California Black Media

New Senate Pro-Tem McGuire Sworn In; Appoints Two Black Lawmakers to Leadership

Three days after Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) was sworn in as the 49th President pro Tempore (Pro Tem) of the California State Senate, he appointed California Legislative Black Caucus members, Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights) to leadership positions.

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles)

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Three days after Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) was sworn in as the 49^th President pro Tempore (Pro Tem) of the California State Senate, he appointed California Legislative Black Caucus members, Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood) and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Ladera Heights) to leadership positions.

McGuire reassigned Braford to chair the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. He will be responsible for oversight of — and evaluating legislation related to — utilities, energy companies, alternative energy development and conservation, and communications development and technology. 

McGuire appointed Smallwood-Cuevas to lead the Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee (formerly the Labor and Industrial Relations Committee). Smallwood-Cuevas and five other committee members are responsible for oversight, legislation and state activities related to labor, industrial safety, unemployment, workers’ compensation and insurance, and state and local public agency collective bargaining.

Bills concerning state and local non-school public employees, noncertificated and classified public school employees, public retirement systems, public employees’ compensation and employment benefits, including retirement and health care, and state social security administration are all within the committee’s purview.

Smallwood-Cuevas called McGuire “the hardest working man in the California State Senate.”

At some point during the current legislative session, McGuire will have to weigh in on a reparations bill Bradford has introduced, Senate Bill (SB) 490, that proposes the establishment a new state agency called the California American Freedman Affairs Agency (CAAFAA).

A recommendation by the California Reparations Task Force, CAAFAA would be responsible for administering the reparations process for Black Californians and determining eligibility under the lineage-based structure set up by the state’s reparations task force. 

“I look forward to advancing our shared mission of serving all Californians,” Bradford posted Feb. 5 on the social media platform X. “You have some expensive shoes to fill, but I know you have all the talent and wisdom (along w/my full support) to make great things happen.” 

McGuire was sworn in on the Senate floor on Feb. 5 with his family by his side. Members of the California State Senate and Assembly attended as well as state leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister). 

Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) will serve alongside Bradford as Vice-Chair. The committee comprises 14 members.

McGuire says he is confident that his leadership team will focus on consensus building and making decisions in the best interest of Californians across the state.

“My core belief is this: The highest calling in life is to help others. To fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. And to work together — no matter your party affiliation — because working together is the only way to make progress stick,” he said after he took the oath of office.

“California has always been the light of hope for America – the beacon of progress – and along with the Assembly and Governor, we will continue to fight for all of us, always together, always forward,” he added.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Report: Black Homeownership in Calif. for 25-35-Year-Olds Has Fallen by More than 50%

Don't Miss

UC Berkeley Creates Its First Black History Tour

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

1 week ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 11 – 17, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 11 – 17, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

February 16, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bo Tefu

Trump’s White House Pushes to Control California Wildfire Recovery

The executive order signed Jan. 27 by President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to explore regulations that could override California and municipal permitting rules for homes and other structures destroyed in the fires. Land-use and rebuilding permits have traditionally been handled by cities and counties, making the move an unprecedented federal intervention into disaster recovery.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The White House is moving to take control of wildfire recovery efforts in the Los Angeles County area, issuing an executive order that would shift rebuilding permit authority from state and local governments to the federal government following the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.

“I want to see if we can take over the city and state and just give the people their permits they want to build,” Trump told the media when signing the order.

The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed about 16,000 homes, businesses, and other structures across Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and surrounding areas. According to local data, roughly 4,700 applications to rebuild have been submitted, with about 2,000 approved so far. Officials say the pace of rebuilding is consistent with recovery timelines from other major wildfires in California, where reconstruction often takes several years.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass quickly condemned the order, stating that it is unnecessary and legally questionable. Disaster recovery experts echoed those concerns, pointing to constitutional limits on federal authority over land-use decisions.

Trump’s order calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration to consider allowing builders to self-certify compliance with health and safety regulations to receive federal approval.

The dispute has become another flashpoint in the ongoing political battle between Trump and Newsom. The governor has requested $33 billion in federal disaster aid that has not yet been approved, while survivors continue to face challenges related to insurance payouts, high rebuilding costs, and legal disputes tied to the cause of the fires.

“Instead of finally sending to Congress the federal relief Los Angeles needs to rebuild from last year’s firestorms, Donald Trump continues to live in fantasy land,” Newsom wrote on X.

Bass said the White House could speed recovery by approving disaster aid and pushing insurers and lenders to support affected residents.

Trump’s order calls for draft regulations within 30 days and final rules within 90 days.