Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) says a deadly Fourth of July weekend shooting in Compton that claimed the life of one of his former staff members underscores the urgent need for stronger gun safety laws at both the state and federal levels. 

The shooting was one of several acts of gun violence reported across California over the holiday weekend, renewing debate over firearm regulations and the limits states face in enacting gun control measures. 

At a block party in Compton, a gunman opened fire on a crowd, killing Eric Washington, a former California Assembly aide, and Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, while injuring three others. 

The deaths of Washington and Bordenave-Jenkins left deep wounds in the community. 

Bordenave-Jenkins, 19, was a sophomore studying nursing at the University of Nevada. She was staying with her sister for the summer. 

Her mother, Ebone Jenkins, said her daughter wanted to become a neonatal travel nurse and was active in church.  

Washington served as a field deputy for Gipson before later working for HACLA, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. To honor his memory, HACLA established the Eric Washington Community Impact Awards. 

Washington’s mother, Tina Johnson, told California Black Media (CBM) that her son was “deeply compassionate” and a “mentor to everyone,” including his own father, whom Washington helped adjust to life after incarceration. She said he was committed to public service and wanted to address gun violence. 

For Gipson, Washington’s death was both personal and political. 

Gipson and Washington worked together for years, united by a shared commitment to reducing gun violence in their communities. Gipson said Washington’s passing has been deeply felt. In 2020, Gipson’s own son, an innocent bystander, was injured in a violent shooting that same year. 

The Compton tragedy also comes as California and other states continue to navigate legal challenges to their authority to regulate firearms. 

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Wolford v. Lopez invalidated portions of a Hawaii law prohibiting people with concealed-carry permits from bringing firearms onto private property that is open to the public without the owner’s consent. 

Some advocates worry the ruling could weaken states’ ability to enact gun safety legislation. 

Gipson is among those expressing concern. 

“Because of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down protections in Wolford v. Lopez and rule against Hawaii’s common-sense laws, a pattern continues where the U.S. federal government cannot guarantee us the most basic protections,” Gipson told CBM. 

Throughout his legislative career, Gipson has championed firearm regulations aimed at creating safer communities. He was among the first California lawmakers to pursue ghost gun regulation through Assembly Bill (AB) 879. 

Currently, Gipson is working to pass AB 2339, the Accuracy in Mental Health Reporting Act. The bill would ensure that “prohibited persons are accurately identified in a timely fashion” and reported to the California Department of Justice to restrict their access to firearms. 

The measure has garnered strong support, including from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

While Gipson believes state legislation can reduce gun violence, he argues that meaningful progress also requires stronger federal action. 

“Just doing the basics, like background checks, putting age limits, red flag warnings—the list just goes on and on. If they would just take just the basics, we can decrease a lot of gun violence,” said Gipson. 

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Staff, patients’ families, and supporters held a recent rally at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland to protest the hospital’s decision to relocate specialized treatment clinics to San Francisco.

Protesters said the move is creating barriers to patient access to care and raised concerns about whether the hospital was appropriately using funds partially designated for pediatric services.

In response, hospital officials say they are concentrating resources for highly specialized procedures so patients can receive the highest quality of care.

One of the speakers at the rally, Paola Portillo, a social worker, said the hospital started transferring the clinics a year ago when UCSF Health integrated with the Children’s Hospital Oakland, located at 747 52nd St. in North Oakland.

According to Portillo, patients who need bone marrow treatments and interventional radiology are forced to travel to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, which can be dangerous, she said.

“Children who go through a bone marrow transplant are immunocompromised, meaning that their immune system has been wiped out,” and having to take public transport to San Francisco exposes patients to the risk of getting a dangerous infection, she said.

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UCSF spokesperson Kristen Bole says the move improves the hospital’s quality of care, giving bone marrow treatment (BMT) as an example.

“Inpatient BMT is a highly complex service where patient volume, specialized infrastructure, faculty coverage and 24/7 support are essential,” she said in a statement. “Concentrating non-gene therapy inpatient BMT care at Mission Bay allows us to provide the safest and most sustainable model for patients and families.”

Hospital officials also emphasized that moving care was not a one-way street. Beginning this month, patients admitted for rehabilitative treatment have been directed to the children’s hospital in Oakland, Bole said.

Speakers at the rally also claimed UCSF has not been transparent about how it has allocated funding from 2020’s Measure C, a measure that created a half-percent sales tax that partially funded pediatric health care at the children’s hospital.

“The community fought so hard for Measure C because every child deserves access to lifesaving, pediatric, high-quality care right here in Oakland,” said Agnes Cho, a policy advisor speaking on behalf of Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas. “The funding should go towards strengthening care for children right here in Oakland.”

Protesters also said UCSF’s $3.3 billion endowment has been misused. Last October, the University Professional & Technical Employees union published a report on the University of California’s spending, which highlighted projects such as the $4.3 billion UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights.

“What I have a problem with is saying the kids from the East Bay have to go to San Francisco to get care, so that UC can build a fancy hospital for its richest patients in San Francisco,” said union President Dan Russell.

The UCSF spokesperson said the university has been investing in its Oakland campus and that upgrades are expected to be completed in 2030 at a cost of $1.6 billion.

“Oakland is central to our pediatric health system, and we are making the largest investment in the campus’ history,” the spokeswoman said. “We do not make investments of this scale in a campus, workforce or community we plan to leave behind.”

This article includes coverage from Bay City News Service and media releases.

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We all know that breathing is the key to life; if we cannot breathe, we will die. Most people do not know how to breathe correctly. We associate breathing with the lungs, which is partly true. The lungs are paired, cone-shaped organs located in the thoracic cavity. They are separated by the heart and by the pleural membrane that encloses each lung. They are also separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm.

Abdominal breathing is an ancient method used by Taoist and martial artists to detoxify the lungs. I was taught this many years ago by my teacher, Grand Master Leon Wallace, while studying Goju karate under him. His favorite Kata and what became my favorite was Sanchin, also known as the breathing Kata.

The Sanchin Kata was developed over 100 years ago by the founder of the Goju (hard/soft) Karate system, Miyage Chojun, as an exercise to develop breathing, thrusting, and footwork. Grand Master Wallace would always say Sanchin will make you strong and keep you healthy; it took me many years to truly understand his wisdom

Abdominal breathing is when you bring air through your nose to expand the abdominal area, not the diaphragm (a common mistake that people make when taking a deep breath). When exhaling, we push the abdominal area as far back as possible. This method allows the lungs to expel used air, carbon dioxide, and other toxins. When learning to meditate, abdominal breathing is very important; it helps relax the mind.

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When you were in your mother’s womb, you used abdominal breathing to receive and expel nutritional fluids produced by your mother. That is why many Taoists call abdominal breathing baby breathing. During Taoist organ massage treatments like Chunsoo (Korea) and Chi Nei Tsang (Chinese), practitioners have their patients use deep abdominal breathing while manipulating the rib cage during the inhalation and exhalation phases. Taoist master Mantak Chia describes this lung detox method in his excellent book Chi Nei Tsang: Internal Organs Chi Massage.

For the past few weeks, the New York City air has not been healthy to breathe, especially for older individuals and people with respiratory issues. This is why knowing how to breathe correctly is so important.

If you are interested in learning more about the Taoist method of breathing correctly for improving and maintaining strong, healthy lungs, call or text 917 821-7099 to schedule an appointment. Remember, now more than ever, learning to breathe correctly can improve the quality of your life.

Based on reporting by Harlem Community Newspapers.

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