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California Agencies Say They Want More Black Californians to Access Jobs, Training
Equity has become a national buzzword. But what does it mean when it comes to labor and employment? The state says it aims to make that definition clear and make it work for all Californians, particularly African Americans.
By Aldon Thomas Stiles, California Black Media
Last week, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, and the Riverside County Workforce Development Board held a summit at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside to discuss persistent employment and labor challenges.
The main challenge, they say, is achieving equity.
“A vital component for the equitable economic and sustainable future of California will be determined on the vision and strategic investments in fast-growing regions like the Inland Empire,” said Angelo Farooq, chairman of the California Workforce Development Board.
“We are proud of the multitude of High Road apprenticeship grants for employers/workers that our board has been making in the region and its continued impact to support quality jobs for the local economy,” Farooq added.
Equity has become a national buzzword. But what does it mean when it comes to labor and employment? The state says it aims to make that definition clear and make it work for all Californians, particularly African Americans.
“Inclusive and equitable. Let’s talk about those two words because I love them and I hate them,” said the event’s keynote speaker Secretary Natalie Palugyai of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency. “I hate them because they get watered down and thrown around, and people really don’t even know what they’re talking about anymore and when people throw those words out, I want to know exactly what they mean because if they don’t mean something behind it, we’re actually not going to get to those lofty goals.”
Palugyai provided her own definition for what these goals should look like.
“Getting people in the door, that’s equity,” said Palugyai. “If I have an African American population and they aren’t participating in my program, but they represent 10% of my region, what am I doing?”
Palugyai said that the state, traditionally, has not invested in these efforts in an equitable way.
“Let’s just be really frank about this; economic development, state investments, infrastructure, [and] workforce training and development has been done the same way for a long time and what has really changed?” Palugyai asked the room full of workforce officials and sponsors.
The summit panel consisted of workforce representatives from the state and both Inland Empire counties, as well as community leaders throughout the region.
They all spoke about the importance of equity while acknowledging the systemic challenges they’ve faced in that pursuit.
The Economic Policy Institute, and other sources tracking job data, say Black unemployment in California remains higher than the statewide average.
At the state level, the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency wants regional offices to maintain some independence to help encourage participation from the Black community.
“We haven’t been great at outreach,” Palugyai admitted. “During COVID, we learned that the only proper way to do outreach is through community organizations that are connected to the people we’re trying to serve. The old ways of us doing it are just not cutting it anymore.”
She brought up an example of the state supporting regional equity efforts: the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) which would provide aid to counties based on their needs following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You want outreach from the people who look like you that are probably going to understand you more,” Palugyai said.
In Riverside County, these challenges are prevalent, according to Leslie Trainor, deputy director of the Riverside County Workforce Development Centers.
However, she reports that they have been working on said challenges.
“One of the things we did was look at the numbers of the customers that we’re serving because we wanted to make sure that we were at least serving the number of African Americans in proportion to the number of African Americans in the general population of Riverside County and we are in fact serving a slightly higher percentage,” said Trainor.
She admitted there are “systemic issues to tackle.”
Patrick Ellis, chairman of the Riverside County Workforce Development Board, emphasizes that just getting Black people jobs is not enough to solve the problem.
“I don’t think we can achieve equity if we don’t pay a lot of attention to job quality,” said Ellis. “We have a lot of poor people in California, and we have a lot of poor people in the Inland Empire. Most poor people work, often more than one job.”
Trainor said that the Riverside County Workforce Development Centers can offer help with upskilling, resume updating, mock interviews, and job searches but some people are not aware of these services.
Because of this, Riverside County Workforce Development Centers are looking to connect with the Black community through Black-led community-based organizations, as is the plan for the state’s workforce development programs.
The state and the two Inland Empire counties plan to make this summit an annual event.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
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Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
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Who are the Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Candidates’ Top Campaign Contributors?
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
By Zack Haber
Nate Miley, who has served on Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors since 2000, is running for reelection to the District 4 supervisor seat.
Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and activist, is seeking to unseat him and become one of the five members of the powerful board that sets the county’s budget, governs its unincorporated areas, and oversees the sheriff, Alameda Health System, and mental health system.
District 4 includes most of East Oakland’s hills and flatlands beyond Fruitvale, part of Pleasanton and unincorporated areas south of San Leandro like Ashland and Castro Valley.
Voting is open and will remain open until March 5.
In California, campaign donations of $100 or more are public record. The records show that Miley has received about $550,000 in total campaign donations since he won the previous District 4 election in March 2020. Esteen has raised about $255,000 in total campaign donations since she started collecting them last July. All figures are accurate through Feb. 20.
While Miley has raised more money, Esteen has received donations from more sources. Miley received donations of $100 or more from 439 different sources. Esteen received such donations from 507 different sources.
Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.
Nate Miley’s top campaign contributors:
The California Apartment Association, a trade group representing landlords and investors in California’s rental housing business, has spent about $129,500 supporting Miley’s election bid through about $59,500 in ads against Esteen, $55,000 in ads supporting Miley, and $15,000 in campaign donations.
The independent expenditure committee Preserve Agriculture in Alameda County has spent about $46,025 supporting Miley through about $27,200 in their own ads, and $18,825 in donations to his campaign. Preserve Agriculture has supported reelection efforts for former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, and Sheriff Greg Ahern, a republican. It’s received funding from Chevron, PG&E, and a the California Apartment Association.
Organizations associated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, have donated about $35,000 in total. Construction and General Laborers Local 304, a local chapter of the union representing which represents over 4,000 workers, donated $20,000.
Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents 70,000 LiUNA members in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New Mexico, donated $15,000.
William ‘Bill’ Crotinger and the East Oakland-based company Argent Materials have donated $26,000. Crotinger is the president and founder of Argent, a concrete and asphalt recycling yard. Argent’s website says it is an eco-friendly company that diverts materials from landfills. In 2018, Argent paid the EPA $27,000 under a settlement for committing Clean Water Act violations.
Michael Morgan of Hayward, owner of We Are Hemp, a marijuana dispensary in Ashland, has donated $21,500.
Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert has donated $21,250 from his 2024 reelection campaign. He’s running unopposed for the District 1 seat.
SEIU 1021, which represents over 60,000 workers in local governments, non-profit agencies, healthcare programs, and schools in Northern California, has donated $20,000.
UA Local 342, which represents around 4,000 pipe trades industry workers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, donated $20,000.
The union representing the county’s deputy sheriffs, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County, has donated $17,000.
Becton Healthcare Resources and its managers have donated $14,625. Becton’s mission statement says it provides “behavioral health management services to organizations and groups that serve the serious and persistent mentally ill population.”
Jennifer Esteen’s top campaign contributors:
Mary Quinn Delaney of Piedmont, founder of Akonadi Foundation, has donated $20,000. Akonadi Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations, especially focusing on racial justice organizing,
Bridget Galli of Castro Valley has donated $7,000. Galli is a yoga instructor and a co-owner of Castro Valley Yoga.
Rachel Gelman of Oakland has donated $5,000. Gelman is an activist who has vowed to redistribute her inherited wealth to working class, Indigenous and Black communities.
California Worker Families Party has donated $5,000. The organization’s website describes itself as a “grassroots party for the multiracial working class.”
David Stern of Albany has donated $5,000. Stern is a retired UC Berkeley Professor of Education.
Oakland Rising Committee—a collaborative of racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations—has donated about $3,050.
Fredeke Von Bothmer-Goodyear, an unemployed resident of San Francisco, has donated $2,600.
Robert Britton of Castro Valley has donated $2,500. Britton is retired and worked in the labor movement for decades.
Progressive Era PAC has donated about $2,400. Its mission statement says it “exists to elect governing majorities of leaders in California committed to building a progressive era for people of color.”
East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club has donated $2,250. The club was founded in 1982 to give voice to the East Bay LGBTQIA+ communities.
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