Black Students Education...

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1,806 Native American students under Newsom’s proposal.

Christina Laster, Western Regional Education Director of the National Action Network, stated that not many Black students attend the low-income schools targeted by the governor’s equity multiplier. Instead, she recommends focusing on student groups who perform below the state average on two or more state indicators on the California school dashboard. This would target student groups in the most academic need based on their performance, not their race.

Dr. Ramona Bishop, CEO of ELITE Public Schools, urged the Legislators to consider the BISC alternative proposal for the equity multiplier, which would address the needs of the students who stood behind her as she spoke. She emphasized that all Black students in the state deserve care, attention, and the best efforts of those in power.

Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor said, “We share

HELP WANTED the ultimate goal of the Black in School Coalition to eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps for Black students. However, we continue to believe that our more comprehensive and legally sound proposal is a better option than AB 2774 and its related alternative proposal. We are not alone in that belief — as I believe you have seen, we have the support of members of the CLBC (California Black Legislative Caucus including Weber), CAAASA (California Association of African American Superintendents), the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Tony Thurmond) and many others.”

So BISC and Newsom are at an impasse at what is the best way to direct state funding for educating Black students in the public schools.

BISC wants funding targeting Black students based on their need for support due to poor academic performance, while Newsom’s Equity Multiplier focuses on schools with high concentrations of poverty, impacting about 6% of the state’s Black students.

Newsom is concerned about the legal implications of funding aimed at specific racial groups and aims to reform the LCFF to address underperforming racial groups. BISC, on the other hand, is focused solely on Black student funding and not on reforming LCFF.

Jiko Technologies, Inc. seeks an Engineering Manager in Oakland, CA (or remote) responsible for developing, testing & maintaining Jiko Technologies’ core investment infrastructure & leading a team of software development professionals. Develop algorithms specifically designed to invest client’s money into liquid assets including US Treasuries & currencies. SALARY RANGE: $181,000 - $226,000 per year. APPLICANTS: Email resume to people@jiko.io Reference code #6760805 when applying.

But the California Department of Justice (DOJ) in a preliminary report it wrote for the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans recommended funding Black students through the state’s funding formula, suggesting that Newsom should not be so concerned about violating Prop 209.

A recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office complicates the debate by noting that high-poverty schools already receive targeted funding and recommending that the Legislature not approve funding for the Equity Multiplier.

Until a solution to the impasse is achieved, the state must persist in its efforts to identify and implement the appropriate policy to assist its Black students in improving their academic performance, based on their individual needs rather than their race.

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NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR MEMORIAL PARK IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT

PROJECT NO. 2020.3040 , BID NO. 22-23.009

1. BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for Memorial Park Improvements Project, Project No. 2020.3040 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14th Street, 2nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on May 18, 2023 at which time they will be publicly opened and read.

2. WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of improvements in Memorial Park and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

3. OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at: https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Engineering and Transportation Department at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive. Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book at the East Bay Blueprint and Supply Co. Contact: (510) 261-2990; https://www.eastbayblueprint.com. Search the public projects planroom to find the subject project.

4. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: All bidders are strongly encouraged to attend mandatory one of two virtual pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. Pre-bid conferences will be held as follows:

Pre-bid meetings will be held via zoom. Pre-bid conferences will be held for this project as follows:

• April 25, 2023, at 10:00 am. This meeting will be cast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 10:00 am

Zoom Meeting ID: 838 1030 2795

Passcode: 773867

Zoomlink: https://sanleandroorg.zoom.us/j/83810302795?pwd=VlhLa29vUks1TzdLYlBnZUIy

WjlBUT09

• April 26, 2023, at 3:00 pm. This meeting will be cast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 3:00 pm

Zoom Meeting ID: 810 3376 2574

Passcode: 144273

Zoomlink: https://sanleandroorg.zoom.us/j/81033762574?pwd=RVZEV3BZY0pyWUZUK2JBY nlxVjBQdz09

A bidder who fails to attend one of two pre-bid conference will be held responsible for any information that could have been reasonably deduced from said attendance. Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.

5. SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License

6. SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.

Dated: April 6, 2023______________________ Kelly B. Clancy City Clerk

By

Brashears

departed, thanks to professional make-up and lighting. For an hour of her time, Magnolia would earn more money than she would in a month at the gas station.

It was an easy job. Cotton didn’t charge her rent for living in the home. For once in her life, Magnolia had money. She also had ghosts from the past, nudging her for her sins...

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

The role is yours, if you want it.

You can play the part on a stage or in a film, but there are a few requirements: you have to be able to sing and dance and speak with an accent. Can you convince an audience that you’re someone you’re not? As in the new book, “House of Cotton” by Monica Brashears, can you play dead?

Mama Brown wouldn’t have liked all the praying and singing, not at all. Nineteen-year-old Magnolia knew that for sure. Also, for sure, Mama’s funeral was the last time Magnolia would go to church. Wasn’t anything there for her anymore.

No, she’d just go to her overnight job at People’s Gas Station, and try to avoid her landlord, Sugar Foot, who offered to trade sex for rent. She’d try to keep homeless “Cigarette”

Sammy from eating out of trash barrels. She’d swipe on Tinder and, using a pseudonym, she’d sleep with random men.

She’d try to forget that she was pregnant and alone.

And then one night, a welldressed man came to the gas station and told Magnolia that she could be a model. Was it a come-on, a cliche that every almost-pretty girl hears? She couldn’t afford to ignore his offer and so she walked across Knoxville, walked across town, to a funeral home where her new job was ready for her.

Cotton was the man’s name; he said he was a seer and he’d inherited the business from his uncle. Under his ownership, the funeral home was offering a new feature: for a fee, mourners who didn’t have closure over a loss could talk to Magnolia, who was made to look like their dearly

Sitting somewhere between fairy tales and a suspense novel, hovering around both an erotic tale and a humorous story, it’s pretty safe to say that “House of Cotton” is unlike any other novel you’ve ever read. It’s weird, and it’s heartbreakingly beautiful.

Author Monica Brashears’ main character, Magnolia, is someone you want to reach into the pages and hug — if you weren’t sure she’d push you away for it. She’s just learning how to be an adult, and not liking it; she’s smart, but innocent yet and that’s a bad combination in this great story.

Once she finds a job with Cotton and his Aunt Eden, then, the book takes a dark, ominous turn, like a modern-day old-fashioned Gothic novel.

Readers shouldn’t be one bit surprised if they become nervous by then. It’s for good reason.

“House of Cotton” will surprise you. It’s not what you think it might be, and more; it’s a vacation read here for the packing, if you want it.

California Black Media Political Playback: Black Candidates Are Queuing Up for Intense Political Battles Ahead

and Los Angeles County, after Assemblymember Eloise Reyes announced she will be running for State Senator in 2024 the 29th District.

Former Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson has announced that he is running to replace Sen. Nancy Skinner in Senate District 7, which covers Oakland and surrounding communities.

Heather Hutt Is Sworn in To Replace Mark Ridley Thomas on L.A. City Council Los Angeles’s embattled city council has a new member.

With an 11 to 1 vote last week — and to rounds of applause — councilmembers in California’s largest city decided to appoint Heather Hutt to serve the remainder of former councilmember Mark Ridley Thomas’s term instead of holding a special election. Ridley Thomas lost his seat representing the city’s 10th district after he was convicted on federal corruption charges last month.

Shortly after, Hutt, who was district director to Vice President Kamala Harris when she was U.S. Senator, was sworn into office.

“It is an honor for me to serve the people of the 10th District.

Tanu Henry

California Black Media

Your roundup of stories you might have missed last week.

California Black Candidates

Are Queuing Up for Intense Political Battles Ahead

The 2024 general election is over a year away but candidates across California have begun throwing their hats in the ring to run for state office. Several Black candidates with experience, passion and solid connections to the state’s political inner circles are entering the fray.

Last week, Darryn Harris, former chief of staff to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass while she served in the United States Congress, announced that he is vying in the state’s 35th Senatorial District to replace Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood), who terms out next year. Others are expected to enter this race.

After Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa) announced that she is running in the election next year to replace State Senate pro Tempore Toni Atkins

(D-San Diego), LaShae Sharp

Collins, former district director for former Assemblymember and current Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced her candidacy. Her announcement states that she is a long-time resident of the 79th Assembly District in the greater San Diego area, a mother and foster parent with years of service in education and non-profit work. Colin Parent, vice mayor of the city La Mesa, has also announced that he is running for this seat.

CBM sources have also been told that civil rights leader, the Rev. Shane Harris is expected to enter the race. Harris is president and founder of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates.

In Senate District 5 former Tracy City Councilwoman Rhodesia Ransom announced last month that she will be running to replace Sen. Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) when her term ends in 2024.

In the Inland Empire, African American candidate Dejonae Shaw, a nurse and union leader, announced she is running for the 50th District Assembly Seat, representing parts of San Bernardino

I just want to take a moment to thank my colleagues, council president and my friends and family, my staff and the constituents of the 10th District,” said Hutt after her swearing-in ceremony.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass commended Hutt for her outstanding service, highlighting her “exemplary record.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with Councilmember Hutt to confront the critical issues facing Los Angeles like homeless-