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Gov’s Wife: Stop Paying Women Less Than Men for Doing the Same Jobs

SACRAMENTO OBSERVER — Diane Shelton was proud of her professional life. For more than 25 years, she held steady government jobs with the state Assembly as a legislative consultant, capitol office director, legislative director and chief of staff for seven different Assembly members, starting in 1984. When she got her first job with the Assembly, there were only 7 Blacks out of 120 members of the state legislature, and just a handful of African-American staffers.

Published

7 years ago

September 19, 2019

Sacramento Observer staff report

First Partner Jennifer Seibel Newsom moderates a panel with the youngest editor-and-chief of Teen Vogue Elaine Welteroth and Legislative Black Caucus Chair, Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) to discuss real life experiences affecting women and African American women on pay equity at Sacramento State University Aug 27, 2019.

By Tanu Henry

(CBM) – Diane Shelton was proud of her professional life. For more than 25 years, she held steady government jobs with the state Assembly as a legislative consultant, capitol office director, legislative director and chief of staff for seven different Assembly members, starting in 1984.

When she got her first job with the Assembly, there were only 7 Blacks out of 120 members of the state legislature, and just a handful of African-American staffers.

During that time, Shelton – who is African-American and lives just south of Sacramento in Elk Grove – said she earned more than $30,000 less than her White counterparts.

Then in 2011, Shelton, who is now 62, became a trainer with the Capitol Institute, the lower house’s professional development unit. That office operates under the supervision of the Assembly Rules committee.

In that new role, Shelton earned a salary of about $67,000. At the same time, the Assembly paid a White male counterpart almost 40 percent more money than she made: around $105,000. He had the same job title, comparable experience and performed similar duties.

“I loved my job as a trainer,” says Shelton. “I enjoyed using my skills to create original training for an increasing number of new staff. However, after seven stressful years of pursuing more equitable pay and watching decision makers devalue my work, I reluctantly retired.”

Shelton says when she asked her supervisor for pay on par with her peers, he responded with only a 7.5 percent increase. After exhausting administrative options to get an annual salary equal to her White male counterpart, in 2017, Shelton decided to sue the State Assembly. She cited racial discrimination, unlawful retaliation and violation of the California Fair Pay Act, among other claims.

She is not alone.

Even though California has the slimmest gender pay gap in the United States, on average, women still earn about 89 percent of the total money men are paid in the state, according to the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CCSWG).

That’s about $.89 for every dollar men earn, which adds up to a loss of nearly $78.6 billion every year for women in the state.

For Black women, the pay gap is wider and has a more deep-reaching impact on African-American families across California. Black women – 80 percent of whom are the sole or primary breadwinners in their households – earn only about $.61 for every dollar a White, non-Hispanic man makes.

California has the strongest equal pay laws in the country. Yet, women with masters degrees working full time make only $.72 for every dollar men with masters degrees earn.

“It’s humiliating, its unjust and just plain wrong,” said first partner of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, speaking at an event on Black Women Equal Pay Day (August 22) in Sacramento. Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, other lawmakers and guests joined the governor’s life partner to bring attention to the issue.

In April, Siebel Newsom announced that her office was partnering with the CCSWG, California Labor Agency Secretary Julie Su and TIME’S UP, an organization focused on fair, safe and dignified work for women. Together, the coalition launched a statewide initiative called #EqualPayCA.

“We all win when women win,” Siebel Newsom said. “Women are the backbone of our families.”

In 2015, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the California Fair Pay Act. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) sponsored the bill she wrote to give teeth to the state’s existing labor law, the California Equal Pay Act, which was passed in 1949, first affording equal pay to women in the workplace.

Besides requiring equal pay for men and women in “substantially similar jobs,” the new ammendment included race and ethnicity, too; outlawed retaliation against employees who complain about unfair pay; and allowed for equal pay salary claims for the same kind of job – even when located in different places.

Since then, California’s equal pay law has inspired similar legislation in 41other states and Jackson is putting forth a new bill that will require organizations with 100 employees or more to make annual salary reports to the state broken down by gender, race and ethnicity.

In California, where there remains a gaping wealth disparity between Blacks and other racial groups, any equal pay effort that takes into account gender and race takes on much greater significance. In 2014, in Los Angeles and Orange counties, the median household net worth of US-born Whites was $355,000 compared to just $4,000 for US-born blacks, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.

Last week, Gov Newsom signed AB 467, also known as the “Equal Pay for Equal Play” bill, into law. The measure, introduced by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Oceanside) requires sports teams to pay women equal to men in all sporting competitions held on state land in California.

Since launching her equal pay campaign, Seibel Newsom says 27 California companies have taken the equal pay pledge, including Gap, Intel and Cisco. And even though the state has a strong equal pay law on the books, more work needs to be done.

“Its about education, implementation and enforcement,” she says. “I applaud these businesses for stepping up and doing their part to ensure pay equity within their companies, and I encourage all other businesses in California to follow suit. Together, we can close the pay gap and create a more equitable California for all.”

This article originally appeared in the Sacramento Observer.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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3 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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