Q&A: ‘Health, Equity and Opportunity for All’ Is Supervisor Gioia’s Main Goal
See Pg. 6
Antioch, DOJ Reach Agreement in Police Racism Investigation
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY
Antioch and the U.S. Department of Justice have reached an agreement that increases police oversight and resolves an investigation into racism and other discriminatory conduct by officers.
The agreement, announced Jan. 3 by federal officials, means that the Antioch Police Department will hire a consultant to review the department’s policies, training and procedures on several topics, including use of force and nondiscriminatory policing.
The agreement ends a federal investigation into several racist, sexist, homophobic and violent text messages — some of which targeted then-Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe and thenSheriff Steven Ford — that officers sent to each other between 2019 and 2022, which resulted in dozens of Antioch officers being placed on leave.
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“Our collaboration with the USDOJ underscores our dedication to fostering trust, transparency, and accountability within our police department,”
Antioch Police said in a statement.
“We acknowledge that trust is earned, not given, and this agreement marks a meaningful step forward.”
Part of the agreement, which will last for the next five years, will require APD to develop a community engagement plan alongside the Antioch Police Oversight Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that “increases transparency and community confidence,” according to the agreement.
Within 180 days, the community engagement plan will have outreach procedures that educate the public on officer duties, job danger, processes on how to file a complaint or acknowledge an officer’s good work and a social and digital initiative that provides residents
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with more information on public safety.
“In working with the Justice Department to institute policing reform, Antioch Police Department sends a strong message that the discrimination and misconduct that prompted this investigation will not be tolerated,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “The agreement we have secured will ensure that Antioch’s policing practices are free from discrimination in the road ahead — the community deserves nothing less.”
Prompting the investigation was the discriminatory texts, but later it led to more than 10 officers in Antioch and Pittsburg being indicted for selling steroids, civil rights violations and officers seeking a pay bump paying for someone else to take college courses in their name.
The investigation also pushed residents
In Pictures: Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe Closes in Bay Point
to urge city officials to move forward with the Antioch Police Oversight Commission, which was first approved in 2022 as part of Hernandez-Thorpe’s proposed police reforms but didn’t have members appointed until 2024.
The agreement “contemplates a role for the Antioch Police Oversight Commission,” according to the DOJ, and “sets forth a framework for data collection and reporting for a five-year period of departmental monitoring.”
Council member Tamisha TorresWalker thanked the efforts of the previous council, including HernandezThorpe, City Manager Bessie Scott and interim Police Chief William “Brian” Addington to bring positive change to the city and residents who “pushed for accountability” over the last decade.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” she wrote in a Jan. 3 social media post, “and I remain hopeful.” •
From right, Bella Quinto Collins, Cassandra Quinto-Collins and members of Reimagine Antioch on July 21, 2023, hold signs displaying some of the violent and racist text messages exchanged among Antioch police officers. (Harika Maddala / Bay City News / Catchlight Local)
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The Contra Costa Pulse is a community media project founded by New America Media, focusing on local and health news coverage in West and East Contra Costa County.
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San Pablo ‘Cop Campus’ Continues to Create Controversy and Discontent With Council
BY SAMANATHA KENNEDY
The San Pablo City Council appointed a new mayor and vice mayor at its last meeting of 2024, solidifying who will oversee the implementation of a cannabis sales tax, the completion of a $44 million San Pablo Police Headquarters and Regional Training Center — and increasing calls to oust members.
Council members selected Arturo Cruz and Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado to serve as mayor and vice mayor, respectively, throughout 2025. Cruz takes over the position Patricia Ponce held the year before.
Local elected officials — including Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors District 1 Supervisor John Gioia and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi’s office — praised city officials on Dec. 16, but most speakers were critical of their leadership, namely its greenlighting of the police facility and handling of opponents’ concerns. Some called for members to be recalled.
“Why are you actively complicit in silencing and misrepresenting your constituents?” one speaker asked. “Whether it’s intentional disregard for your community or an alarming lack of scrutiny over the data shaping your decisions, we call to stop cop campus.”
The 42,000-square foot facility, which is located adjacent to the City Council’s chambers and dubbed “cop campus” by opponents, is the city’s largest public works project to date and plans to include classrooms, a 20-lane gun range and a virtual reality simulator for officers.
Local support for the project has been high, according to annual public safety surveys conducted by the city. In 2023, 80% percent of around 300 respondents approved of the facility, decreasing by
1% in overall support but increasing by 12% in “definitely” supporting the project from 2022.
Opponents say the surveys don’t properly represent residents, with respondents underrepresenting Latinos and overrepresenting seniors, and say the money should have been used elsewhere. At the Dec. 16 meeting meeting, activists continued their call for halting construction and repurposing the building for “other community needs.”
Opposition to the project comes from “outsiders with an extremist agenda,” according to correspondence between officials and staff obtained through a records request and made public by an activist group.
“We all know that our residents support this project and that is what is most important,” Cruz wrote in a May 23 text in response to a story covering a recent protest, “and these outsider (sic) are just criminals that have nothing better to do than try to disturb our peace.”
Refilwe Gqajela, a community organizer with the Anti Police-Terror Project, one of the organizations opposing the project, said the characterization that organizers are outsiders is “insulting to the people in San Pablo.”
“It dismisses all of the people who have been coming to their City Council meetings,” Gqajela told the Pulse on Dec. 17.
She said there are plenty of local residents and Bay Area-wide organizations that oppose the project or have otherwise supported the movement, including Reimagine Richmond, CURYJ, the Muwekma Ohlone tribe and Tenants Against Policing.
Some concerns with the survey by local groups also drew the attention of some on the council.
“Due to issues of accountability and transparency, a team of researchers at Cal UCB has found that the results were skewed and only represented a small minority of residents,” Reimagine Richmond wrote in a Jan. 31 email calling for support to oppose the project.
The email was forwarded to City Manager Matt Rodriguez, who, again, noted community support.
Then-Mayor Ponce said she “100%” agreed with Rodriguez’s response but was concerned with Reimagine Richmond’s claim.
“Where are they getting this information from?” Ponce asked in an email then. “Are we sure there are no discrepancies in our survey’s/reports (sic) from the firm we hire?”
“These are political tactics and advocacy groups can use misinformation to discredit reliable sources or use inherent bias to ‘nudge’ others to support and suit their cause,” Rodriguez wrote to Ponce that same day.
Correspondences show that council members Rita Xavier, Cruz, PabonAlvarado and Ponce have all expressed frustration with protestors in the last year.
“I wish they would just go away,” Xavier wrote June 30 in response to a call-in campaign.
Council member Abel Pineda, however, was silent throughout the released correspondence.
At the last meeting where American Rescue Plan Act funding was allocated for the facility and placed on the consent calendar, Pineda said the item “maybe would have been good to also include in a future meeting.”
Opponents did not specify which council members were the target of recall attempts.
“This is not a failure in leadership,”
Richmond Mayor Addresses Public Safety in ‘State of the City’ Days After Police Chief Decries Defunding
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY
T
he Richmond City Council’s last meeting of 2024, held Dec. 17, saw Mayor Eduardo Martinez highlight public safety in the annual “State of the City” and Richmond making history as one of the first sanctuary cities in the country for transgender people.
Martinez’s address, which jumped between a video presentation and a live speech from council chambers, touched on a 1% crime increase and crime prevention programs.
“We focus not just on holding people accountable but also on addressing root causes of crime,” Martinez said about crime prevention programs in his address. “Our goal is to prevent violence through community-centered programs to create a greater community for everyone.”
His comments on public safety come days after council member Soheila Bana shared a letter from Richmond Police Chief Bisa French sharing the effects of being “extremely short-staffed.”
“This is a direct result of the defunding by the City Council in 2021,” French wrote. “I made it clear that if the defunding happened, there would be negative impacts to our response times and our ability to respond to calls for
service. My concerns fell on deaf ears and the officers were left feeling devalued and unsupported.”
French said that some of those impacts include not having a mental health response team, not having a parole or probation unit, not having a stand-alone traffic unit and not having a school resource officer unit.
“The lack of these resources leaves us in a position in which we are forced to be re-active to problems instead of proactively preventing problems,” French wrote.
Over 50 officers left the Richmond Police Department between 2021 and 2022, according to French, 26 in 2021 and 27 in 2022. However, Martinez said in his address the department gained five sworn officers in 2024 despite 24 leaving.
Still, French that same night planned to unveil a proposal that would use $500,000 to incentivize current officers and those who join. It would give new officers a $45,000 bonus if they have at least three years of experience. But the proposal was pushed back to a meeting in February.
The bonus, which would be among the highest in comparison to nearby jurisdictions (only the city of Alameda’s is more, according to French’s staff report, and the next closest, Antioch’s, is $15,000 less), would actually only have an impact
of $81,228. That’s because, French’s report states, of the savings of not having to send 10 recruits to the police academy.
Transgender sanctuary city
Richmond follows in the footsteps of other California cities — Sacramento, West Hollywood and San Francisco — by declaring itself a Transgender Sanctuary City, which protects individuals who are seeking gender-affirming care.
“Expanding our sanctuary status to them is not just protecting them,” said Jamin Pursell of Richmond Rainbow Pride, “but enriching the city and showing we are an inclusive community that is strengthened by its diversity and collaboration.”
California does not criminalize or otherwise restrict access to genderaffirming care and “has been a leader in protecting the rights of transgender individuals,” according to the resolution brought forward by council member Cesar Zepeda, making the resolution largely symbolic.
The state also protects individuals from criminal penalties other jurisdictions may have to target those who seek genderaffirming care in California.
Over 30 states have considered antiLGBTQ legislation in 2024 but at least 13, including California, have laws in place to
Richmond, pg. 6
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Is TikTok Bad for Mental Health? These Teens Say It Depends
FIRST PERSON • VARIOUS AUTHORS
Editor’s note: A lot of adults think TikTok is bad for the youth. Several attorneys general even sued the social media giant in October, accusing it of being addictive and bad for kids’ mental health. But do the youth agree?
We asked local teens: If you use TikTok, do you think it has had a negative, positive or no impact on your mental health? Please explain why, and tell us about how you use TikTok and how often. If you feel it has negatively affected your mental health, have you changed how you use it or stopped using it as a result? Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.
TikTok has had a negative effect on my mental health. It often takes hours from my day. I usually have an average of 10-40 minutes of use, but last year, it would go up to four hours. To stop that harmful, repetitive behavior, I added a screen time limit of 15 minutes. However, I can just add more time. I had to download another app that added a screen limit time and would show me my to-do list, so I would think twice before entering the app. That helped and reminded me I had better things to be doing, so I’ve slowly been getting rid of that habit.
In addition, I have removed it from my home screen, so I’m not tempted to open the app. Now, I find myself using the app as a search engine, like if I want to see a product review. I think I’ve been better off without TikTok since I’m aware that social media apps have built-in algorithms to make you addicted to continue scrolling. Apps make their money based off how much time you spend on them, and knowing this changed the way I view my time spent on these apps. Spending less time there has allowed me to focus my time on my hobbies, homework and school.
— Lourdes Mendoza, 17
I think that it can have a negative impact, but the app feeds you content you want. So if you keep on liking content that affects your mental health, you are just making these videos pop up. I use TikTok pretty often, but I use it to watch outfit videos or videos about movies. I think it has affected [my mental health]
somewhat, mainly in the way that I use it a lot when I’m supposed to do my homework and also use to also watch these videos that were unhealthy but I recently have started to stop watching these videos and also being on TikTok less.
— Valeria Rodriguez, 17
The overall idea that TikTok is addictive is true. I sometimes find myself an hour later, deep into scrolling through the endless videos. Although it is addictive, I cannot say that this app has caused any depression or dangerous thoughts within me for an extended period of time. I can say that it has me jealous; sometimes I may come across a video of a person flaunting something I deeply desire such as a body type or lifestyle.
Even though there are videos like this, I find TikTok helpful for the most part. People spread important information, give advice on many topics, and spread joy. I have built my For You Page into a stream of a few personal interests and news/media videos. I am saddened to learn that they might be banned from the United States because I enjoy many of the wholesome and informational videos, but if TikTok has been involved in illegal activities, I find it justified that they be reprimanded.
The company is to blame for purposefully creating TikTok to be an addictive app, but we can also hold accountable many of the teenagers that sometimes allow themselves to be engulfed by the videos. I understand the control the social media has sometimes, but people should not allow themselves to be entertained solely through a screen. I have had my fair share of “just one more” videos and have learned to overcome the constant need to look at TikTok. Now, I am able to look at a few videos and be satisfied with just watching 10.
— Angela Taylor Ortiz, 17
It doesn’t affect me too much. I’m not addicted to my phone as much as others are these days. I’ll admit I sometimes use it when I’m bored or want to distract myself from the outside world. But when it comes to being serious or the moment where I have to stop using it, I will. I never use it during school secretly, and I do not use it when someone has to talk
to me. However, as much as I use my phone, I don’t really go on TikTok for that long and can easily get off it and find something else to do.
TikTok has been quite a problem for many people. But I don’t think it should be banned. If mental health is a problem, or it being addictive is a problem, shouldn’t other things be banned as well? Specifically, a phone? I understand that phones can be helpful and have really been helpful for a lot of things. But a lot of these complaints about TikTok are very similar to what Instagram Reels does and YouTube shorts do. Also, phones are a major problem on their own. I can go on a lot with this topic, but instead I’ll make it short: TikTok is being sued over what other apps and even a phone itself does.
— Hector Perez, 16
I think there is a big cringe culture on TikTok, which is why some people may feel like their mental health is negatively impacted after using the app for too long. Since the app is so big and used by millions of people, it’s very easy to leave a hateful or mean comment on strangers’ videos. There are always people who will bully and make fun of others for pretty much anything.
Some people, though, feel like TikTok has a positive impact on their mental health because they are able to build communities and make friends that they wouldn’t have been able to talk to otherwise. I like TikTok because there are endless things you can watch, usually for around 60 seconds or less. I use the app almost every day. I wouldn’t recommend the app for young children, though, under the age of at least 12, because they can be exposed to many harmful things early on and develop a strong addiction that will be harder to get rid of as they get older.
— Kimberly Calles, 17
I think TikTok is not a negative impact on mental health. I feel like it depends on yourself and how you use it. Some people watch good content, and others don’t. It can, in fact, sometimes help you with your mental health such as in watching videos to pass time or to get your mind off something you keep constantly thinking about or worrying about. I use TikTok most of all the apps I have on my
See TikTok, pg. 6
Storied Music Store on RichmondEl Cerrito Border Gets Reprieve
BY JANIS MARA | BAY CITY NEWS
F
ans of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, the Beatles, early rock, jazz, gospel and bluegrass can breathe a sigh of relief — a 48-year-old El Cerrito music store now expects to be able to buy the building where it is housed.
Down Home Music shares a building with two other nonprofits focused on American roots music, Les Blank Films and The Arhoolie Foundation. The building went up for sale in October and the three nonprofits feared they might lose the space they’ve occupied for so long.
Happily, “We’ve got great news,” Harrod Blank, the president of the film company founded by his late father in the 1970s, announced on the group’s GoFundMe page. “We are under contract for the building and we’ve given them the 10% earnest money they required.”
While Blank and his fellow nonprofits still have to come up with about $2.4 million, according to Blank, they are optimistic they will be able to do so. The property is owned by a trust consisting of Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz’s heirs, and negotiations have gone well, said John McCord, who comanages the store with J.C. Garrett.
The late Strachwitz is a musical figure of local and national significance, according to the president of the El Cerrito Historical Society.
“From the mid-1970s, Strachwitz ran Arhoolie Records, which he founded in 1960, from this building,” said David Weinstein, a music lover who also helms the historical society.
“Strachwitz rediscovered longlost, now-classic 78 rpm records, and recorded musicians at locales including St. Mark’s Hall in Richmond,” and elsewhere in the U.S., Weinstein said.
“He produced a catalog so historically important it is now owned by the Smithsonian Institution and distributed by Smithsonian Folkways,” said Weinstein.
Down Home functions not only as a record store but a community center of sorts for music aficionados. Over the decades, artists including Johnny Otis and Peter Rowan have performed there.
“We have a stage and have had all kinds of people playing. Taj Mahal dropped by and jammed at one of our parties in July,” said McCord.
“We have plans for more live events, and Harrod as a filmmaker wants to show more movies,” said McCord.
The business identifies itself as located in El Cerrito, but under the vicissitudes of the city’s borders, the store itself is in the city of Richmond; the sidewalk is in El Cerrito.
While the norm these days might be to stream music from Spotify or Apple, or cruise the Amazon site for records and CDs, El Cerrito resident Tyson Fechter said he prefers visiting the store and browsing the bins filled with albums.
“It’s a way to come across things I wasn’t expecting to find,” said Fechter as he waited in line to purchase “Country Moog,” a classic synth vinyl record album by Gil Trythall, an American electronic music pioneer.
“Looking through bins of records is
Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe Closes in Bay Point
was the eponymous owner of Big Daddy Ross's Cafe until it closed in December after 26 years in
STORY AND PHOTOS • JOE PORRELLO
When Arezki “Ross” Dahmouh, moved from Paris to California in 2000, his uncle’s restaurant in Bay Point that opened two years prior sometimes had around just seven customers per day. After Dahmouh worked there for about a year, he was handed the keys to a struggling business and transformed it into a community hotspot that sometimes drew 700 patrons in a day — the one-of-a-kind Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe. But that wasn’t enough.
About seven months ago, Dahmouh says his landlord said he might want to look for a new location because the property was becoming difficult to keep insured. Then, he got a Halloween fright worse than any scary costume — an Oct. 31 eviction notice demanding he be out before the new year.
“They never told me I would be evicted,” said Dahmouh at the café in its last days. “It’s sad because I feel like I grew up here; I built this from nothing and am really attached to this place.”
Originally planning to close Dec. 15, Dahmouh says he pushed it until Dec. 22 to give his employees an extra paycheck before the holidays.
But the staff and menu will all come to a new location in downtown Pittsburg at 690 Railroad Ave. The future locale is under construction and set to be finished by the end of January, but Dahmouh says it does not yet have a rough opening date or a name.
With the move, Bay Point lost what Dahmouh says was
the area’s only traditional breakfast spot.
But Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe was anything but traditional, located down a long and pothole-filled gravel road in the middle of the docks at the McAvoy Yacht Harbor — the only other businesses were a bait and tackle store and boat repair shop.
“It’s not like a normal restaurant with people just happening to come in after walking or driving by,” said Dahmouh.
Palpable nautical vibes as well as quirkiness inside and out, along with a blue-collar atmosphere, made for a remote and comforting experience unlikely to be replicated.
He said the hardest part of the situation was giving the news of relocation to family, employees and regular patrons. Some are intertwined, as his brother worked in the kitchen and his cousin waited tables.
“When I told my daughter two weeks ago, she walked away; she couldn’t even look at my face,” Dahmouh said. “I saw a 75-year-old man cry when I told him, and so did other customers.”
Customer Mike Coniglio says growing up down the street and having had a boat at the dock, he frequented Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe since it opened 26 years ago.
“I was going through tough times, and I didn’t have anywhere to go half the time, so I would come here and sleep in the corner before they woke me up and served me my food,” he said.
Because Coniglio sat at the same booth nearly every visit, Dahmouh gave him the table he ate at so many times after the café’s closing.
On Dec. 7, he and six others were honoring a late family member who frequented the restaurant — a tradition they kept up every month for five years. Coniglio says he plans to continue supporting the restaurant upon its move. The main thing Coniglio said he took away from the Bay Point location? “Friendship.”
Longtime patrons and Pittsburg residents Carol and Frank Whitehead said they felt like family at Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe ever since their first visit there together about 20 years ago.
“We just grew more and more close over time. For us, it’s like waking up and going to the kitchen… the love runs deep,” said Frank. “The owner and manager, we’ve shared each other’s heartbreak and success — the loss of family and births of children or grandchildren.”
He noted Dahmouh going above and beyond by persuading the harbormaster to allow a separate dock to be built for café customers like him who arrived by water.
“Out of this whole marina, they have one new dock, and that was for us. Since he’s moving to downtown Pittsburg, I told (Dahmouh) he’s going to have to figure out how to put a dock on a railroad, so I can bring my boat,” he quipped.
Dahmouh said he looks forward to the challenge of starting a business in a new location.
“If we made it here — and you see we’re in the middle of nowhere — we can make it anywhere,” he said. “I’m happy because I think we did a wonderful thing here for the community.” •
Arezki "Ross" Dahmouh
Bay Point.
Mike Coniglio, a frequent flyer at Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe, enjoys one of his last meals at a place he’s eaten so many.
A plate of strawberry banana and chocolate pancakes is ready to be served.
A family who then lived down the street from Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe enjoys their meal — though with a hint of disbelief and disappointment after hearing that day of the restaurant's relocation.
Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe lay nestled on the harbor almost unnoticeably,
landscape.
Time has run out at Big Daddy Ross’s Cafe, which was in Bay Point for more than two decades.
Q&A: ‘Health, Equity and Opportunity for All’ Is Supervisor Gioia’s Main Goal
INTERVIEW • MALCOLM MARSHALL
C ontra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia represents District 1, which covers Richmond, San Pablo and part of Pinole, as well as unincorporated areas of West Contra Costa County such as El Sobrante, Montalvin Manor and North Richmond.
The Pulse spoke with Gioia about his accomplishments in 2024 and his goals moving forward.
Contra Costa Pulse: Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement, and why?
John Gioia: I am proud of many achievements in 2025, but I’m most proud of the establishment of our county Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice and the work it is doing to end racism and discrimination in Contra Costa. Supervisor Federal Glover and I worked with the community to develop a plan to set up this office and have the community lead the effort to prioritize the work of the office.
CC Pulse: What frustrated you the most over the last year?
JG: I am frustrated most by the election of Donald Trump as president. His plans to decrease funding for health and social services and to deport many hardworking immigrant families will create huge challenges for us in Contra Costa County. As the social safety net, county government will need to step up and protect those most vulnerable, including the nearly 200,000 lower-income residents who receive healthcare from the county, primarily funded through the federal government.
Cop Campus...
Continued from page 2
the same speaker told the council on Monday. “This is a willful act of exclusion and suppression.”
Construction for the facility is slated to be complete by the summer of 2025, according to the city. •
TikTok...
Continued from page 3
phone. I upload videos and watch off my For You Page. I just try to not stay on too long because it’s a bad habit.
—
Rafeef
Saleh, 16 •
CC Pulse: What inspired you the most over the last year?
JG: My greatest inspiration comes from working alongside West County residents who demonstrate amazing passion and energy in their efforts to improve life in their communities. Their energy inspires me to continue working on their behalf to improve the economic, environmental and equity conditions of West County.
CC Pulse: What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?
JG: In 2024, I continued to learn that our best accomplishments are achieved by working with community and other political leaders. We accomplish little by working alone but much when we partner with others who have a stake in the issues we are seeking to solve. I plan to continue this approach in my role as chair of the Board of the Contra Costa Green Empowerment Zone, where we will be working with business, workers, environmental justice leaders,
Music...
Continued from page 3
fun for me,” said Mike Freeman, another El Cerrito resident. “Down Home is a more pleasant place to do it than many stores because they don’t get too crowded and the music playing in the store is usually good and not too loud. The workers at the store are nice and helpful.”
Ray Bruman drives in from Berkeley to browse the store’s wares.
“It’s a treasure,” he said.
Copyright © 2025 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
Down Home Music:
Address: 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito 94530
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Phone: (510) 525-2129
Website: downhomemusic.com •
communities and local government to develop a strategy for our county to create and attract high-paying jobs in the new green energy economy as we transition away from fossil fuels.
CC Pulse: In one word, what is the biggest challenge District 1 residents face?
JG: Economic.
CC Pulse: What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?
JG: My main goal continues to be improving the health, equity and opportunity for our community members. Whether it is improving healthcare access, making our air cleaner, providing greater opportunities for youth, decreasing homelessness or increasing job opportunities, working to achieve these outcomes improves health, equity and opportunity for all. That always has been and will remain my major focus and goal. •
Contra Costa County District 1 Supervisor John Gioia, right, meets with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. (Courtesy of John Gioia)
We Shouldn’t Need the SAFETY Act to Protect LGBTQ+ Students — But We Do
COMMENTARY • JOSEPH DE LA CRUZ
California on Jan. 1 became the first state in the nation to impose a ban that opponents say could cause distrust between parents, students and schools, while supporters argue it could protect students who don’t feel safe being themselves at home.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1955, also known as the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act, or SAFETY Act, in July. It will protect LGBTQ+ youth from schools disclosing their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression without their consent. It bans school districts from enacting any forced outing policies. Meaning if a kid is gay, trans or queer, the school cannot disclose that information.
It also provides resources for parents and students to talk about gender, sexual orientation and gender identity privately and protects teachers and school staff who refuse to out a student.
When I first heard about the ban, it was like a round of applause went off on my head. After hearing so much news of schools all over the nation not protecting LGBTQ+ students — mostly trans students — it was like a breath of fresh air. This seemed like a step in the right direction. If there is one place students should feel safe, it has to be school. Students often spend more time at school than at home; feeling safe there is something that shouldn’t even be an issue.
I think about my own experiences growing up as a gay student. How I was attacked by a kid older than me for knowing that I was different before I even understood in what being different was. How, up until high school, I felt like an outsider to my fellow students. How being at a school where everyone could be themselves meant so much to me.
I think about those students who don’t know what they’re experiencing but at the same time are too scared to even speak what is going on. How their home lives might not be the safe haven they need to feel as if they can be themselves.
Being lucky enough to have parents who understood me and gave me the chance to discover myself. But that is not the experience of so many others. And for those who aren’t fortunate to have families who accept them as
they are, being outed can be dangerous. It puts them at serious risk of being physically or emotionally abused or kicked out of their homes.
The outing doesn’t have to be malicious or even intentional to be harmful. There doesn’t have to be an educator telling parents their child has come out as gay or transgender because they think it’s a problem to be dealt with. Unfortunately, even a well-meaning teacher trying to respect a student by referring to them by their chosen name and correct pronouns could cause trouble for a kid with a bad home life.
And regardless of whether it will be with acceptance, coming out is a personal decision. It’s up to the individual and no one else whom a person tells that they are gay or trans and how and when.
Then, I think about the students who feel as if they are the prisoners in their own bodies. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must feel like, first of all, let alone dealing with that without support from the adults you should be able to trust most.
The American Civil Liberties Union says that the “constitutional right to privacy makes it illegal for your school to ‘out’ you to anyone without your permission, even if you’re out to other people at school,” so this new law might seem unnecessary. Yet many California school districts “have proposed or implemented policies requiring teachers to inform parents if their child identifies as transgender or requests to be identified by a different name or pronouns at school,” since 2023, according to the office of Assemblymember Chris Ward, D-San Diego, who authored the bill. Judges in 2024
compare to them, in my work or in my ability to express my thoughts.
I had voiced these feelings to my teacher early on, and from that day forward, she was one of the most encouraging people I had ever met. She always expressed how proud she was of me for minor accomplishments and always wanted to hear what I had to say, no matter how much I rambled. She always made extra time for me to come in during her office hours, to talk about the book we were reading, or help me with my work. She was also so understanding of my situation and always wanted to work with me, so we could see me succeed.
COMMENTARY •
GABBIE MUNOZ
M y senior year at Liberty High School in Brentwood was a memorable one. There was so much going on, like being involved in extracurriculars and the stress of knowing that I would be leaving the only world I knew behind. But one person, especially, stood out to me that year: my AP English teacher, Susan Macdonald. I went into her class an outsider, not fitting in with the crowd of other AP students who were taking several at once and had been since their freshman year. I felt stupid amongst them. I felt like I couldn’t
I remember vividly one day when the class was sharing what their plans were after high school, it seemed like everyone had all of these grand schools they had gotten into and all these scholarships they had gathered. When it got to me, I felt small saying that I planned on attending Los Medanos College for a major I wasn’t fully sure about yet. However, after I had finished, she gave me a smile, one that said she knew it was going to work out for me.
She had the same caring and lovingness that my grandma had before she died. She thought everything I did was the greatest thing simply because I was doing it. It made me want to make her proud, and I pushed myself that year, especially in her class to ensure that I could live up to what she expected.
also blocked federal Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students in multiple states.
The argument that opponents of the SAFETY Act are set on is that it causes distrust between the school and parents. My argument is this — yes, parents need to trust the school to keep students safe, but shouldn’t you as a parent also be the one to keep your students safe? One of my core beliefs that I have when it comes to parenting is that the love that you give your kid shouldn’t hinder on what their gender identity or sexuality might be. They are your child — you should love them regardless, not be their first bully. They should feel safe coming to you about whatever they feel might be going on with their bodies or their feelings.
But if that’s not the case, they shouldn’t have to worry about their teacher or principal or whoever betraying them.
I won’t claim to be an expert on all of the things concerning the LGBTQ+ community. I can’t even claim to fully understand what could happen when it comes to this ban and how it could affect students, parents, teachers and schools. But what I can claim to be is an ally of what I believe to be right and to stand up for my beliefs. If this act is something that will protect our students from any repercussions that can cause them harm, it should be enacted. Aren’t our school supposed to be safe for our students? And parents, aren’t you supposed to be the protectors of your children? As someone who had struggles with their sexual orientation, I can only say, please just be there for them and try to understand. Educate yourselves. •
She pushed me to see my full potential, and she opened up my love of reading and writing again, something that other English classes had stripped away from me. My other English classes were just a grade, nothing more than work from a packet, and words from a book. However, her class was engaging; it made me want to push myself to do more and be more. Whether it was reenacting Shakespeare for the whole class or doing Socratic seminars, there was always something to look forward to. Her class was inspiring, and something I had never experienced before.
Without her, I don’t know if I would have been as driven as I am now. She made me feel like I could do anything I put my mind to, and because of that, I have seen it in myself.
She made me feel welcomed in a place that I would have shied away from and left immediately, and because of that, whenever I feel the way I first did in that class, I always think of her. She wouldn’t have wanted me to give up, and now I don’t want to see myself give up either. I’ll always remember the impact she’s left on my life and the urge she created in me to never shy away from things that scare me.
I still keep in touch with her to this day, and every time she tells me she’s proud of me, it leaves the same impact it did the first time. •
(“Gay-Straight Alliance school bus” by jglsongs via Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license)