Economy

Murray’s Bill Looks To Make Childcare More Affordable

THE SEATTLE MEDIUM — The rising costs of childcare is a growing concern in Seattle and throughout the country, especially African American and other marginalized communities. To address the issue, Sen. Parry Murray has re-introduced the Childcare For Working Families Act, a bold, comprehensive plan to make child care more affordable for low and middle-income families and strengthen federal investments in the child care industry to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, affordable child care in their area.

Published

7 years ago

March 30, 2019

Oakland Post

By Aaron Allen

The rising costs of childcare is a growing concern in Seattle and throughout the country, especially African American and other marginalized communities.

To address the issue, Sen. Parry Murray has re-introduced the Childcare For Working Families Act, a bold, comprehensive plan to make child care more affordable for low and middle-income families and strengthen federal investments in the child care industry to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, affordable child care in their area.

Murray, who visited the Voices of tomorrow, and early childhood development center in Seattle, to discuss her legislation and its unique impact on families of color, believes the rising cost of childcare has put an undue burden on too many working-class families.

“I talked to people today that pay more than half their income for childcare and we want to make sure that every child not getting a good education isn’t because their family can’t afford it,” said Murray during her visit. “[This] bill really focuses on making sure that we have affordable childcare so that no family in America pays more than seven percent of their income.”

Voices of Tomorrow’s co-founder and CEO ZamZam Mohamed says she started the center to help children of color and refugee children get an early start in preparing them to navigate and succeed in education.

According to Mohamed, she and her staff have worked diligently to supporting families, particularly migrant families, adjust to their new surroundings. In addition, they have helped educate children of all cultural backgrounds to prepare them for school and life.

“What we are trying to achieve is really a cultural responsive program that supports children at an early age to get them ready for school, for life and just for them to really navigate the system successfully,” says Mohamed.

“The way we are doing that is through the dual language preschool program and also building the capacity for our family childcare providers, parents and community members that work with children zero to 5 because we know that we can’t do the work ourselves,” Mohamed continued.

During the intimate meeting with Murray, children, parents and childcare providers described the challenges families face with the rising costs of childcare and education and inequality in pay for teachers and providers.

“I am really impressed with the work that Voices of Tomorrow is doing and I am going to take these families stories back to Washington D.C. and make sure that we provide these types of cultural centers, early childhood centers for every young person in America,” says Murray.

In this economic environment teachers and childcare providers are struggling due to low paying wages forcing the high cost of childcare and education and Murray’s bill looks to address this issue.

“The bill also focuses on development and pay for our early childhood education and childcare workers because we have very high turnover rates because they just don’t get paid enough to stay in the positions, that’s important for them and it’s also important for our children,” said Murray.

According to the staff at Voices of Tomorrow, affordability and accessibility is the key to the success of early childhood development, and that they are living proof that under the right circumstances all children can be successful.

Murray seconds this notion and believes that the passage of the Childcare For Working Families Act will make sure that children and their families across the country will get the support that they need to succeed.

This article originally appeared in The Seattle Medium.

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Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Pushes Charter Overhaul to Clarify Roles in City Government, Increase Accountability and Improve Service Delivery

Under the proposal, the mayor would serve as Oakland’s chief executive, overseeing city departments, implementing policy, proposing the annual budget, and managing day-to-day operations. The measure would also give the mayor veto power over legislation and the budget, though the City Council could override a veto with a two-thirds vote.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Oakland Post Staff

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is backing a sweeping proposal to restructure Oakland’s government, arguing the changes would make City Hall more accountable and improve the delivery of basic services like public safety, homelessness response, and infrastructure repairs.

The charter reform measure, introduced April 7 and co-sponsored by Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, would ask voters in November to approve a “strong mayor, strong council” system designed to create clearer lines of authority inside city government.

The City Council, meanwhile, would maintain legislative authority by adopting ordinances, approving budgets, conducting oversight hearings, and confirming key mayoral appointments. The proposal would also create an Independent Budget and Legislative Analyst Office to provide nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis for councilmembers.

“I’ve spent months listening to Oaklanders across every neighborhood about what they expect from their city government,” Lee said. “The Charter Reform Working Group’s engagement made clear that residents want a system where there are no questions about who is responsible for delivering results on public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, and basic services.”

Jenkins said the proposal would strengthen both executive leadership and council oversight.

“I’ve long believed Oakland works best when residents have clear lines of accountability and a government structure that aligns responsibility with results,” Jenkins said.

The proposal follows recommendations from the Mayor’s Charter Reform Working Group, co-facilitated by the League of Women Voters of Oakland and SPUR.

Over five months, the group conducted more than 60 interviews, held 14 public meetings across Oakland, and engaged more than 750 residents while reviewing governance models used in other cities.

“The process of engaging residents across Oakland surfaced the governance clarity Oakland needs,” said Sujata Srivastava of SPUR. “The Charter Reform Working Group has produced a thoughtful set of recommendations that if adopted could strengthen accountability and improve service delivery across city government.”

Polling cited by the mayor’s office suggests voters may be open to the changes. A February 2026 poll by the East Bay Polling Institute found 64% of voters support adopting a strong-mayor system. Separate polling conducted by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and David Binder Research found support ranging from 61% to 63% among likely voters.

The measure is scheduled to be heard by the City Council Rules Committee on May 21. If approved by the council, it would appear on the November 2026 ballot, where Oakland voters would have the final say.

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Bay Area

How Is AI Affecting California? The State Wants You to Share Your Story

The program marks the first time the state has opened the platform to all Californians. State officials said the effort is designed to give residents a direct role in discussions about how AI should be regulated and used as the technology rapidly expands across industries.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced May 7 that California is expanding its Engaged California digital democracy initiative statewide, inviting residents to help shape future state policies on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on jobs and the economy.

“We’ve got to be clear-eyed about this moment: AI is moving fast, bringing enormous opportunity, but also real risks,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians deserve a seat at the table as we shape what’s to come.”

The initiative will roll out in two phases. Beginning immediately, Californians can sign up online to share how AI is affecting their work and communities and provide ideas for possible government action. Later this summer, a smaller group reflecting the state’s workforce demographics will participate in live discussions focused on developing policy recommendations.

State officials said the goal is to identify areas of agreement among Californians and provide policymakers with public feedback as the state develops future AI regulations and workforce strategies.

Engaged California is modeled after digital democracy programs used in Taiwan and is intended to encourage structured public discussion rather than social media-style debate. Officials described the effort as a form of “deliberative democracy” aimed at helping residents engage directly in state decision-making.

“The more Californians are engaged in the democratic process, the better able we’ll be to confront the challenges we face together,” said Nick Maduros, California Secretary of Government Operations, in a statement.

The statewide launch builds on two earlier pilot programs. One pilot gathered public input following the Los Angeles firestorms to help guide recovery efforts, while another collected ideas from state employees about improving government operations.

California has positioned itself as a national leader in AI policy and development. Since 2023, the Newsom administration has introduced initiatives focused on responsible AI use in government, cybersecurity protections, workforce training and regulations targeting risks such as deepfakes and AI-generated robocalls.

The state has also partnered with companies in Silicon Valley — including NVIDIA, Google, Adobe, IBM and Microsoft — to expand AI education and workforce training programs across California schools and universities.

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Activism

California Launches Free Diaper Program for Newborns Statewide

The initiative, called Golden State Start, will provide 400 free diapers to every newborn delivered at participating California hospitals beginning this summer. The state is partnering with Baby2Baby, a California-based nonprofit that distributes essential items to children in need nationwide.

Published

3 days ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that California will launch a first-in-the-nation program providing free diapers to families with newborns, part of a broader effort to lower costs for parents and improve infant health outcomes.

The initiative, called Golden State Start, will provide 400 free diapers to every newborn delivered at participating California hospitals beginning this summer. The state is partnering with Baby2Baby, a California-based nonprofit that distributes essential items to children in need nationwide.

State officials said hospitals participating in the program will give families the diapers when they are discharged after birth, helping parents leave with an immediate supply of newborn essentials.

“Every baby born in California deserves a healthy start in life,” Newsom said in a statement. He said the program is part of California’s broader affordability efforts, which also include free school meals, universal preschool for four-year-olds and expanded after-school programs.

The announcement comes ahead of Mother’s Day and is tied to the administration’s broader CalRx initiative, which aims to reduce costs for essential products and medications. State officials said California is also exploring ways to lower diaper prices by challenging high costs from major brands.

The first year of the program will prioritize hospitals serving large numbers of Medi-Cal patients, with plans to expand to additional hospitals and birthing centers over time. Officials said the effort is intended to reduce financial pressure on low-income families and improve infant and maternal health by ensuring parents have access to clean diapers.

“California families deserve to feel supported during one of life’s more exciting, yet vulnerable transitions,” First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said in a statement. She said the program would allow parents to focus on caring for their newborns instead of worrying about basic supplies.

According to Baby2Baby, one in two families in the United States struggles to afford diapers. The organization has distributed more than half a billion items to children over the past 15 years through partnerships with shelters, hospitals, foster care programs and schools.

State officials said Baby2Baby will oversee diaper purchasing, warehousing and distribution through its existing hospital and community partnerships across California.