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COVID-19: As Winter Approaches, Gov. Newsom Focuses on “Waning Immunity”

“Any state vision has to be realized at the local level. Localism is determinative,” Newsom said, thanking Alameda County public health officials and workers, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan and Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland) for their leadership in spearheading the vaccination of 84% of all people in their county. Newsom was speaking at Asian Health Services, a community clinic in Oakland.

Published

4 years ago

November 5, 2021

Oakland Post

More than 80% of Californians who are eligible to take the COVID vaccine have received at least one shot, according to the California Department of Public Health.

By California Black Media

On October 27, Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference after receiving a Moderna booster shot to augment the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine he took in April.

The governor said he deliberately opted for a different vaccine as a booster to emphasize the Centers of Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance that it is safe for people to mix and match vaccines.

The governor encouraged eligible Californians to get their booster shots as well, warning that initial COVID-19 shots required to be designated “fully vaccinated” might not be enough to inoculate individuals who are at a higher risk of getting the disease.

The governor also thanked Bonta for working to make sure the state is “supporting these efforts not only advance the cause of getting more of the unvaccinated vaccinated, but now the cause that unites us here today, and that is encouraging more boosters so that we can address the legitimate concerns of waning immunity,” Newsom said.

The governor pointed out that he is not just promoting boosters. He is also pushing a message of “caution” because of what he anticipates might happen this winter based on a spike in COVID cases around this same time last year.

“On the 24^th of October, we had 6,000 cases. One month later, we had 18,000 cases. A month after that, we had 54,000 cases – basically a tripling of cases every month. That was last year,” he said. “And we all remember what occurred last winter in December and January.”

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, immunity against COVID-19 drops to as low as 20% four months after the second vaccine dose.

On October 21, the CDC expanded eligibility for the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots for those 65 years and older, 18 years and older who live in long-term care settings, 18 years and older who have underlying medical conditions, and 18 years and older who work or live-in high-risk settings.

The California Health and Human Services Agency echoed the governor’s push for booster shots on Twitter.

“Get boosted, CA! #COVID19 vaccine boosters will help keep our immunities strong and our families safer. Find out if you’re eligible & get yours today,” the tweet read.

Newsom offered words of encouragement to Californians who he says might be weary of living with COVID restrictions.

“We’ll get through this. We’re making progress. We’re turning the corner but let’s get these boosters, let’s continue to be vigilant, let’s continue to reach out to those maybe on the fence, maybe hesitant about getting a vaccine, and encourage them to get a vaccine, Newsom said.

More than 80% of Californians who are eligible to take the COVID vaccine have received at least one shot, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Mia Bonta, who replaced her husband Attorney General Rob Bonta in the California Legislature, is a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus. She took a booster shot with the governor.

“When we talk about being a resilient community, it requires resilient action,” said Bonta. “The simplest thing we can do right now is to go to our trusted providers to ensure we are getting our boosters. As we consider taking care of our communities, it requires every individual to act with resilience.”

To check eligibility or make an appointment for a COVID shot, visit MyTurn.CA.gov

California Black Media’s coverage of COVID-19 is supported by the California Health Care Foundation.

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Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

2 days ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

5 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke