19 minute read
From The Editor
“CBC Members Stood United at Swearing-In”
On Tuesday, Jan. 3, members of the Congressional Black Caucus held an inspiring swearing-in ceremony, even as Republicans were fighting over who would become the next Speaker of the House.
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“In the work we do, we honor our history, like the many Black members that served before there was even a Congressional Black Caucus,” said Nevada Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, the CBC’s new chairman.
Horsford, 49, counted among the 58 CBC members taking the oath of office, most praised the Biden-Harris administration, spoke glowingly of the CBC’s history, and kept an eye on their Republican counterparts as they tried to find the votes to select a new speaker. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is 57 and from California, continued to face strong opposition from his own party as he tried to replace outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).
At least six members of the GOP have opposed McCarthy, who needs 218 votes.
Democrats have seized upon the GOP’s inability to unite.
“The 118th Congress has yet to begin, and Americans are already seeing how dysfunctional and disastrous GOP control of the House is going to be,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Washington).
DelBene is the new chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“While House Republicans fight one another in unprecedented ways, and Kevin McCarthy gives in to the most extreme flanks of the Republican Party in desperate plays for their support, Democrats are clear-minded, unified, and eager to get to work for the American people,” she said.
“No matter who becomes Speaker of the House or how many votes it takes, the contrast is clear, and in two short years voters will reject this chaos and confusion.”
Further complicating McCarthy’s bid, Republicans with a small majority only occupy 222 seats in the 118th Congress, which means there’s enough opposition to block his candidacy.
He needs a majority of the present members to vote for him.
Incoming House Minority Leader, New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, said no Democratic party member would be absent for a vote and did not expect any to simply vote “present.”
Headed into Tuesday, there was even the belief that Jeffries, 52, could get more votes than McCarthy in a first round of voting. But, because the GOP controls the House, he wouldn’t become speaker.
“We’re focused right now on making sure that every single Democrat is present and voting, and I hope to be able to earn everyone’s vote,” said Jefferies, the first African American to lead a party in Congress.
“It’s unfortunate that all we’re seeing is chaos, crisis, confusion, and craziness take hold of the other side of the aisle, as opposed to trying to find common ground to deliver real results for the American people,” Jefferies continued.
“Hopefully, we’ll get to a place sooner rather than later when the Congress can actually function in a way that brings Democrats and Republicans together to get things done for the American people.”
Jeffries and Horsford focused on the historic battles of African Americans.
“Our community’s journey in this country has been a turbulent one. From slavery to Jim Crow, Jim Crow to mass incarceration, and mass incarceration to a malignant narcissist in the White House,” Jeffries states.
Horsford added that “this is our opportunity to advance the mission, the vision, and the goals of those 13 founders and the 166 Black members of Congress who have served in our nation’s 246 years in both the House and the Senate.”
Stacy Brown is the senior national correspondent for the NNPA Newswire, a veteran journalist and author of the new book, "Celebrity Trials: Legacies Lost, Lives Shattered, So What's the Real Truth."
From the Editor
Nineteenth century philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote: "In nature, every moment is new; the past is always swallowed and forgotten; the coming only is sacred....life is a series of surprises. We do not guess today the mood, the pleasure, and the power of tomorrow, when we are building up our being. The new position of the advancing man has all the powers of the old, yet has them anew. It carries in its bosom all the energies of the past, yet is in itself an exhalation of the morning..." On the 2023 horizon is a futuristic age of designer children, avatar technology, behavioral biometrics, quantum computing, refrigerators that can plan your next meal based on what's inside of them while serving as the control center for your homes; wearable medical monitoring devices, mood boosting foods, and a boom of psychiatric medications to treat an alarming crisis of post traumatic stress disorders that appear to have consumed so much of our society. And yet, a looming recession, rising homelessness, unaffordable housing and the record-breaking number of hate crime incidents coupled with fears that the war in Ukraine could grow into something much larger, let us know that this brave new world we are entering comes with its fair share of challenges. In most cases, the big stories of the previous year bear witness to what we can expect in the year to come. Of course, it is often the more personal stories that touch us the most. In the 24 hours following
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin being rushed to the hospital in critical condition after a routine footbal play, Americans donated $5 million to his fundraiser. A fatal crash in Windsor Hills triggered by a woman with mental issues left us not only mourning for the six souls lost, but reminding us how precious and tenuous life is. And who can ever forget Will
Smith’s infamous slap to Chris Rock’s face at last year’s Academy Awards… In so many of the stories we are still grappling with the lessons to be learned as with that of a racist tape that led to one of city hall’s biggest scandals, the elevated hate rhetoric spewed by those like Kanye West and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. With the gains the GOP is making with Blacks–leaders like Al Sharpton have warned Democrats to step up their game in the run up to the 2024 election and civic officials in major cities across the country are grappling with gentrification on steroids in the Black community. But for all that has come against Black folks, not enough can be said of the inroads we have made. One of my favorite quotes on that is from the late trailblazing actress/singer Ethel Waters who said: "I have the soundest of reasons for being proud of my people. We Negroes have always had such a tough time that our very survival in this white world with the dice loaded against us is the greatest possible testimonial to our strength, our courage and our immunity to adversity... Our greatest eloquence, the pith of our joy and sorrow in our unbreakable hearts, comes when we lift up our faces and talk to God, person to person. Ours is the truest dignity of man, the dignity of the undefeated." You can see that dignity on full display in the grace of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and more recently, the victory that recently made Congresswoman Karen Bass the first female to become Mayor of Los Angeles with her win over a billionaire who spent over $100 milion–more than ten times what she did– in his quest to defeat her. As we move forward, we would do well to remember that everything begins with the individual choices we make. For as technologically advanced as we are, we remain human beings whose choices determine our individual outcomes. You can choose to excel or instead resign yourself to whatever circumstances make up your world. When resigned, no amount of direction is
going to make your life any better. A brave new world awaits us all, but it is our world. We will determine its boundaries just as surely as each of us will decide our role in it. If you leave it to others to decide, know that the role you play is likely to be no more than that of a pawn. I am fond of citing a study done on a class of graduating seniors who were asked to write out their goals. Just 10% of them actually followed through and listed them on paper. Ten years later they interviewed the graduates and the students who’d written out their goals earned an average of 500% more than the 90% who didn’t. The motto being that people who didn’t set goals ended up working for those that did.” That life can be difficult comes as no surprise. It is however within our ability to stretch, rebound, learn; to be inspired and in turn inspire; to teach—and despite our challenges and obstacles–to overcome and to keep dreaming like the man whose birthday we celebrate L.A. Focus/ January 2023 this month, the late great Dr. Martin Luther King. As we welcome 2023, we would all do well to remember that the key to every man’s success is his own thought. Now is the time to dream and then to step out and make that dream happen remembering that what you can and cannot do starts and stops with you. It has been said, “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but believe.” 4 Happy New Year and keep the faith.
LISA COLLINS Publisher
UpFront
California Welcomes Slate of New Laws & There’s Something for Everyone
Out with the old year and in with a new slate of over 1000 laws passed by the California legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, spanning everything from hate speech and abortion rights to the pink tax and sex trafficking. California’s minimum wage will increase to $15.50, jaywalking citations are set to become a thing of the past, those incarcerated in state prisons or local juvenile detention facilities will be able to make and receive phone calls free of charge, and Juneteenth (June 19) officially becomes a state holiday (although optional).
Beginning January 1, it is illegal for an employer to refuse to grant bereavement leave for up to five days to employees in the event of a family death. And there’s good news for those who would like to put past misdeeds behind as a new law will allow for the criminal records of some offenders to be sealed if they have completed their sentence and maintained a clean record for a minimum of four years for starters. The law does not however apply to sex offenders or those convicted of violent or serious crimes.
That is just a sampling of some of the new legislation going into effect this month. From crime and punishment to the workplace, here are just some of the new laws you might want to make note of.
Crime and Punishment
•Come January 1, police are prohibited from stopping a pedestrian for jaywalking “unless a reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power.” •The “Keep Families Connected Act,” eliminates the onerous per-minute charges and connection fees that make it tremendously expensive for incarcerated men and women to stay in touch with their loved ones. •Hotels will be subject to civil penalties if employees fail to inform police of sex trafficking at their facilities. •With hate speech on the rise, a new California law will require social media companies to publicly post policies on hate speech, disinformation, harassment and extremism and to provide reports to the state prosecutor regarding violations and enforcement. •Persons convicted of misdemeanor child or elder abuse on or after January 1, 2023 will be prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Health Care
•Health care providers will not be legally compelled to release medical information about a woman seeking abortion care in response to a subpoena from outside the state. •AB2098 will designate the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, or “COVID-19,” by physicians and surgeons as unprofessional conduct. •Family members, first responders and clinicians can request that a judge order treatment for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Those refusing treatment could then be placed in a conservatorship and ordered to comply.
Workplace
•Lower and middle income employees will see increases in their paid family leave benefits should they need to take time off to care for loved ones. •Companies with 15 or more employees will now have to post what the pay range is on job posting as well as to provide employees with a salary range, if requested. •Employers will be required to provide employees with workplace COVID exposure notifications until 2024, including the dates on which an employee with a confirmed case of COVID-19 was on the worksite premises and the location of the exposure. •SB-1044 prohibits employers from taking or threatening adverse action against any employee for refusing to come to work or leaving if the employee has a reasonable belief that the workplace is not safe. KISHA SMITH
Staff
Retail
•AB 1287 prohibits “the pink tax” referring to gender-based pricing on products based on who they're marketed toward. •The sale and manufacturing of new fur clothing and accessories is banned in California.
Education
•Starting in June of 2023, Dolly Parton’s “Dolly’s Library” will expand statewide, providing children from birth to five with free books–increasing literacy and opening minds.
Elections
•SB-103 provides that the states presidential electors must cast ballots for those candidates who’ve won the popular vote and may not switch candidates or abstain from voting.
Holidays
In addition to the declaration of Juneteenth as a new state holiday beginning in 2023, April 24 will be recognized as Genocide Remembrance Day and the fourth Friday of September is now designated as Native American Day.
Mayor Karen Bass Moves Aggressive Agenda Forward in Tackling LA’s Homeless Crisis
D.T. CARSON
Staff
Mayor Karen Bass is proving that she is a woman of her word as she presses full steam ahead in her goal of getting homeless people off the streets and clearing out the unsightly encampments that have overwhelmed parts of the city.
Just as she said she would, her first order of business was declaring a state of emergency in her efforts aimed at sheltering the city’s 40,000-plus unhoused residents. It is a move that would serve to fast track the process of creating more affordable housing and get money to homeless service providers.
Mayor Bass followed that up with a directive that would require the departments overseeing the processing of affordable housing to complete their reviews in 60 days. And less than a week into her term, the newly elected mayor is putting her plan into motion to bring 17,000 people inside in her first year of office with the launch of “Inside Safe”.
“We are shifting the way the city approaches homelessness, and the Inside Safe initiative represents a change in how we help and house people living in tents and encampments,” Mayor Bass said. “The new strategy on homelessness I am bringing to City Hall replaces quick fixes with real solutions. People should not be left to live and die on the streets because the city isn’t giving them someplace to go. Under my administration, we are giving people safe places to move inside, and we will ensure people can stay inside and safe for good.”
Inside Safe will assess street homelessness across Los Angeles and then proactively engage with people living in tents and encampments based on which locations are most chronic and where people are most in crisis with the following five goals: 1. Reduce the loss of life on our streets 2. Increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for those living in encampments 3. Eliminate street encampments 4. Promote long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness 5. Enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors “It is imperative that we immediately begin to move people living in encampments indoors,” Bass said. “Once in interim housing, social service agencies will provide wrap-around care to each participant to transition those previously living in encampments into permanent housing, improve their wellbeing, and promote their stability. Such an effort will simultaneously enhance the safety and hygiene of our neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors.”
According to a new poll, she has the backing of voters, a majority of whom have faith in her efforts to solve L.A.’s homeless crisis. And earlier this week, she got the support of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, who unanimously voted to back the Mayor’s state of emergency declaration in addressing homelessness.
“The only way we can really solve this crisis is if we are working in complete partnership,” Bass noted as she met with the county supervisors earlier this week.
To that end, she has directed her cabinet–inclusive of her Chief of Housing and designees from the departments of housing, transportation and public works–to coordinate in the effort with L.A. Metro, the Department of Water of Power, World Airports and other L.A. County agencies that serve those experiencing homelessness.
But the former Congresswoman who made history as L.A.’s first female mayor didn’t stop there. In a recent meeting with members of the Baptist Minister’s Conference of Southern California, she let them know that she would be calling on them for their assistance. And on Sunday at First AME Church, Bass once again encouraged Angelenos to join her in the effort.
“Thank you for being on the journey with me to win the election, but now the work begins,” Bass said. “And I want to ask you if you will please continue to pray for me, with me, walk with me as we go to this part of the journey. Everybody has to have skin in this game. Housing has to be built everywhere.”
Billion Dollar Fund Helps California Homeowners Make Past Due Mortgage Payments
MAXIM ELRAMSISY
CA Black Media
Relief is available for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage due to financial hardships caused by the Pandemic.
The California Mortgage Relief Program is providing a lifeline for qualifying California property owners, especially in underserved communities. Proponents of the program regard it as a safeguard to protecting generational wealth and assets.
“If you are deemed eligible and approved, we send the payment directly to your servicer or the county in which the home resides for the property tax payment, and then they're caught up,” said CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation President Rebecca Franklin, who was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The California Mortgage Relief Program is giving grants that are funded by $1 billion in federal funds from the American Rescue Plans Homeowner Assistance Fund. Grants up to $80,000 for past due mortgages, and up to $20,000 for missed property taxes, will be distributed to households facing pandemic-related financial hardship. There are no fees to apply, and the grants never have to be paid back.
The relief payments are distributed on a first come, first served basis
“This is an awesome program that reminds me of Keep Your Home, California,” said HUD certified housing counselor Linda Jackson. “Keep Your Home, California did have restrictions, you had to stay in the house for a period of time, so that that loan could be forgiven. I say to everyone, this is free money ya’ll. So, we got to get the free money because you don't have to pay this back. If anyone charges you for this program, run, because it's at no cost.”
The application is at www.CAMortgageRelief.org and it includes a calculator to help you see if you qualify. The website also provides resources to help fill out the application. To complete the process, you will need some basic documentation like a mortgage statement, property tax bill, or utility bill.
The application typically takes less than 20 minutes to fill out online. For help completing it, contact the program center at 1(888)840-2594. Additional help with this program and others is available from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development certified counselors at 1-800-569-4287.
“One of the biggest issues is a lot of our community members are older community members that don't know how to use computers,” said Community Action League CEO Pharaoh Mitchell. “They come in and they’re frustrated, and we literally have to be counselors to them, to [tell them] ‘calm down, we're here to help you. This is a friendly process. Let's get you through it.”
“I’m proud that they're making a conscious effort to really reach into the Black community and make sure our underserved community is served,” Mitchell added.
The program is designed to help low and moderate-income households. It has a cap for people earning more than 150% of the median income in their county, adjusted for the number of people in the household. Officials say it was created to assist people who are behind on payments, specifically those who have missed at least two payments and currently have a past due balance as of Dec. 1, 2022.
Aside from the income requirement and the delinquent payment criteria,
Robert Johnson’s Efforts Pay Off with Legislation Addressing Retirement Savings Crisis Facing Blacks and Low Wage Workers
Late last month, the bi-partisan Congress supported the longtime efforts of Robert L. Johnson, founder of The RLJ Companies and Chairman of Portability Services Network (PSN) and Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH), by passing legislation that codifies auto portability. Auto Portability is the routine, standardized, and automated movement of an employee's retirement saving account balance (under $5000) from the retirement plan of their former employer into an active account in their current employer's plan. Retirement Clearinghouse developed the technology and created the intellectual property to power auto portability, which makes it easy for American workers to move and consolidate their 401(k) account at the point they change jobs. "I am pleased that this Congress codified auto portability and thereby recognized the value and importance this plan feature delivers to address the retirement security needs of so many underserved Americans," said Johnson. "I am particularly grateful to Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for their support in advancing auto portability through this Congress. I also want to thank Marc Morial, President & CEO of the National Urban League and Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP for their leadership and being early, vocal supporters of auto portability. As the leading National organizations respectively focused on equality and economic empowerment, they noted that auto portability addresses the retirement savings crisis confronting Black Americans and low-wage workers, ensures a financial infrastructure necessary to maintain economic stability for retirement savings, and addresses the racial wealth gap," Johnson concluded. Approximately $92 billion in savings leaves the U.S. retirement system every year because Americans who change jobs prematurely cash out their workplace retirement accounts and pay taxes and penalties on those cash-outs. The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) estimates that if auto Portability was broadly adopted, over the course of a 40-year period, an additional $1.5 trillion in savings would be preserved in the U.S. retirement system, including $619 billion for 67 million Black and minority workers, and $365 billion for 42 million women participants of all ethnicities.
