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Malia Cohen Re-Elected Chairwoman of State’s Board of Equalization

“It is a privilege and honor to serve again as chair of the California State Board of Equalization,” said Malia M. Cohen. “In these unprecedented times, with the daily challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we must remember that our first duty is to the people of California who deserve our continuing dedication, resolve, and service.”

Published

2 years ago

December 26, 2021

Oakland Post

Malia Cohen. Photo courtesy of the State Board of Equalization.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Last week, the California Board of Equalization (BOE) elected Malia M. Cohen its chair. She is the first African American woman to serve on the Board.

It is the second time in four years, Cohen — a San Francisco native — has been elected chair of the five-member body responsible for representing taxpayer interests and “equalizing” county-by-county tax assessments across the state.

BOE is comprised of four members that are elected to represent a region of the state, and California’s Controller Betty Yee.

“It is a privilege and honor to serve again as chair of the California State Board of Equalization,” she said. “In these unprecedented times, with the daily challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we must remember that our first duty is to the people of California who deserve our continuing dedication, resolve, and service.”

Besides providing “direct representation” to Californians on their property assessments and other tax-related issues, the BOE directs an estimated $75 billion in annual revenue to the state’s schools and local governments in all 58 counties.

Before her election to the BOE in 2018, Cohen served as president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. From 2011 to 2019, she was a member of the Board, representing the city’s second district, which includes neighborhoods along the southeastern shore of the Bay like Hunters Point-Bayview, the Central Waterfront and Sunnydale.

On the BOE, Cohen represents the Second District. It spans 23 coastal counties from Santa Barbara County (about 95 miles north of Los Angeles) to Del Norte County on the Oregon border.

As chair of the BOE, Cohen says remaining accessible is her priority.

“For Californians who have struggled during these most difficult times, please know that my door is always open to you,” she says.

Cohen has announced she is a candidate for State Controller in the 2022 election.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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2 days ago

April 26, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Oakland Schools Honor Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice. His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.

Published

1 week ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Fred Korematsu. Courtesy of OUSD.

By Post Staff

Every Jan. 30, OUSD commemorates the legacy of Fred Korematsu, an Oakland native, a Castlemont High School graduate, and a national symbol of resistance, resilience, and justice.

His defiant stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to civil rights continue to inspire the local community and the nation. Tuesday was “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” in the state of California and a growing number of states across the country.
One OUSD school is named in his honor: Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA) elementary in East Oakland.

Several years ago, founding KDA Principal Charles Wilson, in a video interview with anti-hate organization “Not In Our Town,” said, “We chose the name Fred Korematsu because we really felt like the attributes that he showed in his work are things that the children need to learn … that common people can stand up and make differences in a large number of people’s lives.”

Fred Korematsu was born in Oakland on Jan. 30, 1919. His parents ran a floral nursery business, and his upbringing in Oakland shaped his worldview. His belief in the importance of standing up for your rights and the rights of others, regardless of race or background, was the foundation for his activism against racial prejudice and for the rights of Japanese Americans during World War II.

At the start of the war, Korematsu was turned away from enlisting in the National Guard and the Coast Guard because of his race. He trained as a welder, working at the docks in Oakland, but was fired after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fear and prejudice led to federal Executive Order 9066, which forced more than 120,000 Japanese Americans out of their homes and neighborhoods and into remote internment camps.

The 23-year-old Korematsu resisted the order. He underwent cosmetic surgery and assumed a false identity, choosing freedom over unjust imprisonment. His later arrest and conviction sparked a legal battle that would challenge the foundation of civil liberties in America.

Korematsu’s fight culminated in the Supreme Court’s initial ruling against him in 1944. He spent years in a Utah internment camp with his family, followed by time living in Salt Lake City where he was dogged by racism.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford overturned Executive Order 9066. Seven years later, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco vacated Korematsu’s conviction. He said in court, “I would like to see the government admit that they were wrong and do something about it so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race, creed, or color.”

Korematsu’s dedication and determination established him as a national icon of civil rights and social justice. He advocated for justice with Rosa Parks. In 1998, President Bill Clinton gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom saying, “In the long history of our country’s constant search for justice, some names of ordinary citizens stand for millions of souls … To that distinguished list, today we add the name of Fred Korematsu.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, Korematsu spoke out against hatred and discrimination, saying what happened to Japanese Americans should not happen to people of Middle Eastern descent.
Korematsu’s roots in Oakland and his education in OUSD are a source of great pride for the city, according to the school district. His most famous quote, which is on the Korematsu elementary school mural, is as relevant now as ever, “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.”