Connect with us

#NNPA BlackPress

Senator Laphonza Butler Makes Black Community a Priority

NNPA NEWSWIRE — On Feb. 26, she visited Southern California to attend a meeting of National Newspaper Publishers Association (Black Press of America) hosted by NNPA Chairman Emeritus and Sentinel Executive Publisher Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., to discuss issues and challenges Black media from across the country are having with doing business with the federal government.
The post Senator Laphonza Butler Makes Black Community a Priority first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

on

Black publishers from across the country, leaders and students at CSUDH, and celebrating Black History Month in L.A. Council Chambers were all part of the Senator’s visit to the Southland.

By Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., Executive Publisher | Los Angeles Sentinel

California U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler has moved with urgency to address constituent concerns since her appointment to the position in Oct. 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In the past five months, she has conducted listening sessions across the state with people of all ages on topics including mental health, reproductive freedom, and the future of our democracy.

Los Angeles Councilmember Heather Hutt and Mayor Karen Bass hold breakfast honoring Senator Laphonza Butler in Mayor Conference Room. L-R: CM Curren Price Jr., CW Heather Hutt, Laphonza Butler, CW Imelda Padilla, CM Bob Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Council Meeting in Los Angeles City Hall, John Ferraro Council Chamber.

Los Angeles Councilmember Heather Hutt and Mayor Karen Bass hold breakfast honoring Senator Laphonza Butler in Mayor Conference Room. L-R: CM Curren Price Jr., CW Heather Hutt, Laphonza Butler, CW Imelda Padilla, CM Bob Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Council Meeting in Los Angeles City Hall, John Ferraro Council Chamber.

On Feb. 26, she visited Southern California to attend a meeting of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (Black Press of America) hosted by NNPA Chairman Emeritus and Sentinel Executive Publisher Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., to discuss issues and challenges Black media from across the country are having with doing business with the federal government.

“We are so appreciative that Senator Butler would take time out of her busy schedule to come and meet with Black Publishers from across the nation,” said Bakewell.

Sen. Butler reads the latest news in the L.A. Sentinel. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

Sen. Butler reads the latest news in the L.A. Sentinel. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

“Laphonza Butler, even before her historic appointment, has always been an advocate of the Black press, and we are confident that she will take the concerns of publishers from across the country back to Washington, D.C. and advocate for the Black press that our voices and constituency should and will be included in national advertising throughout the country,” he added.

NNPA President Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. also considered the meeting to be productive and laid the foundation for similar gatherings in the future.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association was pleased to have an in-depth discussion with The Honorable U.S Senator LaPhonza Butler in Los Angeles.  We were graciously hosted by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel,” said Dr. Chavis.

“Senator Butler is a freedom fighter, and the NNPA welcomes the opportunity to work with Senator Butler in the interests of freedom, justice, and equality.”

L.A. Sentinel staff pose with Sen. Butler and NNPA publishers. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

L.A. Sentinel staff pose with Sen. Butler and NNPA publishers. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

Other attendees at the NNPA meeting were NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr., publisher of The Westside Gazette in Fort Lauderdale, FL; NNPA 2nd Vice Chair Jackie Hampton, publisher of Mississippi Link in Jackson, MS.; Paul Cob, publisher of Post News Group in Oakland, CA; NNPA Board Member Terri Sanders, publisher of The Omaha Star; and former NNPA Chairman Bob Bogle, publisher of The Philadelphia Tribune.

Following her visit to Crenshaw Blvd. and the Los Angeles Sentinel office, the Senator traveled to Carson to the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills, where she met with Dr. Thomas Parham, president of CSUDH, and participated in a town hall on mental health hosted by the Born This Way Foundation.

Sen. Butler is briefed by Dr. Thomas Parham, president of CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

Sen. Butler is briefed by Dr. Thomas Parham, president of CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

The event brought together youth mental health advocates, students, faculty, and administrators for a panel discussion on ways to better identify the mental health needs of young people and improve the quality and availability of services in the spaces where they’re most needed.

She partnered with BTW, Butler said, “because the most effective and lasting solutions to the challenges facing young people are the ones that are formed and invested in together. [These are the] solutions where we all feel heard and seen, and where we know that we are collectively trying to make a difference.”

Dr. Parham introduces Butler during the town hall at CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

Dr. Parham introduces Butler during the town hall at CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

The Senator added, “The Honorable Shirley Chisholm reminded us that ‘service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.’”

Reacting to Butler’s remarks, Dr. Parham said, “Senator Butler, in my opinion, continues to pay that rent by serving this nation, her state, and her community. She came to CSUDH to listen, understanding that it is difficult to design community interventions in absence of consultation with the people the interventions are designed to serve.”

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

Parham noted that Butler is the first sitting U.S. Senator to visit the campus since 1977 when then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stopped by the campus.

“We were proud to host Sen. Butler, knowing that your Cal State University Dominguez Hills should be the place where important issues like mental health become the topics of critical discourse and analysis,” stated Parham.

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

Sen. Butler was also recognized by the Los Angeles City Council as part of the city’s 2024 Black History Month Celebration.  On Feb. 23, the Council saluted her contributions to the city of Los Angeles and the country as a whole.

Commending Butler’s ethics and integrity, Councilwoman Heather Hutt said, “This Black History Month, it’s important that the city recognizes the individuals who contribute to the Black community and Black History.

“Senator Laphonza Butler is a remarkable trailblazer who advocates for the American worker, equality, and the future that our next generation deserves. Her successful achievements have had a huge impact on the people of our City and State. I am honored to give her flowers.”

Echoing those sentiments, Councilman Curren Price insisted, “Sen. Laphonza Butler embodies a larger-than-life presence, leading with urgency, compassion, and great determination. She is a powerhouse for working families, a titan in the realm of labor and it is no surprise that her name is cemented in the history of labor issues, fighting tooth and nail to better the lives of our most vulnerable working–class families.

“Sen. Butler stood shoulder to shoulder with me and my team, championing the wage increase and paid sick leave. She was a driving force behind this change and many other great labor policies, and she continues to champion progress in the Senate, ensuring a brighter future for us all.”

Throughout her visit, Butler repeatedly committed to representing all California citizens to the best of her ability during her time in the U.S. Senate.

The post Senator Laphonza Butler Makes Black Community a Priority first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

#NNPA BlackPress

2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

on

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.


AutoNetwork helps serious car shoppers inspect any new vehicle online before walking into a dealership. I’m Roosevelt — I’ve been reviewing cars and shaping digital car buying and credit union auto leasing since before YouTube car reviews existed.
You’ll find detailed walkaround reviews, POV test drives, and buyer-focused breakdowns covering comfort, space, features, and real-world value.
How to use the channel:

Watch the walkaround of the car you’re considering
Visit AutoNetwork.com for the full review
Check CouponsOffersAndDeals.com for current dealer specials
Walk in already knowing what you want — and what it should cost

Live talk show “AutoNetwork Reports” — Thursdays 3:00 PM ET.
🌐 AutoNetwork.com
💰 CouponsOffersAndDeals.com
Affiliate disclosure: some links earn a small commission at no cost to you and help support the channel. Insta360 is one of those partners.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

on

By

Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

Continue Reading

#NNPA BlackPress

OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

Published

on

By

A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

 

Excerpt:

Photo Captions:

 

Website Tags and SEO Keywords:

Twitter (X) Tags and Handles:

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.