California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

1 year ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

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February 20, 2026

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February 16, 2026

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Bo Tefu

Trump’s White House Pushes to Control California Wildfire Recovery

The executive order signed Jan. 27 by President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to explore regulations that could override California and municipal permitting rules for homes and other structures destroyed in the fires. Land-use and rebuilding permits have traditionally been handled by cities and counties, making the move an unprecedented federal intervention into disaster recovery.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The White House is moving to take control of wildfire recovery efforts in the Los Angeles County area, issuing an executive order that would shift rebuilding permit authority from state and local governments to the federal government following the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.

“I want to see if we can take over the city and state and just give the people their permits they want to build,” Trump told the media when signing the order.

The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed about 16,000 homes, businesses, and other structures across Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and surrounding areas. According to local data, roughly 4,700 applications to rebuild have been submitted, with about 2,000 approved so far. Officials say the pace of rebuilding is consistent with recovery timelines from other major wildfires in California, where reconstruction often takes several years.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass quickly condemned the order, stating that it is unnecessary and legally questionable. Disaster recovery experts echoed those concerns, pointing to constitutional limits on federal authority over land-use decisions.

Trump’s order calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration to consider allowing builders to self-certify compliance with health and safety regulations to receive federal approval.

The dispute has become another flashpoint in the ongoing political battle between Trump and Newsom. The governor has requested $33 billion in federal disaster aid that has not yet been approved, while survivors continue to face challenges related to insurance payouts, high rebuilding costs, and legal disputes tied to the cause of the fires.

“Instead of finally sending to Congress the federal relief Los Angeles needs to rebuild from last year’s firestorms, Donald Trump continues to live in fantasy land,” Newsom wrote on X.

Bass said the White House could speed recovery by approving disaster aid and pushing insurers and lenders to support affected residents.

Trump’s order calls for draft regulations within 30 days and final rules within 90 days.