California Black Media

Black Caucus Members Weigh Next Steps for Reparations in California

For more than two weeks now, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) have been facing sharp criticisms from frustrated advocates and other Black Californians after the State Assembly failed to bring up two reparations bills for a floor vote on Aug. 31. On Sept. 14, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) participated in the “State of Black California 2024: Listening Session Tour” in Sacramento.

Published

4 months ago

September 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Chris Lodgson of CJEC hosted a community meeting in South Sacramento on Sept. 13, to provide an update on the two reparations bills that were denied a vote on the Assembly floor. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

On Sept. 14, Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) participated in the “State of Black California 2024: Listening Session Tour” in Sacramento. During the session they heard from people who said they felt let down that the bills did not pass the Legislature and advance to Newsom’s desk for his consideration.

The three-hour event was held at the Secretary of State’s office building, one block south of the State Capitol. Amid interruptions and disruptions from the attendees during the event, Bonta said she appreciated the feedback.

“I got out of it what I expected. We have a lot of diverse thoughts and opinions about how to proceed,” Bonta told California Black Media (CBM). “It was helpful to hear directly from people without the constraints of hearing rooms and formalities. I heard a lot of frustration and concerns.”

On Sept. 12, CBLC member Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) called in to Dominique di Prima’s radio show on KBLA 1580 AM in Los Angeles to share her perspective on reasons the CLBC did not to bring the bills to the Assembly floor. She also shared that there needs to be better communication with the community in the future.

The State of Black California Listening Session tour is a community conversation on reparations and the state of the Black community. The tour is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the 2024 legislative report that is an initiative of the University of California, Los Angeles’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, and the reparations package.

In collaboration with the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF), the tour has made stops in San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Fresno. The next destinations for the Listening Session are Oakland on Sept. 28 and Moreno Valley on Oct. 5.

CBFF Executive Director Marc Philpart, who oversees the organization’s five-year-long initiative to raise and distribute $100 million, served as the moderator in Sacramento.

Philpart, who has worked closely with the CLBC and whose organization was the benefactor of $3.5 million in state funds last year, has also been under fire from advocates.

CBFF granted CBM $25,000 of that money to fund its Capitol correspondent.

The night before the State of Black California event, Philpart was questioned by Chris Lodgson, a reparations advocate and member of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), about allegations that $6 million in state funds requested by the legislative Black caucus to implement reparations legislation had been designated to CBFF.

In a letter obtained by CBM and dated May 24, the CLBC requested that the state provide $6 million to assist funding efforts related to SB 1403 and direct the remaining $6 million to the CBFF. That CLBC letter stated that the money would be “utilized for community-level outreach and engagement efforts and to provide organizational support essential for the effective implementation of Reparations initiatives.”

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2024 in Review: 7 Questions for Former Assemblymember Chris Holden

While in office, Holden championed efforts to improve education outcomes for students and advocated for social and racial justice. Legislation he wrote or sponsored also focused on, innovation in transportation, protecting developmental disability service providers and improving public health, more broadly.

Published

2 weeks ago

January 6, 2025

Oakland Post

Hon. Chris Holden. File photo.

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

In 2012, Assemblymember Chris Holden was first elected to the California State Assembly representing the 41^st District in the San Gabriel Valley.

He was re-elected to that position for the following four terms.

Holden, a graduate of San Diego State University, lives in Pasadena with his wife, Melanie, and children Nicholas, Alexander, Austin, Mariah and Noah. Holden is the son of former State Senator and LA City Councilmember Nate Holden.

Before he closed out his final year of service in the Assembly, California Black Media (CBM) spoke with Holden. He reflected on his accomplishments this year and his goals moving forward.

Looking back at 2024, what stands out to you as your most important achievement and why? 

A project I’ve been working on for well over 36 years — the light rail system — made its way into Pasadena from downtown LA. Now it’s making its way through the San Gabriel Valley to Pomona.

How did your leadership and investments contribute to improving the lives of Black Californians? 

Having an opportunity to represent a multi-ethnic and diverse district is exciting, but to be able to bring a voice for a lived African American experience from the San Gabriel Valley is very important.

What frustrated you the most over the last year?

I still am frustrated that we aren’t seeing the kind of progress on affordable housing to allow underrepresented communities to be able to afford to live in the community that they grew up in.

What inspired you the most over the last year?

There has been a lot of movement around reparations through community engagement. Dr. Shirley Weber put forth the bill to establish a reparations task force and that task force met for a number of years. Two members of our caucus served on it, Sen. Steven Bradford and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer. A thousand-page report and a hundred recommendations or more came out of that. And now we’re in the process of finding ways to implement some of those recommendations. It’s going to be a longer process, but I’m hopeful because California, once again, is on the front end of taking on a really challenging issue.

What is one lesson you learned in 2024 that will inform your decision-making next year?

Always be mindful how quickly the winds can change. We’ve gone from 10 years of having budget surpluses to this year having a $45 billion deficit.

In one word, what is the biggest challenge Black Californians face?

Inequality.

What is the goal you want to achieve most in 2025?

Well, I won’t be in the legislature in 2025, but I love public policy. I’d like to find myself in a position where I’m continuing to have an influence on how public policy is shaped and formed. I’m just looking forward to being a vital voice going into next year in a different role. It will also be an opportunity to lay a foundation to take another run, possibly for a seat on the LA County Board of Supervisors in 2028.