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California Black Media Political Playback: 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.

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Rhodesia Ransom, Dejonae Shaw, LaShae Collins and Darryn Harris
Rhodesia Ransom, Dejonae Shaw, LaShae Collins and Darryn Harris

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 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. 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 homelessness, public safety and the overall livability of our city,” said Bass.

Following Ridley Thomas’ suspension last year, Hutt was selected to act as caretaker of his seat after former Councilman Herb Wesson resigned as interim replacement.

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer Wants State to Use Prison Savings for Crime Reduction Programs

Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, is advocating for the state to allocate the projected annual savings of $235 million from shutting down prisons toward programs aimed at crime reduction.

Last week, Jones-Sawyer and Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto), who co-authored Assembly Bill (AB) 912 — the legislation that would write the proposal into state law — held a rally at the Firefighters Memorial in Sacramento.

AB 912 would establish “the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program, to be administered by the Office of Youth and Community Restoration, for the purpose of implementing a mixed-delivery system of trauma-informed health and development diversion programs for youth, as specified,” according to the bill’s language.

Jones-Sawyer said the Assembly Education Committee has approved AB 912 with a 6-0 vote.

“Investing in our youth & preventative crime programs is exactly what my bill, AB 912, does,” Jones-Sawyer shared on his Facebook page with the hashtag #educationnotprisons.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee is now reviewing the bill.

March Income Tax Revenue is 10% Below Projections

Last week, the California Department of Finance announced that personal and corporate income taxes collected so far this year, totaling $923 million, is 10% below the number Gov. Newsom projected as a basis for his budget proposal in January.

Based on the weak revenue collection, analysts project that total income tax for the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year could be up to $5 billion below projections.

By law, the governor’s office will release an updated forecast of tax income revenue on or before May 14.

California Black Media will keep watching this story to keep our readers updated.

Alameda DA Pamela Price Under Fire

Bay area residents have been leading rallies and protests encouraging voters to recall Alameda County African American District Attorney Pamela Price.

The demonstrations have been centered on what some residents view as Price’s leniency on crime since she took office in January and suspicion that she will cut a deal with three men from Richmond and Vallejo accused of killing a two-year-old toddler in a shootout on the 880 freeway.

With chants of “do your job,” “justice for Jasper” and “recall price,” the protest organizers have been rallying at the Alameda County Superior Court.

Price’s office released a statement.

“The District Attorney’s Office has not made any decisions regarding the charges in the murder of Jasper Wu. We gave this information directly to Jasper’s parents last week. We will continue to review the case, and will make decisions directly in accordance to the evidence,” the statement read.

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“Unnecessary Danger”: Gov. Newsom Blasts Rollback of Emergency Abortion Care Protections

Effective May 29, CMS rescinded guidance that had reinforced the obligation of hospitals to provide abortion services under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when necessary to stabilize a patient’s condition. Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

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iStock.
iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom is criticizing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for rolling back federal protections for emergency abortion care, calling the move an “unnecessary danger” to the lives of pregnant patients in crisis.

Effective May 29, CMS rescinded guidance that had reinforced the obligation of hospitals to provide abortion services under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when necessary to stabilize a patient’s condition.

Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

“Today’s decision will endanger lives and lead to emergency room deaths, full stop,” Newsom said in a statement. “Doctors must be empowered to save the lives of their patients, not hem and haw over political red lines when the clock is ticking. In California, we will always protect the right of physicians to do what’s best for their patients and for women to make the reproductive decisions that are best for their families.”

The CMS guidance originally followed the 2022 Dobbs decision, asserting that federal law could preempt state abortion bans in emergency care settings. However, legal challenges from anti-abortion states created uncertainty, and the Trump administration’s dismissal of a key lawsuit against Idaho in March removed federal enforcement in those states.

While the rollback does not change California law, Newsom said it could discourage hospitals and physicians in other states from providing emergency care. States like Idaho, Mississippi, and Oklahoma do not allow abortion as a stabilizing treatment unless a patient’s life is already at risk.

California has taken several steps to expand reproductive protections, including the launch of Abortion.CA.Gov and leadership in the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a coalition of 23 governors supporting access to abortion care.

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“We Are Better Than This”: Black Caucus Denounces L.A. County ICE Raids as Multiple Protests Erupt

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a member of the CLBC and chair of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, urged protestors to show restraint and deescalate rising tensions. “Don’t take the bait. Remain peaceful. Peace is our power,” she posted on Facebook. McKinnor also blasted the feds for detaining David Huerta, a popular labor leader and president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who was documenting the raids.

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Assemblymember Tina Mckinnor (D-Inglewood), at the podium, is joined by a coalition of California lawmakers opposed to the ongoing ICE raids being conducted in communities across California. Courtesy of Asm. Tina Mckinnor’s office.
Assemblymember Tina Mckinnor (D-Inglewood), at the podium, is joined by a coalition of California lawmakers opposed to the ongoing ICE raids being conducted in communities across California. Courtesy of Asm. Tina Mckinnor’s office.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media  

Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) last week condemned ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California.

The caucus released the statement the same day multiple protests erupted in Los Angeles County, reacting to three ICE raids conducted in that area.

“For months w,e have watched the unsettling images of federal agents rampaging through our communities. We have stood in horror as masked, heavily armed men ransack neighborhoods under the color of law leaving terror and trauma in their wake,” read a June 6 statement released by the CLBC.

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), a member of the CLBC and chair of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, urged protestors to show restraint and deescalate rising tensions.

“Don’t take the bait. Remain peaceful. Peace is our power,” she posted on Facebook.

McKinnor also blasted the feds for detaining David Huerta, a popular labor leader and president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who was documenting the raids.

“The actions by this federal government are un-American,” wrote McKinnor in a statement. “We demand is immediate release and an end to the terror being inflicted on communities across L.A. County by this administration.”

According to Yasmeen Pitts, a Homeland Security Investigations division spokesperson, 44 people have been detained in arrests related to the protests.

Pitts said ICE agents targeted three locations in central Los Angeles they accuse of harboring undocumented immigrants.

The Black Caucus statement called the violent arrest of community leaders leading protests against the raids “a tool in the authoritarian playbook.”

“No person or family, regardless of origin, deserves to be the target of the terror being inflicted across the country in this moment,” the statement continued.

On June 7, Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on X, “federal agents arrested over a dozen agitators today who impeded agents in their ability to conduct law enforcement operations.”

“We will continue to arrest anyone who interferes with federal law enforcement,” he added.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass thanked local law enforcement for keeping the peace in the city.

This is a difficult time for our city. As we recover from an unprecedented natural disaster, many in our community are feeling fear following recent federal immigration enforcement actions across Los Angeles County. Reports of unrest outside the city, including in Paramount, are deeply concerning,” posted Bass on X.

“We’ve been in direct contact with officials in Washington, D.C. and are working closely with law enforcement to find the best path forward. Everyone has the right to peacefully protest, but let me be clear: violence and destruction are unacceptable, and those responsible will be held accountable,” she added.

On June 9, the Trump administration said it will send 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell the anti-ICE protests.

Newsom called the decision “deranged.”

“As the federal government conducts chaotic immigration sweeps across the country, the state is deploying additional CHP to maintain safety on Los Angeles highways to keep the peace,” wrote Newsom in a statement posted on X. “It’s not their job to assist in federal immigration enforcement. The federal government is sowing chaos so they can have an excuse to escalate. That is not the way any civilized country behaves.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025

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