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Vol. 63 No. 52 | Thursday, December 28, 2023
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Some of Those We Love and Lost in 2023
Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 63 Years
2024
2023: WHAT A YEAR WE'VE HAD Some of the biggest stories for Black people in the past year
SEE PAGES 10-19
(L to R): New York Attorney General Letitia James, Atlanta-based District Attorney Fani Willis, and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. ILLUSTRATION: Courtesy of Unerased VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF AND NNPA
THREE HIGH PROFILE BLACK WOMEN LAW OFFICIALS HOLD TRUMP TO ACCOUNT
District Attorney Fani Willis, and U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan continue to hold the former president’s feet to the fire for crimes ranging from fraud and sexual harassment to election tampering and inciting a riot, underscoring the nation’s progress on the judicial front and moves the jurisprudence system closer to the promise: “No one is above the law.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, Atlanta-based
See 2023 page 2
A lot happened this year, and many of the key actors in the events that made history in the past 12 months will bring much of what they started in 2023 into 2024.
MONEY RUNNING OUT FOR MILLIONS OF CALIFORNIANS ON INTERNET SUBSIDY PROGRAM Almost two hundred thousand San Diegan households included
By Macy Meinhardt VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER Starting in Mid-January, hundreds of millions of low-income Californians will get the notice that their internet access subsidy funded by the Affordable Connectivity Program will run out by mid-April. Consequently reinstating the barrier at the heart of the digital divide, internet cost. Birthed as a result of growing internet inequities amid the depth of the pandemic, the Biden Administration under the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, funded a $14 billion dollar Affordable Connectivity program (ACP) to provide low-income households $30 per month off their internet bills and an additional $100 voucher to go towards a laptop or computer purchase. On qualifying tribal lands, this subsidy could go up to $75.
Since the program started, over 20 million American households have enrolled. Within San Diego County, almost two hundred households have enrolled, particularly concentrated within the unincorporated, central and southern parts of the county, according to the Institute of Self Reliance ACP dashboard. However, without a funding renewal, the tap for the ACP program is in jeopardy of running dry, potentially requiring San Diegans, as well as residents across the state and country, to bear the full cost of their internet services.
Why this is important: Internet Cost is at the heart of the digital divide. The digital divide represents the disparate gap between those who have ready access to the internet– and the leverage for
personal and professional development it brings– versus those who do not have access. Internet inequities became pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when societal activities were forced to go online amid globPress Event held this summer by the county to get more San Diegans enrolled in the ACP program. al-wide lockdowns. PHOTO: County News Center For people unable to access affordable or accessible options, this are talking about real human people and their barred rural, and lower income communities stories,” said Lauren Gaydes, a ACP advocate in from accessing what advocates say is a “21st regards to how internet loss will be detrimental century civil right.” to millions of Americans day to day lives. “When we are talking about ACP running out we are not just talking about the numbers we
See SUBSIDY page 2
SAN DIEGO UNVEILS NEW VISIONARY PLANS FOR MID-CITY COMMUNITIES By Macy Meinhardt VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF WRITER The mid-city communities which encompass the City Heights, Eastern Area, KensingtonTalmadge and Normal Heights neighborhoods, are slated to receive an update to their community plan for the first time in twenty-five years—targeting opportunities for homes and mixed use development connected to residential areas, public spaces and transit.
Aerial map view of neighborhoods slated for new development planning: City Heights, Kensington-Talmage, Normal Heights, and Eastern Area. PHOTO: City of San Diego
The updated plan, which will begin soliciting public input in 2024, is expected to bring new homes, businesses, and infrastructure to the region in order to sustain long term residential and economic
growth for the community. In addition the updated plan also intends to provide funding for needed investments into the communities parks, public spaces, and walk and bike areas. Back in October the city was awarded $4.8 million by SANDAG to help create more homes and infrastructure for San Diegans. $650,000 of those funds will be put into the Mid-City community plan update to support the cities 30-year vision for history and place, sustainability and climate resilience, land use, design, mobility, and parks, public facilities and open space. See COMMUNITIES page 2
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