Activism

Fallout from Holy Names University’s Closure Continues

When a nonprofit closes, the Attorney General decides on the dispensation of remaining funds. As suggested by its very name, the leaders of a “nonprofit” must not be allowed to “profit” from its closure. Although the school has closed, HNU’s Board of Directors has not been disbanded and still has responsibilities to fulfill.

Published

3 years ago

July 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Holy Names University Board of Directors members Jeanine Hawks and Steven Borg. Post file photo.

Student Teachers Could Lose Jobs, Quit Teacher Training Unless AG Bonta Intervenes to Protect $55 Million Endowment

By Ken Epstein

Nearly 100 former Holy Names University student teachers are calling on State Attorney General Rob Bonta to make the school’s Board of Trustees use its $55 million endowment to provide scholarships for them to complete their training.

The endowment had been donated to HNU specifically for students planning a career in teaching and the sudden closing of the school in May left them struggling to find other affordable schools.

These teachers, who have been working in classrooms at schools in Oakland or other East Bay schools, must simultaneously be enrolled in university teacher training programs to earn their credential if they wish to keep their jobs.

Although the school has closed, HNU’s Board of Directors has not been disbanded and still has responsibilities to fulfill.

In a letter to Bonta dated June 26, the students wrote: “At the time of our enrollment, we were provided with the ‘Logan Scholarship,’ which paid approximately half of our tuition.

“This was very important to us because the funds available for becoming a teacher are very limited, and in order to be employed, we need to be enrolled in a credential program. For many of us, the other half of the tuition was paid by federal grants.”

The letter continued: “We are not affluent people. Most of us are teachers of color and/or first-generation college students, and many of us have chosen to serve in our own communities …We had no idea Holy Names was closing. In order to remain employed, we are required to enroll in a different credential program, and in every case the tuition is higher because the Logan (Scholarship) is not available.”

In a public email, Helen Ghebreyesus, an art teacher at an East Oakland elementary school who helped organize the teacher letter to Bonta, said, “We are now without the scholarship and without a university, which has created a financial hurdle and forced some of our peers to leave the profession … Allowing us teachers to use a portion of the funds to pay tuition, will help us to continue to serve our community and students.”

Backing concerns raised by the teachers, Oakland leaders Mayor Sheng Thao and City Attorney Barbara Parker sent a letter dated May 8 to Bonta “to request that (he) object to any proposal from Holy Names University for the distribution of HNU’s $55 million endowment that is contrary to its declared purpose for education in Oakland.

“We … are concerned about the students who have been relying on scholarships from funds controlled by HNU to pursue their teaching degrees (“Logan Scholarships”) and seek to ensure that the funding for local teacher training will continue, even (though) the Board chooses to dissolve the University.”

The letter points out that while part of HNU’s closure plan would allow former HNU students to attend an academic program at Dominican College in San Rafael, these programs and those at other Bay Area universities are too costly for many of the students.

“We understand that 100% of HNU’s undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid, and about 30% are first generation college students from underserved communities. Statistically, these students are unlikely to be able to continue their education at Dominican given the economic hardships the commute presents, and many may discontinue college altogether as a result. These students will be left with college debt and no college degree.”

Because HNU “has not yet been required to seek a decree from Superior Court for its proposed distribution plan, we do not know the Board’s true intentions for its $55 million endowment, the city letter said. “However, we have heard that the Board is making plans to distribute HNU’s endowment outside of Oakland, and perhaps even outside of California for non-educational uses.

“If this is true, such a plan wholly disregards HNU’s declared purpose, violates California’s public policy, and fails the very community it purports to serve.”

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As California Hits Aging Milestone, State Releases Its Fifth Master Plan for Aging

“California’s Master Plan for Aging started a powerful movement that is shaping the future of aging in our state for generations to come,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, calling the initiative a “future-forward” model delivering real results for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families.

Published

19 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Jan. 27, California released its Fifth Master Plan for Aging Annual Report,titled “Focusing on What Matters Most,” outlining the state’s progress and priorities as its population rapidly grows older.

The report, issued by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), provides updates on the Master Plan for Aging’s “Five Bold Goals”: housing, health, inclusion and equity, caregiving, and affordability.

The report comes as Californians aged 60 and older now outnumber those under 18 for the first time, a demographic shift expected to accelerate over the next decade.

Launched in 2021, the Master Plan for Aging takes a “whole-of- government” and “whole-of-society” approach, coordinating state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and private partners. The annual report highlights significant milestones, including more than 100 California communities joining AARP’s Age-Friendly Network and $4 million in state funding awarded to local organizations to develop aging and disability action plans in 30 communities statewide.

The report also underscores California’s leadership at the national level, noting that dozens of states have followed its example and that federal legislation inspired by the plan was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate in December 2025.

CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson emphasized the plan’s focus on equity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.

“The Master Plan for Aging continues to provide a vision, a focus, and a platform for collaboration,” Johnson said. “Equity is at the center of all that we do.”

Looking ahead, the report notes that by 2030, one in four Californians will be age 60 or older, positioning the Master Plan for Aging as a central framework for meeting the state’s long-term social, economic, and health needs.

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After Don Lemon’s Arrest, Black Officials Raise Concerns About Independent Black Media

Elected leaders joining the call included U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (2nd District), Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles), and State Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles). While the meeting was prompted by Lemon’s arrest, the discussion quickly moved beyond him, turning to growing concerns about the vulnerability of Black journalists covering protests and dissent.

Published

19 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Don Lemon. Shutterstock.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media

On Jan. 30, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended independent journalist Don Lemon’s federal court appearance at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Courthouse following his arrest in Los Angeles by federal authorities for conduct tied to his reporting on a protest nearly 2,000 miles away in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Shortly afterward, Bass convened a Zoom roundtable of Black elected leaders, city officials, and journalists to discuss what the case signaled — not just for Lemon, but for journalism more broadly.

While Lemon was being arrested, Georgia Fort, an award-winning Minneapolis journalist, was also arrested and charged in connection with her coverage of the protest inside the Cities Church in St. Paul reportedly targeted because a pastor worked as field director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Both Fort and Lemon have said they were reporting.

However, prosecutors allege conspiracy and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a federal law that prohibits force, threats, or obstruction at reproductive health facilities and places of worship.

In a public statement issued after the arrest, Bass said the case “is about the First Amendment and the right of journalists to do their jobs without fear of intimidation or retaliation,” adding that journalists “must be able to cover events of public concern without being treated as criminals.”

That framing set the tone for the Zoom discussion. Participants raised concerns that Lemon’s speech and presence were being used to transform journalistic activity into evidence of criminal intent. Several warned that such an approach places journalists working outside major institutions at heightened risk.

Kamlager-Dove said the arrests cut to the heart of democratic accountability.

“Journalists must be able to report on protests, government actions, and civil rights issues without fear of arrest or retaliation,” she said. “When reporters are targeted for doing their jobs, it threatens the public’s right to know and undermines our democracy.”

As the discussion continued, the roundtable’s participants also made clear why Fort’s arrest mattered. Unlike Lemon, she is not a national television figure, a distinction participants said shows how independent journalists without major institutional backing are often the most vulnerable.

McKinnor said that reality cannot be ignored. “Black journalists have long played a critical role in documenting what others overlook or avoid,” she said. “When reporters are arrested for covering protests, it sends a message that truth-telling itself is being criminalized.”

Participants noted that the Minnesota protest space was multiracial, yet Black journalists were among those arrested — a pattern several described as familiar when Black reporters cover protests, immigration enforcement, policing, or civil rights issues.

Smallwood-Cuevas called the arrests “deeply troubling” and warned that “when journalists are arrested for documenting protests, it sends a chilling message not just to the press, but to the public.”

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“Victory” for Voting Rights: Weber and Bonta Hail Judge’s Decision on Huntington Beach I.D. Law

“Today’s victory makes one thing crystal clear: No city in our state, charter and non-charter alike, is above the law,” Bonta said. “All along, Secretary of State Weber and I have maintained that Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy is illegal, and now, the state’s highest court has weighed in and agreed with us. Measure A won’t be taking effect — ever.”

Published

19 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber hailed a major legal victory for voting rights after the California Supreme Court declined to review a challenge brought by the City of Huntington Beach against the state, effectively ending the city’s attempt to impose voter identification requirements in municipal elections.

The high court’s action leaves intact a Fourth District Court of Appeal ruling that struck down Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, known as Measure A, finding it unlawful and preempted by state law. By rejecting the city’s petition for review, the Supreme Court has fully resolved the case in favor of the state, concluding litigation initiated by Bonta and Weber on April 15, 2024.

Measure A amended the Huntington Beach city charter to purportedly authorize voter identification requirements at polling places for municipal elections beginning in 2026. State officials argued the measure conflicted with California election law and was adopted without evidence of voter fraud in the city. Courts at every level agreed, rejecting the city’s claims that such requirements were necessary to protect election integrity.

Bonta also criticized city leaders for promoting unfounded concerns about election security. “Huntington Beach’s leaders have been parroting the Trump Administration’s talking points by questioning the integrity of our elections,” he said. “In court, the City’s allegations were resoundingly rejected. I remain fully committed to protecting the right to vote from baseless attacks.”

Weber emphasized the broader implications of the ruling for voters statewide.

“Today the California Supreme Court declined to review the Fourth District Court of Appeal’s decision prohibiting the City of Huntington Beach from implementing illegal voter identification requirements,”

Weber said. “As California Secretary of State, I have a responsibility to ensure that every eligible Californian can exercise their constitutional right to vote, and I take that duty seriously.”

Weber added that state law clearly supersedes local efforts to impose additional voting barriers.

“Attorney General Bonta and I have held steadfast that state law preempts the City’s attempts to impose illegal voting requirements on eligible voters and that Huntington Beach’s Measure A is unlawful,” she said. “This is another victory for California, for voters, and for democracy.”