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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.”

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Malia Cohen. Photo courtesy of the State Board of Equalization.
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 November 26 – December 2, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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William "Bill" Patterson, 94. Photo courtesy of the Patterson family.

William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.

Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.

Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.

Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.

He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.

A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.

His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.

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