By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber criticized the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for demanding that state election officials investigate voters suspected of being noncitizens just weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

“The U.S. DOJ’s relentless efforts to unlawfully gain access to states’ protected voter data and purge voter rolls serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections,” Weber said in an Oct. 14 statement.

Weber said her office received a demand to investigate an unspecified number of individuals the federal government believes are “likely noncitizens.” However, the DOJ did not provide her office with the list and gave California just 48 hours to obtain it, investigate and take action.

The demand comes as the DOJ, working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to block California from counting mail-in ballots from approximately 20,000 registered voters whose citizenship status the federal government has questioned.

“State-facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America,” said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. “If found responsible in a court of law, the State of California will have seriously undermined confidence in our electoral system and violated laws that protect our nation’s representative system of government.”

According to Weber’s office, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk received the federal government’s list on a password-protected thumb drive, with the password written on a sticky note.

Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean C. Logan said his office declined to access the files because the device did not meet established security standards.

“We have not accessed the drive because doing so would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols,” Logan said. “We do not consider the device a secure medium.”

Weber also challenged earlier federal allegations that California had 190,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls, saying the Trump administration had failed to provide evidence or explain its methodology despite requests from her office.

“California has robust state law requirements that only U.S. citizens can register to vote and that any non-eligible registrants are removed from the state’s voter rolls,” Weber said. “My office and California election officials remain committed – as always – to ensuring a fair and smooth 2026 general election.”

The DOJ’s letters to the California secretary of state and Los Angeles County election officials outline the federal government’s demands.

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By Carla Thomas

Oakland gathered on Oct. 17 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Black Panther Party (BPP), the movement Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded in the city six decades ago.

The “All Power to the People” evening gala, at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Center, brought together Panther veterans, families, community leaders, and younger generations for a night of history, music, and recommitment.

The festivities, presented by the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, began with a black carpet entrance up the staircase to the center. Each side was lined with servers holding trays of champagne for guests to retrieve while walking in.

An energetic U.S. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon opened the program as emcee. Charlotte Hill O’Neal offered libations, and 16-year-old Abayomi Lewis, a Haitian American high school junior from San Francisco, performed BBP’s anthem, “The Meeting.” Young Gifted & Black, a performing arts program that has served Bay Area youth since 2010, followed with an inspirational performance of stepping and speaking truth to power. 

During dinner service by Chef Michele McQueen, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee shared how instrumental the Black Panther Party was to her as a young single parent of two boys. “The Party provided food and lots of support and Fredrika Newton’s mother, a prominent real estate broker and housing rights activist, helped me navigate purchasing my very first home.”

Lee also shared lots of Panther history, including that she was the finance chair for Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale when he ran for Oakland mayor.

Dr. Xavier Buck, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, spoke of how being held at gunpoint by six New York City police officers in Jamaica Queens, reading the autobiography of Assata Shakur, and learning from Fredrika Newton inspired his life’s work.

“I’ve been poured into by Black Panther Party members throughout the country and what I’ve learned the most from them is “radical love.” The same love that created free breakfast programs, free ambulance services, and free sickle cell anemia testing for the Black community.”

Marvel’s Black Panther author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates delivered the keynote address.

“The legacy of the Black Panther Party lives on,” said Coates noting the presence of BPP veterans. He further remarked that people often focus narrowly on how to win, but real moral clarity comes from reflecting on what principles you are willing to stand for—and what you are willing to lose for—even in the face of steep odds.

Fredrika Newton, co-founder and president of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, thanked Panther veterans for “all you gave” and expressed hope that attendees would leave with a renewed commitment to the work that remains. 

“Seeing Panther veterans, younger generations, and the community united to honor the Party, reminds me why this work has mattered so much,” said Newton.

Everyone in the room joined in song in tribute to Bobby Seale, wishing the 90-year-old well and took pictures with him. 

Cyril Innis Jr., known as “Bullwhip,” addressed the issue of political prisoners and fighting for their freedom. The program booklet listed the dozens of imprisoned Panther members who passed away and honored the sacrifices of those still incarcerated. 

A Legacy Award, was presented to Charlotte Hill O’Neal, known affectionately as “Mama C.” 

“Mama C” has continued the Party’s work from Tanzania, where she and her husband, Pete O’Neal, founder of the Kansas City chapter, have lived in exile since 1970. Together they established the United African Alliance Community Center and the Leaders of Tomorrow Children’s Home which cares for orphans. 

“Mama C” ceremoniously circled each table honoring the ancestors of the movement and encouraged guests to call out the names of loved ones who had passed away. 

Marc Philpart of the Black Freedom Fund supported the anniversary and pledged to keep investing in the people and organizations carrying the work forward.

Trust for Public Land also marked the occasion, recalling its collaboration with the Panthers and Oakland residents who turned vacant lots into neighborhood gardens in the 1970s. 

The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation opened the Black Panther Party Museum in January 2024, and the museum has since held multiple exhibitions and welcomes more than 30,000 visitors a year on the newly named Black Panther Party Boulevard in downtown Oakland. For more information, go to HueyPNewtonFoundation.org

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By Tanay Gokhale, Bay City News

On Nov. 3, voters in five Bay Area counties will vote on a regional sales tax measure that, if it fails, could prompt local transit agencies to close train stations and cut bus service.

If passed, the Regional Transit Measure, or RTM, will impose a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties as well as a one-cent sales tax in San Francisco starting April 2027.

The tax would raise an estimated $980 million annually for 14 years to fund the region’s public transit agencies, which are struggling with massive financial deficits. Revenue would go to BART, Muni, Caltrain, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Bay Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, and other transportation agencies operating in the five counties.

In California, a regional measure for a new sales tax would normally require a two-thirds majority approval if the state Legislature directly places it on a ballot. Transit advocates, however, chose to collect signatures to make the sales tax a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would lower the threshold to a simple majority of votes cast across the five counties.

The RTM received more than 241,000 signatures, exceeding the 186,000-signature threshold required to qualify for the ballot.

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