Bay Area

Hundreds Still in Emergency Shelters as State Waits on Federal Storm Disaster Declaration Request

More than 300 residents in Santa Cruz County remained in emergency shelters on Monday due to recent storm damage as the state awaits approval of a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration. While state-operated emergency shelters are also open in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties, Santa Cruz had the highest census count in their three shelters, with 325 of the 424 total residents in emergency storm shelters across the state.

Published

1 year ago

April 6, 2023

Oakland Post

Work is done to repair a levee break near the township of Pajaro in Monterey County, Calif., on March 13, 2023. Waters from the Pajaro River breached the levee around midnight on March 10, 2023. (Ken James/California Department of Water Resources via Bay City News)

By Eli Walsh
Bay City News

More than 300 residents in Santa Cruz County remained in emergency shelters on Monday due to recent storm damage as the state awaits approval of a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration.

While state-operated emergency shelters are also open in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare counties, Santa Cruz had the highest census count in their three shelters, with 325 of the 424 total residents in emergency storm shelters across the state.

While the state has invested more than $60 million in disaster response and relief across multiple counties, Gov. Gavin Newsom requested the presidential disaster declaration, the highest level of federal assistance the state can request, on March 28 in an effort to expand emergency housing assistance, food aid and medical services.

If approved, the declaration would apply to Santa Cruz and Monterey counties along the Central Coast as well as Calavera, Kern, Los Angeles, Mariposa, San Benito, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.

State and U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are also assessing storm-related damage in other counties to determine if other counties could be added to the disaster declaration request.

“We want to emphasize that California took the time to get this right to ensure that it was approved,” said Brian Ferguson with the California Office of Emergency Services during a media briefing on March 30.

“We remain confident that we have made a thorough case that we meet the requirements and the thresholds set forth in federal law and that that aid from our federal government will be forthcoming soon,” Ferguson said.

President Joe Biden has already approved two other emergency declarations for the storms that have battered the West Coast over the last three months, authorizing federal relief assistance as many California counties recover from floods, downed trees and landslides.

The California Department of Social Services is also working with county officials and local community organizations to distribute essentials like food, water, diapers and formula to residents who have been affected by the recent storms.

“We are very, very grateful to all who have stepped up to provide support for those who need it most in many, many of the collaborations and partnerships that we’ve seen come into play,” said Kim Johnson, director of the Department of Social Services.

Residents who are seeking information about storm recovery and assistance are encouraged to visit https://news.caloes.ca.gov/2023-winter-storms-recovery.

“Over these past months, state, local and federal partners have worked around the clock to protect our communities from devastating storms that have ravaged every part of our state,” Newsom said in a March 28 statement. “We will continue to deploy every tool we have to help Californians rebuild and recover from these storms.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

13 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”