California Black Media

The Next Four Years: Debt and Rent are Among Top Issues for Young California Voters

As America elects a new President this week — and a slate of new elected officials at the local and state level — the voices of young voters in California are resounding as political campaigns and policy makers order their priorities and shape their messages to include their perspectives and respond to their concerns.

Published

7 months ago

November 6, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

But what are those issues on the minds of the next generation of California’s electorate in 2024?

Power California, an organization that informs and empowers young voters, and Latino Decisions, a political research company, set out to answer this question in their Rising Electorate Survey, whose findings were released earlier this fall.

The survey polled 1,754 young Californians ages 18-30 on the issues they cared about the most. While many of the findings showed a growing stress and uncertainty surrounding rent control, housing, better wages and special interest groups being too involved in government, nearly half of the young Californians surveyed believed things will get better in the future.

“For us, there are several things we know and several things that we can expect in the next four years, including that young Californians, Gen Zs, and aging millennials will become the largest political voting bloc here in California,” said Saa’un Bell, Senior Associate Director of Power California.”

Among responders to the survey, 35% were Latino or Hispanic, 25% Black, 20% Asian American and Pacific Islander, 16% were White, non-Hispanic. There were about 4% identifying with some other racial groups, which includes those who identify as Indigenous. In terms of geography, 28% of the participants surveyed came from Los Angeles County, followed by 16% from the Bay Area, 16% from the Central Valley. And the remainder of the sample, which was roughly 40%, came from other parts of the state.

Economic pressures were one of the areas covered in the survey. One in 4 young Californians have thought about leaving the state, taken on a second job or postponed bills. One in 5 is supporting friends and family or had to choose between rent and paying their bills. For young Black and Latino Californians, the impacts of economic insecurity were more significant. Young Black and Latino Californians are more likely to have a second job or report postponing bills and 1 in 5 young Black Californians have moved back home with family.

Kaja Wilson, a youth member of Power California living in Fresno, spoke during a digital webinar organized by the organization. She shared her perspective on the priorities of young voters in the state.

“Young people are still having a hard time seeing ourselves reach milestones like home ownership, savings, investments, and personal development, all the while we deal with the burden of debt, including student loans.”

The survey also found strong support for rent control laws and addressing climate change. Reproductive rights and gun control are also salient issues for young Californians, and they are active participants in several movements for social justice.

“There are many narratives that young people, young voters, are apathetic, pessimistic, and cynical. Those narratives are out of context – and not true,” said Bell.

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Activism

“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.

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

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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.

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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Activism

“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.

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

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.”