Bay Area

California Agencies Say They Want More Black Californians to Access Jobs, Training

Equity has become a national buzzword. But what does it mean when it comes to labor and employment? The state says it aims to make that definition clear and make it work for all Californians, particularly African Americans.

Published

3 years ago

May 11, 2022

Aldon Thomas Stiles

Angelo Farooq, Chair of the California Workforce Development Board, Secretary Natalie Palugyai of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency

By Aldon Thomas Stiles, California Black Media

Last week, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, and the Riverside County Workforce Development Board held a summit at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside to discuss persistent employment and labor challenges.

The main challenge, they say, is achieving equity.

“A vital component for the equitable economic and sustainable future of California will be determined on the vision and strategic investments in fast-growing regions like the Inland Empire,” said Angelo Farooq, chairman of the California Workforce Development Board.

“We are proud of the multitude of High Road apprenticeship grants for employers/workers that our board has been making in the region and its continued impact to support quality jobs for the local economy,” Farooq added.

“Inclusive and equitable. Let’s talk about those two words because I love them and I hate them,” said the event’s keynote speaker Secretary Natalie Palugyai of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. “I hate them because they get watered down and thrown around, and people really don’t even know what they’re talking about anymore and when people throw those words out, I want to know exactly what they mean because if they don’t mean something behind it, we’re actually not going to get to those lofty goals.”

Palugyai provided her own definition for what these goals should look like.

“Getting people in the door, that’s equity,” said Palugyai. “If I have an African American population and they aren’t participating in my program, but they represent 10% of my region, what am I doing?”

Palugyai said that the state, traditionally, has not invested in these efforts in an equitable way.

“Let’s just be really frank about this; economic development, state investments, infrastructure, [and] workforce training and development has been done the same way for a long time and what has really changed?” Palugyai asked the room full of workforce officials and sponsors.

The summit panel consisted of workforce representatives from the state and both Inland Empire counties, as well as community leaders throughout the region.

They all spoke about the importance of equity while acknowledging the systemic challenges they’ve faced in that pursuit.

The Economic Policy Institute, and other sources tracking job data, say Black unemployment in California remains higher than the statewide average.

At the state level, the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency wants regional offices to maintain some independence to help encourage participation from the Black community.

“We haven’t been great at outreach,” Palugyai admitted. “During COVID, we learned that the only proper way to do outreach is through community organizations that are connected to the people we’re trying to serve. The old ways of us doing it are just not cutting it anymore.”

She brought up an example of the state supporting regional equity efforts: the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) which would provide aid to counties based on their needs following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You want outreach from the people who look like you that are probably going to understand you more,” Palugyai said.

In Riverside County, these challenges are prevalent, according to Leslie Trainor, deputy director of the Riverside County Workforce Development Centers.

However, she reports that they have been working on said challenges.

“One of the things we did was look at the numbers of the customers that we’re serving because we wanted to make sure that we were at least serving the number of African Americans in proportion to the number of African Americans in the general population of Riverside County and we are in fact serving a slightly higher percentage,” said Trainor.

She admitted there are “systemic issues to tackle.”

Patrick Ellis, chairman of the Riverside County Workforce Development Board, emphasizes that just getting Black people jobs is not enough to solve the problem.

“I don’t think we can achieve equity if we don’t pay a lot of attention to job quality,” said Ellis. “We have a lot of poor people in California, and we have a lot of poor people in the Inland Empire. Most poor people work, often more than one job.”

Trainor said that the Riverside County Workforce Development Centers can offer help with upskilling, resume updating, mock interviews, and job searches but some people are not aware of these services.

Because of this, Riverside County Workforce Development Centers are looking to connect with the Black community through Black-led community-based organizations, as is the plan for the state’s workforce development programs.

The state and the two Inland Empire counties plan to make this summit an annual event.

Aldon Thomas Stiles

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Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

2 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

6 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

6 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.