By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Adjoa Jones is a Los Angeles-based health and community leader who has dedicated her career to advocating for equitable birth outcomes for Black mothers and infants.

Participating in a legislative briefing hosted by the California Black Health Network (CBHN) on Aug. 27, Jones shared stories that shed light on the disproportionately high rate of pregnancy-related complications and deaths among Black women.

Two Black women in Southern California, Jones says, suddenly passed away after giving birth. From Jones’s perspective, those maternal mortalities could have been prevented.

“I come to you speaking from the voices of our community. From the stories of two unforgettable mothers, but it really speaks to the most preventable tragedies,” said, Jones, who is the Director of African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative at the L.A. County Department.

“It’s not just impacting California, but our nation far and wide,” Jones added during the event titled “The State of Black Maternal Health” and  held at the California State Museum in Sacramento.

Participants highlighted several past and current bills going through the state Legislature that focus on improving maternal health equity. The proposals address systemic inequities to improve the healthcare experiences of Black women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

Panelists included Sandra Poole, Health Policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and Brittany Chambers, Associate Professor for the Department of Human Ecology at the University of California at Davis.

Other panelists were Palav Babaria, Deputy Director for the California Department of Health Care Services, and Zea Malawa, Director of Expecting Justice.

Rhonda Smith, the Executive Director of CBHN, served as the host and moderator of the briefing.

“There are amazing and incredible women who are doing amazing work here in the state,” Smith said of the panelists who discussed potential policy solutions and accountability.

During Jones’ presentation, she shared the tragic stories of two women. One was April Valentine, who died on Jan. 10, 2023, after giving birth at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood.

According to reports, Valentine died from a blood clot, a pulmonary embolism, that formed in her leg and circulated to her lung. A well-known complication during pregnancy. Valentine’s family members said her condition was preventable, and they filed a wrongful-death claim.

The second woman, 32-year-old Briget Cromer, died in 2023 at California Hospital Medical Center, hours after giving birth to her fifth child. Her family believes her death was due to medical negligence.

Her family’s legal team filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHH) alleging systemic racial bias in care.

According to the California Department of Public Health, Black women are more likely than their counterparts to die during pregnancy. They represent 5% pregnancies in the state but account for 21% of pregnancy-related deaths.

“We’re doing all that we can to ensure that pregnancy is uplifted (and) pregnancy is a place that’s where folks can enjoy the journey, Jones said.

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), an obstetrician-gynecologist, was the keynote speaker.

“Here in California, we tragically lose another mother due to pregnancy-related complications every five days,” Weber Pierson said. “Here and nationally, Black mothers are three to four times likely to be one of those mothers lost. That’s coming from 40% of maternal deaths.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

The Assembly Committee on Education passed previously stalled legislation after an agreement was struck to strengthen early childhood literacy efforts in the state by equipping educators with the necessary tools and training.

Assembly Bill (AB) 1454, authored by Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), and Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), unanimously passed out of committee with a 9-0 vote.

The evidence-based reading instruction bill, supported by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) California-Hawaii State Conference, now moves on to the Committee on Appropriations for review.

“This legislation is essential, important progress, and it reflects agreement and robust consensus on ways to provide educators the evidence-based tools they need to support California’s diverse students,” Rivas said in an April 30 statement. “We must make sure every child, no matter their background, has the opportunity to become a confident and thriving reader.”

AB 1454 would require the California Department of Education to identify effective professional development programs for educators primarily focused on teaching reading in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade.

It also requires the State Board of Education to adopt updated English language arts and English language development instructional materials. Additionally, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing would be required to update school administrator standards to include training on how to support effective literacy instruction.

Trending

Keisha Saunders-Waldron Honored in Marquis Who’s Who

The legislation was authored and introduced by Rubio as AB 2222 last year. She said was designed to implement evidence-based methods, also known as “the science of reading,” a scientifically-based research approach that advises how pupils are taught to read.

The bill stalled in April 2024 when the California Teachers Association (CTA) and other education stakeholders opposed the bill, questioning a mandate that would have required all school districts to standardize instruction and required training.

Rubio reintroduced the bill as AB 1121, but it too failed to advance, prompting Rivas to create AB 1454. After multiple rounds of negotiations, an agreement was made that reading instruction training would be discretionary.

Patricia Rucker, a legislative advocate for the CTA and former State School Board of Education member, said the agreement reached required each party involved to make concessions about implementation.

“Reasonable people can disagree on reasonable things, but we also can show the world how you can disagree and come together,” Rucker said during the hearing held at the State Capitol Swing Space. “We’re committed to continuing the work on this bill to keep the bill moving forward.”

Rubio said she was close to surrendering the fight for the bill, stating that the process “by far, has been the hardest thing that I have ever done in nine years as a legislator.”

“Sometimes I was ready to walk away,” she said, “but for the coalition (of supporters), parents, family members, and of course, our Speaker, for finally sitting us down and saying, ‘Get it done. Get it done.’”

Marshall Tuck, the CEO of EdVoice, told California Black Media that one-third of states have integrated evidence-based reading instruction into their early literacy policies and have done so with measurable success.

“Reading is a civil rights issue, and it demands urgent action,” Tuck said. “There are a lot of challenges that go into reading, but this is a big step forward.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post