Politics

California Republican Assembly, Top Democrat, Endorse Larry Elder for Governor

As the race heats up, Elder has been on the campaign trail making his case and telling voters why he is the best candidate to be the next governor of California.

Published

3 years ago

September 8, 2021

Isabelle Price

Larry Elder, Photo courtesy of California Black Media

To no avail, the California Republican Assembly (CRA) says it has been trying to organize a debate between Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles-based conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder ahead of the gubernatorial recall election September 14.

Elder is the only Black candidate among GOP frontrunners vying to replace Newsom in the upcoming California recall election. He has also almost consistently polled among the top three choices of Californians who support removing the current governor from office.

CRA President Johnnie Morgan, who is also African American, said he reached out to several political organizations and media outlets around the state attempting to make the Newsom-Elder faceoff happen. All of them, he says, returned with a similar response: that timing would not permit a public discussion.

“No one was interested at this time to host it,” Morgan said. “We were looking to have a debate just between Elder and Newsom. It would only be fitting that (Elder) be allowed to tell people why he’s the best person to take over that position. And Newsom could tell people why he should remain in that position and defend his record.”

For much of his campaign to replace Newsom, Elder’s team has had to assume a defensive stance, explaining disparaging statements he has made about Blacks, women, climate change and other topics. The state is also investigating whether he improperly disclosed some of his sources of income.

Elder’s ex-fiancée Alexandra Datig has also accused Elder of verbal and emotional abuse. One incident, she claims, involved Elder intimidating her with a .45 revolver gun. The candidate has dismissed Datig’s allegations, calling them a “distraction.”

By now, most Californians have received a vote-by-mail ballot and have begun to turn them at ballot boxes, county voting centers or by mail.

As the race heats up, Elder has been on the campaign trail making his case and telling voters why he is the best candidate to be the next governor of California.

He has convinced one high-profile state Democrat who endorsed him last week. Former California State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, a Democrat who represented the 24^th district in Los Angeles County, endorsed Elder at the end of August. Romero was a state lawmaker from 1998 to 2010, serving in both the Assembly and Senate. She and former state Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado, a Republican, participated in a news conference last week to announce their support for Elder.

Romero, a school-choice advocate, said she “along with about 1.7 million Californians, signed the recall petition” that triggered the election to recall Newsom.

“This election, let’s be clear, is not about political parties. This is not about a rightwing controversy,” Romero said in her opening statement. “This is about Californians using our voice and our rights in a recall process that some of the party elites tried to stifle, but the people came through. It’s time for a change. We can do better.”

“At the end of the day, we need some shaking up in Sacramento,” Maldonado said. “What better than a gentleman, a brother from South Central Los Angeles who gets up every day to make a difference around our country and around our state. (Elder) you are the solution for Californians.”

The CRA endorsed Elder, an attorney, author, and broadcaster, for governor at its convention last month in Valencia. CRA, founded in 1935, is the oldest Republican volunteer organization in California that endorses Republican candidates. Chartered by the Republican Party, CRA has close to 2,000 members and 43 chapters across the state.

Under CRA bylaws, endorsement of statewide candidates requires the support of two-thirds of the delegates at the convention.

Elder garnered the support of 68% of the delegates.

As California’s oldest and most influential Republican volunteer organization, Morgan said, CRA’s endorsement is “coveted” for those candidates who meet the organization’s high standards — conservative, principled, electable, and the overwhelming choice of CRA’s membership.

“The other (Republican) candidates have good records and they have been working for the party,” Morgan said, explaining why CRA chose Elders. “But none of them have distinguished themselves to the extent that Elder has. Elder would be the governor for the people.”

On the gubernatorial recall ballot, on the first question, Morgan urges a YES vote to remove Newsom from the office of governor. On the second question, CRA endorses Elder to succeed Newsom as governor if he is recalled.

“So many businesses have left California due to Newsom’s policies,” Morgan said. “Some of those people that took off are probably thinking they acted prematurely. He is just making life more difficult for citizens. Especially for people with average means and who are business-minded.”

Isabelle Price

Posts by Isabelle Price

Up Next

Stockton NAACP Urges Community to Vote in Special Election on Sept. 14

Don't Miss

The Lookout: New Cal Housing Bills Could Change the Look, Feel of Your Neighborhood

Isabelle Price

Click to comment

Bay Area

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

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

Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.