California Black Media
Several Prominent Californians Appointed to Presidential Delegations to Paris Olympic Games
As the world turns its eyes to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games this week, four official delegations appointed by President Joe Biden are representing the United States at opening and closing ceremonies. Several prominent California officials and public figures are among the delegates. On July 26, Jill Biden, first lady of the United States, led a delegation to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

By Lila Brown
California Black Media
As the world turns its eyes to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games this week, four official delegations appointed by President Joe Biden are representing the United States at opening and closing ceremonies.
Several prominent California officials and public figures are among the delegates.
On July 26, Jill Biden, first lady of the United States, led a delegation to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Among presidential delegates to that event were California’s Democratic Senior Sen. Alex Padilla; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; Casey Wasserman, chairperson, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games; and Brian Boitano, three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist in figure skating. Boitano is from Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County.
“We must continue our urgent work ensuring that Angelenos benefit from the preparation for the Games, as well as in the decades following,” said Bass. “Together, we will showcase Los Angeles – not just the popular tourist destinations, but each of our beautiful neighborhoods and communities. Together, we will leverage the Games to help local small businesses, create local jobs and create lasting environmental and transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles.”
The other two non-California appointees on that delegation were U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del) and Dawn Staley, three-time Olympic gold medalist and head women’s coach, University of South Carolina.
“Mr. Douglas Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States, will lead the delegation to the Closing of the Olympic Games,” read a White House Press release dated July 22 announcing the delegations.
Emhoff was a Los Angeles entertainment attorney before moving to Washington when his wife became vice president of the United States.
Californians appointed to the delegation to the closing ceremony, which will take place Aug. 11, are Junior Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.); U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA-42); Denise Bauer, a former Los Angeles TV anchor who currently serves as United States Ambassador to Paris; and Chaunté Lowe, a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, four-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medalist, Track and Field. Lowe is from Riverside.
The only non-Californian appointed to the Closing Ceremony delegation is two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup Champion in Women’s Soccer, Brianna Scurry.
“The Honorable Xavier Becerra, secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, will lead the delegation to the closing of the Paralympic Games,” read the White House press release. The closing ceremony will take place on September 8, 2024.”
Becerra is a Sacramento native and former California Attorney General.
According to the White House, members of each Paralympic Presidential Delegations will be announced at a later date.
Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth will lead the delegation to the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Aug. 28.
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Oakland Post: Week of June 25 – July 1, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025
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Antonio Ray Harvey
Air Quality Board Rejects Two Rules Written to Ban Gas Water Heaters and Furnaces
The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units. “We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

By Antonio Ray Harvey
California Black Media
Two proposed rules to eliminate the usage of gas water heaters and furnaces by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California were rejected by the Governing Board on June 6.
Energy policy analysts say the board’s decision has broader implications for the state.
With a 7-5 vote, the board decided not to amend Rules 1111 and 1121 at the meeting held in Diamond Bar in L.A. County.
The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units.
“We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”
The AQMD governing board is a 13-member body responsible for setting air quality policies and regulations within the South Coast Air Basin, which covers areas in four counties: Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and parts of Los Angeles County.
The board is made up of representatives from various elected offices within the region, along with members who are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Rules Committee.
Holly J. Mitchell, who serves as a County Supervisor for the Second District of Los Angeles County, is a SCAQMD board member. She supported the amendments, but respected the board’s final decision, stating it was a “compromise.”
“In my policymaking experience, if you can come up with amended language that everyone finds some fault with, you’ve probably threaded the needle as best as you can,” Mitchell said before the vote. “What I am not okay with is serving on AQMD is making no decision. Why be here? We have a responsibility to do all that we can to get us on a path to cleaner air.”
The rules proposed by AQMD, Rule 1111 and Rule 1121, aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters.
Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 were designed to control air pollution, particularly emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).
Two days before the Governing Board’s vote, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa asked SCAQMD to reject the two rules.
Villaraigosa expressed his concerns during a Zoom call with the Cost of Living Council, a Southern California organization that also opposes the rules. Villaraigosa said the regulations are difficult to understand.
“Let me be clear, I’ve been a big supporter of AQMD over the decades. I have been a believer and a fighter on the issue of climate change my entire life,” Villaraigosa said. “But there is no question that what is going on now just doesn’t make sense. We are engaging in regulations that are put on the backs of working families, small businesses, and the middle class, and we don’t have the grid for all this.”
Rules 1111 and 1121 would also establish manufacturer requirements for the sale of space and water heating units that meet low-NOx and zero-NOx emission standards that change over time, according to SCAQMD.
The requirements also include a mitigation fee for NOx-emitting units, with an option to pay a higher mitigation fee if manufacturers sell more low-NOx water heating and space units.
Proponents of the proposed rules say the fees are designed to incentivize actions that reduce emissions.
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