By Tanu Henry, California Black Media

Nvidia, the tech leader in artificial intelligence and the third largest corporation in the world — valued at around $3.06 trillion – announced last week that it is partnering with California Black Media (CBM) to create a critical resource that will support Black-owned newspapers in the state.

The same week, Nvidia, based in Santa Clara, also announced a partnership with the state that will train educators and students across California.

“The public-private collaboration supports the state’s goals in workforce training and economic development by giving universities, community colleges and adult education programs in California the resources to gain skills in generative AI,” the Nvidia statement read.

With CBM, Nvidia will “train a large language model on nearly a century of journalism by Black journalists in the state.”

“We are excited to collaborate with NVIDIA to empower publishers in our sector,” said Regina Wilson, Executive Director of CBM. “This partnership places the Black Press at the forefront of journalism and technology, unlocking innovative opportunities that will drive the future of our industry.”

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Attorney General Rob Bonta backed a newly proposed rule that prohibits the reporting of medical debt on credit reports, in a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra.

The proposed rule aims to relieve millions of people bridled with unexpected or inaccurate medical bills.

Bonta, along with several state lawmakers, is sponsoring Senate Bill (SB) 1061, a law that would prevent medical debt from being included on credit reports, protecting consumers from those outstanding charges damaging their creditworthiness.

The bill is authored by Sen. Monique Limón (D- Santa Barbara) and Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park).

Bonta acknowledged the consumer bureau for spearheading the initiative and providing stronger protections that relieve consumers of the burden of medical debt.

“When someone is scared and in pain, the last thing they should think about is whether seeking care will take away their ability to buy a house or land a job. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people today,” said Bonta.

“There is no need for medical debt to appear on credit reports as it is not a good predictor of repayment, and it pushes more and more people into a harmful debt cycle that is very difficult to escape,” he said.

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In support of the proposed rule, consumer advocacy organizations argue that medical debt is an unreliable indicator of financial risk. As a result, consumers with medical debt are prevented from qualifying for loans, renting an apartment, or securing a job. Consumer advocates stated that the healthcare system is broken and has affected many families nationwide.

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Aug. 16, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of 10 bills aimed at strengthening the state’s ability to prosecute people involved in organized retail crimes.

According to Newsom’s office, “the new laws provide tougher criminal penalties for repeat offenders and additional tools for felony prosecutions.”

“Let’s be clear, this is the most significant legislation to address property crime in modern California history,” said Newsom speaking at a news conference in San Jose.

“I thank the bipartisan group of lawmakers, our retail partners, and advocates for putting public safety over politics.”

Among other infractions, the news laws cover smash-and-grabs, sale of stolen property and car break-ins.

Earlier in the week, Newsom announced that the state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF) has recovered stolen goods worth more than $7.2 million and has made 884 arrests since the beginning of the year.

The ORCTF’s efforts have led to a 212% increase in criminal investigations statewide. These investigations have led to a 106% increase in arrests in recent months.

Since 2019 when Newsom first appointed the task force, the state has invested over $1.1 billion to fight crimes and bolster local law enforcement efforts in communities across the state. This included an allocation of over $267 million across 55 cities and counties to hire more police and invest time and resources in more criminal investigations to make arrests and file felony charges against suspects.

Some of that funding was allotted last year as part of the governor’s Real Public Safety Plan, partnering with police and sheriff’s departments and district attorney offices to curb organized retail theft.

“The state’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force is responding readily and at record pace to crack down on organized criminals attempting to rip off California’s storefronts — demonstrating a continued commitment to enforcing public safety and protecting our communities,” said Newsom.

The task force helped the California Highway Patrol (CHP) make over 2,900 arrests and seize more than $45 million worth of stolen property since 2019 when it was first created.

Sean Duryee, the commissioner of the CHP, said that pursuing organized retail crime has yielded significant results each month.

“Through targeted investigations and numerous arrests, we are actively disrupting and dismantling these crime rings that threaten our communities and businesses,” said Duryee.

“Our message is clear: we will not allow organized retail crime to go unchecked in California,” he said.

The task force’s special operations and anti-crime initiatives have helped remove guns and drugs off the streets in hot spots such as Oakland, Bakersfield, and San Francisco with the backing of CHP officers, Newsom office stated.

California Retailers Association (CRA) President and CEO Rachel Michelin joined the Governor at the bill signing, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), Senate Pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), and other officials.

“These bills’ swift movement through the state Legislature and into law make it clear that retail theft policy priorities have shifted this year,” wrote Michelin on Facebook.

“This seismic shift is a testament to the California Retailers Association team’s strategic and persistent work with state leadership including the Governor’s office, Speaker’s office, Senate Pro Tempore, various members of the legislature and other key stakeholders to ensure the safety of our customers, stores and neighborhoods in which we operate in,” she added.

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