By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on May 29 aimed at strengthening protections for California elections, arguing that the measure is necessary to guard against voter intimidation, election interference and unauthorized access to voting systems.

The new law, Senate Bill (SB) 73, authored by state Sens. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside) and Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), expands existing safeguards for election workers, ballots, voter rolls and election infrastructure. The legislation comes amid ongoing national debates over election administration and voting security.

“California will not allow our elections to be commandeered by political intimidation, abuse of power, or chaotic interference from extremists chasing conspiracy theories. This law protects voters, election workers, and the integrity of the democratic process from election-deniers who want to undermine democracy,” Newsom said.

Under SB 73, unauthorized access to voter rolls, voter lists and certified voting technology by law enforcement agencies — including federal authorities — is prohibited unless authorized by a court order or tied to a specific investigation under California election law. The measure also restricts peace officers from interfering with election administration, except during public safety emergencies, and requires the California Department of Justice to issue guidance to county election officials on responding to law enforcement requests regarding ballot-processing locations.

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Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), praised Newsom for signing into law legislation that protects state elections, ballots, and election workers from political and federal interference.

“We have seen Republicans steal ballots and intimidate voters. Here in California, we believe in the power of the people, and voter suppression efforts will not work here. We will fight to protect Democracy at all costs,” Bryan told California Black Media (CBM).

The law further increases penalties for the unlawful removal or seizure of voted ballots. Individuals who knowingly take voted ballots from election officials can face fines, imprisonment, or both.

“Senate Bill 73 is a direct response to efforts by officials in the Trump Administration and local elected leaders to undermine our democracy piece by piece,” Cervantes said. “The enactment of SB 73 protects Californians’ sacred right to vote free from fear of intimidation or interference, and safeguards the essential integrity of elections in California.”

Supporters, including the League of Women Voters of California, praised the measure as a safeguard against federal interference in election administration. 

“This landmark law erects essential barriers against unauthorized federal access to voting systems, voter rolls, and polling places – protections that are more vital now than ever,” said Dora Rose, deputy director of the organization.

The legislation builds on a series of election-related measures California has enacted since 2019, including universal vote-by-mail, expanded protections against voter intimidation, and cybersecurity investments designed to protect election infrastructure.

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On May 26, the California State Assembly passed legislation to provide direct financial assistance to families harmed by pollution from a major urban oil field in South Los Angeles.

Assembly Bill (AB) 1661, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), cleared the Assembly floor with a 44-10 vote after lawmakers concluded debate on the measure.

The bill would direct money from a community repair fund toward families who suffered negative health effects from living near what Bryan described as the state’s largest toxic urban oil field. The repair fund was created under legislation approved two years ago that shut down the oil field and required polluters to contribute financially to community recovery efforts.

“All this bill does is allocate resources from that repair fund and direct cash assistance to families that have had negative health impacts as a result of living next to that oil field,” said Bryan during remarks on the Assembly floor.

Bryan called the proposal “the largest environmental reparations opportunity for South LA” and told lawmakers the bill had not received opposition during the legislative process.

The legislation is part of California’s broader push to address environmental justice concerns in communities historically exposed to industrial pollution. South Los Angeles residents and environmental advocates have long raised concerns about health risks associated with oil drilling operations near homes, schools and parks.

Supporters say the measure represents a new approach to environmental accountability by ensuring that communities affected by pollution directly benefit from funds collected from responsible companies.

After debate concluded, Assembly leadership opened the roll call vote, and the measure passed with majority support from lawmakers.

AB 1661 now moves to the Senate for further review.

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The Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) condemns the continued gutting of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and the broader assault on Black political power unfolding across the United States.

Black immigrants in the United States — whether citizens or not — share a common condition with Black Americans. Our ability to access housing, healthcare, education, labor protections, safety, and political representation is deeply tied to the political power of Black communities in this country.

When Black communities lose political power, all Black people across the diaspora become more vulnerable to displacement, criminalization, disenfranchisement, and state violence.

The U.S. cannot claim to be a multiracial democracy while systematically dismantling Black political representation and participation. An attack on Black voting power is an attack on all Black people across the diaspora and on the very possibility of a just democracy.

Voting is more than a civic exercise. Voting is about representation, access to resources, and the ability of communities to shape policies that determine whether we survive, thrive, or are left vulnerable to harm. It is both a right and an expectation of participation in public life.

For generations, however, Black people in the United States were systematically excluded from that right through both legal and extralegal violence — especially across the Deep South. The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 was won through bloodshed, sacrifice, organizing, and mass resistance led by Black communities demanding full participation in democracy.

The VRA sought to remedy generations of racial exclusion by requiring states with histories of racist voter suppression to receive federal approval before changing election laws or voting procedures, a process known as preclearance. Section 2 of the VRA also created protections to ensure that Black voters and other historically marginalized communities could elect candidates who would represent their interests.

Historically, white conservative forces have sought to suppress Black political participation because Black communities have consistently organized, voted, and fought for policies rooted in justice, equity, and collective survival.

For more than a decade, the Supreme Court has steadily dismantled the VRA protections.

In 2013, the Court’s Shelby v. Holder decision removed the federal preclearance requirement, opening the floodgates for states to pass voter suppression laws and redraw districts designed to dilute Black political power.

On April 29, the Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map was unconstitutional because it included two majority-Black districts. In a state where more than one-third of the population is Black, the Court has effectively declared that Black political representation itself is suspect.

This is not simply about maps or district lines. Gerrymandering is one tactic in a much larger project to weaken Black political power, undermine multiracial democracy, and consolidate power away from working-class communities and communities of color.

What the Supreme Court has done is allow racial gerrymandering to exclude Black people from political power, while the effort to ensure Black communities have representation is now considered unconstitutional. Gutting of the VRA is simply the latest chapter in a long history of efforts to silence Black voices and roll back the gains of the Civil Rights Movement.

At the same time, the rise of authoritarian, xenophobic politics under Pres. Donald Trump and the broader far right seeks to codify anti-Blackness, anti-immigrant policies, attacks on women, LGBTQ+ communities, and other marginalized groups into law. These attacks are interconnected.

“The United States cannot claim to be a multiracial democracy while systematically dismantling Black political power,” said Nana Gyamfi, executive director of BAJI. “Black immigrants understand that our conditions are tied to the conditions of Black Americans; together then, together now. When Black communities lose political power, all Black people become more vulnerable to displacement, criminalization, disenfranchisement, and state violence. Protecting Black voting rights is not just about elections. It is about protecting the possibility of collective freedom and self-determination for our communities.”

BAJI remains committed to defending Black political power, strengthening Black migrant civic participation, and building a future rooted in Black freedom, dignity, and collective liberation.

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