Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

Gov. Newsom Vetoes Cannabis Café Bill

In his veto message, Newsom said he appreciates the author’s intention to support cannabis retailers, many of them struggling to make a profit. However, he is concerned that the legislation “could undermine California’s long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.”

Published

3 years ago

October 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Cannabis entrepreneurs would have been able to sell food at their cafes to diversity their income. Image courtesy California Black Media.

By Lila Brown | California Black Media

On Oct. 8, Gov. Newsom vetoed Assembly (AB) Bill 374.

This legislation would have allowed business owners to operate cannabis cafés in California, like those in Amsterdam, where non-marijuana food products can be served and consumed. This is despite the existing federal ban on the entire industry.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), would have also allowed café owners to host and sell tickets to live events.

“Protecting the health and safety of workers is paramount. I encourage the author to address this concern in subsequent legislation,” wrote the Governor.

Responding to Newsom’s decision to return AB 374 unsigned, Haney drew parallels to California’s wine industry in a statement released Sunday.

“Californians are proud of our state’s wine culture, and we do everything we can to make sure that our winemakers receive the support they need — we need to be doing the exact same thing for cannabis,” he wrote. “If we don’t start better supporting these businesses, we are going to lose decades of being at the forefront of the cannabis movement and other states will be ready to swoop in and take it from us.”

Throughout the legislative process the bill has attracted both praise and criticism with some applauding it for the business opportunities it presents and others expressing strong disapproval because of health concerns such as second-hand smoke.

“Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others,” said Haney. “And many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone, or listening to music.”

For owners of cannabis product stores, AB 374 presented opportunities to scale up their businesses.

Nina Parks is a co-founder of Equity Trade Network, a non-profit collective that provides small businesses with supply chain business resources within the cannabis industry in California.

She also served on the Cannabis Oversight Committee in San Francisco where she advocated for more equity as regulation was being developed. She said her cannabis lifestyle brand, Gift of Doja was set to resume hosting live, curated events that promote safe social spaces.

Parks told California Black Media (CBM) that AB 374 is a step in the right direction.

“The ability to at least have non-cannabis foods being able to be sold at dispensaries also gives dispensary owners an opportunity to put another revenue stream in their business.

“Being able to have non-cannabis related sales in your establishment really allows for another revenue stream for store owners. It is also an opportunity for cannabis businesses to remove the stigma and normalize consumption,” says Parks.

In cities like Los Angeles where programs are in place to help people affected by the War on Drugs — and other low-income entrepreneurs — launch cannabis-related businesses, the legislation was seen as offering hope.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is working to expand business licensing and compliance for Social Equity applicants and licensees to receive guidance from marijuana industry experts.

A Social Equity Individual Applicant is defined as an individual who fulfills at least two of the following three criteria: (1) Low-income; (2) a prior California cannabis arrest or conviction; (3) 10 years’ cumulative residency in a disproportionately impacted area.

While consuming cannabis on-site at cannabis retailers is technically legal in California, selling non-cannabis-infused products is not permitted.

Supporters of AB 374 said the bill would have allowed cannabis retailers to diversify their operations and transition away from the limited dispensary model by selling non-cannabis-infused foods.

“It should have happened a long time ago. We let Colorado and other states go before us and California should’ve been the state to have already perfected this, says Brian Johnson, 51, an entrepreneur in Orange County.

As a shop owner and cannabis advocate, Johnson is eagerly waiting for his vision to become a reality. He blames red tape and excessively high taxes as obstacles to progress. However, like most cannabis entrepreneurs, he remains enthusiastic.

“Those who were criminalized and got their record expunged can get back to their entrepreneurial spirit,” says Johnson.

The strongest opposition to AB 374 came from advocates who argued that the legislation would erase decades of health safeguards put in place for businesses to protect employees by maintaining smoke-free work environments.

“Workers should not have to choose between their health and a good job. California has fought hard to protect workers and ensure a safe, healthy, smoke-free work environment,” the American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association wrote in a letter of opposition to the legislation.

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Black Leadership Council Recognizes Assemblymembers Bonta, Jackson for Leadership and Service

“The Black Leadership Council has been imprinted in my heart because I first met with you all when I was a first-year legislator and we talked about what we wanted for our children and our families,” Bonta said. “It’s just an incredible honor to receive this award and share this honor with my partner in this work, Dr. Corey Jackson.”

Published

2 months ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

The Black Leadership Council (BLC) Legislative Awards Luncheon took place in Sacramento on June 17. The event is a core component of the BLC's "Black in Action" Day of Advocacy. The initiative brings leaders from public and private sectors to the State Capitol to engage with policymakers and push for systemic solutions advancing Black prosperity in California. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

The Black Leadership Council (BLC) honored Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) and Dr. Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) during its annual Legislative Awards Luncheon for their leadership in advancing racial justice, economic opportunity and community investment.

Both members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), Bonta received the Education Equity Champion Award, while Jackson was presented with the Wealth Equity Champion Award.

The luncheon was held June 17 at the Sutter Club in Sacramento following a morning of meetings between BLC members and CLBC senators, assemblymembers and Capitol staff.

“Whenever you’re in the same room and being honored alongside Oakland’s own Mia Bonta, you must be doing something right. One of the things that’s clear is that this nation needs Black leadership more than ever,” Jackson said.

Jackson was recognized for co-authoring legislation that expands economic opportunity, strengthens the social safety net and supports youth and vulnerable communities.

Bonta was honored for establishing the bipartisan California Legislative Children’s Caucus, a bicameral coalition that advocates for investments in childcare, health and education. The caucus promotes evaluating state budgets and public policy through the lens of children’s well-being.

BLC and the CLBC work together to translate community priorities into legislative action. Both lawmakers said the BLC was among the first organizations they met with after taking office.

Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-La Mesa) attended the luncheon to celebrate her legislative director, Jerika Edwards, who received the Next Generation Leadership Award. Sharp-Collins credited Edwards with building a distinguished record of civic engagement, public service, voting rights advocacy and social justice leadership.

Nikki A. Beasley, executive director of Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, received the Housing Equity Champion Award. Carol F. Burton, a health care, criminal justice and behavioral health executive, received the Health Equity Champion Award. BLC member Joya Chavarin, a California-based education researcher, was presented with the Trailblazer Award.

“The Legislative Awards Luncheon offers a valuable opportunity to recognize impactful legislators, their staff, and community leaders,” said Meron Agonafer, a member of the BLC Executive Committee.

Established by PRC, formerly the Positive Resource Center, the BLC is a statewide coalition dedicated to advancing policy and systems change in education, housing, health and justice. Its overarching mission is to achieve “Black prosperity” through statewide advocacy and public policy.

“The council targets a high volume of legislation,” said Dr. Deborah Hawkes, PRC’s chief executive officer, who oversees the BLC’s statewide strategy and community initiatives.

“Freedom means opportunities. It means access to quality education, stable housing, good health, economic security, and the ability for every person to thrive,” Hawkes said. “That work requires investments, it requires leaders who are willing to speak up, organizations that are going to do the work, and partners who are willing to sustain the movement.”

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Black Caucus Bill Requiring Major Corporations in California to Disclose Links to Slavery Moves Forward

“We have a public accounting of the ways that our civic institutions have benefited from chattel slavery and built wealth in the process,” said Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). “We even had cost estimates of what is true accounting for what that (wealth) would be.”

Published

2 months ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), at the podium, presents Assembly Bill 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, before the California Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24. The committee approved the measure on an 11-1 vote. The bill would require major corporations doing business in California with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to search their historical records and submit sworn affidavits disclosing any ties to chattel slavery. Seated on the committee are Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), left, and California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego). CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

In August 2000, the California Legislature confronted a little-known chapter of American history after records uncovered in the state archives revealed that, before the Civil War, some insurance companies issued policies to slaveholders that insured enslaved people against injury, death or escape, treating human beings as property.

That same year, former state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) authored Senate Bill 2199, landmark legislation requiring insurance companies doing business in California to disclose records of slaveholder insurance policies issued by them or their corporate predecessors.

More than two decades later, California lawmakers are seeking to expand that transparency.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, authored by Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), builds on the disclosure framework established by SB 2199. The measure would require certain large corporations to search their historical records and submit sworn affidavits, under penalty of perjury, disclosing documented ties to chattel slavery or profits derived from slavery.

On June 23, AB 2599 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), on an 11-1 vote. The measure now heads to the Senate Public Safety Committee.

“We have a public accounting of the ways that our civic institutions have benefited from chattel slavery and built wealth in the process,” said Bryan, vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). “We even had cost estimates of what is true accounting for what that (wealth) would be.”

Bryan continued, “This bill is simply about disclosure. We’ve had a conversation about the private sector’s role in extracting that wealth, but this bill starts with that conversation around disclosure.”

Known as the Slavery Era Insurance Policies Act, Hayden’s SB 2199 required insurers licensed in California to examine their archives for antebellum policies covering slaveholders against the loss or death of enslaved people. The results were compiled by the California Department of Insurance.

AB 2599 would extend that transparency requirement beyond the insurance industry. It requires entities doing business in California with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to review their records for historical involvement in slavery-related transactions.

The bill specifically identifies industries historically tied to the slave economy, including textile, tobacco, railroad, shipping, rice, sugar, financial and insurance companies.

AB 2599 is the CLBC’s sole priority bill this legislative session, according to Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the caucus and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Weber Pierson cited several financial institutions and insurance companies that have acknowledged or documented historical ties to slavery, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, New York Life, AIG and Aetna.

“This bill (AB 2599) is extremely important because it acknowledges that many disparities facing Black Americans did not happen by accident. It also talks about the fact that many of the economic opportunities that benefited major institutions did not also happen by accident — but by their participation in chattel slavery,” Weber Pierson said.

The bill’s primary co-sponsor is the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation and Truth. Other supporters include Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Healing Justice Santa Barbara, the Black Power Network, the Inland Empire Black Worker Center, LA Voice, the League of Women Voters of California and Starting Over Inc.

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The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

3 months ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.