong, Director of Counseling, Moreno Valley College; and Dr. Byron D. Cliff Breland, Chancellor, North Orange County Community College District. Chris Dela Cruz, Student Clubs and Organization Advisor, El Camino College, moderated the panel.

Dr. Francisco C. Rodriguez, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District was the closing keynote speaker.

Dr. Rodriguez knocked it out of the park, as it relates to the conference theme.

Dr. Rodriguez shared his life story, enhanced with a PowerPoint presentation, about overcoming adversity, how he was able to adapt, innovate, and learn with the support of his family and other mentors to achieve success, that resonated with the attentive crowd.

The students left the 4th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference re-energized, and with a renewed spirit of hope for the possibilities that await them on their educational or career journey.

The Men of Color Action Network are a group of Men of Color (Administrators/Faculty/Staff) from Santa Monica College, El Camino College, Long Beach City College, Pasadena City College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Compton College, Mt. San Antonio College, and College of the Canyons. The goal of the conference is to ignite a collaborative spirit between students who are men of color from various college campuses and leaders who have access to social capital that have the ability to

Dr. Brenda Thames, ECC President, Superintendent, VP Ross Miyashiro, Administrators, Counselors and Staff (Photo: Ricky Richardson)

support them. Through the conference, students are exposed to various types of resources to support their academic, personal and professional success.

The 4th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference was sponsored by Los Angeles Harbor College, Compton College, Los Angeles Harbor College Foundation, Samuel P. Adams Trust,

The Ichigo Foundation. ConexED and The Callon Family Fund.

Believe it not, The Men of Color Action Network will reach a milestone next year. It is hard to believe that next year’s conference, to be held at Pasadena City College, will be the 5th Annual Men of Color Leadership Conference.

WOMEN. A Celebration that Never Ends

By Rhyan Nile Contributing Writer When you think of women, the first thing to come to mind is… birth giver, mother, housewife, trophy, you get the idea.

But women are so much more than that. Women are owning their businesses, creating art, CEOs, writers, educators, and building empires. We are creating a society where women can have it all and do it all if they so choose. March is proclaimed to be Women’s History Month, where we celebrate women and all they have contributed. To celebrate and discuss the women who broke barriers so that women now can have the freedom and open opportunity to be as THEY choose.

We all have women in our lives that we look up to, who inspire us. Women who have paved the way so that this generation of women can finally be fulfilled. This generation is FEMALE, empowering, supporting, and establishing connections so that we all can feel comfortable in our skin despite the stereotypes and prejudice trying to deteriorate the self-esteem of women.

Although women are on the rise, we still face challenges. Patricia Lane, MSEd”., Ed.D candidate, speaks on the challenges that women face every day. “The biggest challenge that faces women today is for our voices to be reflected and heard in the mainstream narrative. We have to fight twice as hard to ensure that we are taken seriously. This must change ASAP” Lane professed. And although there are still challenges and struggles women are creating beauty in that. Instead of allowing hurtful comments and disrespect to stand in the way of what women want and need, they instead use those words like fire to fuel the power they’ve had all along.

Business/Brand owner, Miyono Sanders, wakes up an empowered woman in hopes to inspire other women to do the same. Being allowed to go into business and showing up for

herself only inspires her to do more. Sanders speaks on the notion that women are still under appreciated for their contributions.

“We need more women in leadership positions because women can be empathetic and connect/communicate in a way that is inspiring, motivating, and encouraging to others. Women are underrepresented in positions of leadership yet, they make up 51.1% of the U.S. population, according to Statista Research Department. We must do better as a country to show equal representation so little girls growing up valuing their opinions and believing they can make an impact” voiced sanders.

Women are creating a safe place in society where WE GET TO CHOOSE. Women are no longer accepting what is “expected from us”. That we can be both mother and business owner. Both wife and career woman. And that celebrating doesn’t stop in March, celebrating women and what they stand for is a part of the daily routine. Ashley Vaughn, business student, mother, and wife speaks on how celebrating not only herself and what she is accomplishing but celebrating all women has become a daily motivation. “I celebrated Women’s Month by doing what I strive to do every day. Daily, I chose to put forth the efforts to make those around me better, my family, friends, and colleagues.

I praised the women in my life who have guided me and molded me into the woman I am today. I hope to show other women that we can do hard things. Hard things are what build the characteristics and traits to help us succeed in motherhood, or our careers, and in life in general” Vaughn expresses.

The celebration of women should be daily. From the smallest victories to the biggest triumphs, what matters is progress, and women everywhere are achieving that, and that’s worth celebrating.