Bay Area
Peggy Cohen-Thompson Selected As Solano County’s Woman of the Year

Peggy Cohen-Thompson, a Vallejo, Calif., civic leader and current president of the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE), has accomplished more in her early career than most people will in a lifetime. To complement her achievements, she has been selected as Solano County’s Woman of the Year by state Sen. Bill Dodd.
Dodd of Senate District 3 recently announced Thompson’s selection from a field of 30 candidates. Her selection represents Dodd’s district, which covers Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa and Sacramento counties.
Thompson said she was stunned when she got the call from Dodd’s office. “It took me more than a few moments to get my composure,” said Thompson. “I was shocked. I didn’t even know I was a candidate. I was amazed because I didn’t think anyone paid attention to me. I’m not a loud or flashy person; I’m more like ‘a quiet storm’.
“I want to add value to everything I’m involved in and when there’s a point of departure, I want to have left an organization or agency better than it was when I came,” she added. “It’s the words that Sen. Dodd said about me, rather than just glazing over a resume because I never submitted a resume.”
“He talked about passion and integrity in his comments concerning me. I’ve never received any award like this. I’ve received recognition for being a part of a project, but nothing as honorable and magnificent as this.”
Dodd noted that Thompson’s contribution to Vallejo’s community was immense. “I’m proud to recognize this tireless champion of public schools, small business and all things Vallejo,” said Dodd. “She is a great woman who has achieved so much. We’re all fortunate to have her working on our behalf.”
In addition to being a trustee with the SCOE and vice chairwoman of Vallejo’s Planning Commission, Thompson is also a real estate broker, notary and cosmetologist, as well as a mother and great grandmother. Yet she still finds time to devote herself to civic duties including advocating for African American businesses.
“Most of my professional background comes from the corporate world,” said Thompson. “During Vallejo’s first years of redevelopment, I started my business and frequently attended meetings along with other businesses so we could share with each other what was going on in downtown Vallejo. There were a lot of Black entrepreneurs in the city but many of them did not have the opportunity or background knowledge of the corporate world environment.”
“It was during my 13 years with the Solano County Black Chamber of Commerce that I helped to start and mentor to businesses while establishing the Chamber as a viable organization. The goal was to help more African Americans, especially young entrepreneurs, understand the various aspects of starting, funding, products/services, management/marketing their businesses.
“We provided resources and a support system which helped to develop relationships to ensure the success of African American businesses.”
“When people came to the Chamber, they were ensured of getting the resources needed to make their businesses thrive. The Chamber provided this support by being engaged and aligned on every level, local government, educational, civic, state and federal with information.”
Activism
Moms 4 Housing Hold Sit-in Demanding County Supervisors Extend Eviction Protections
All formerly unhoused mothers, the Moms are risking arrest to demand that newly elected Supervisor Lena Tam uphold a previous vote for a strong package of permanent tenant protections for renters in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County as the end of the COVID Eviction Moratorium looms. Participants in the sit-in, are calling on all supporters to come to the 5th floor of 1221 Oak Street or outside the county building immediately to support the protest.

By Post Staff
Moms 4 Housing held a sit-in in the nonviolent civil disobedience tradition of Martin Luther King Jr., to demand that the Alameda County Board of Supervisors uphold their original vote to pass permanent Just Cause eviction protections for the 60,000 tenants living in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County.
The Moms are prepared to hold this sit-in for 60 hours — for the 60,000 tenants who need these protections, which are set to expire.
All formerly unhoused mothers, the Moms are risking arrest to demand that newly elected Supervisor Lena Tam uphold a previous vote for a strong package of permanent tenant protections for renters in the unincorporated areas of Alameda County as the end of the COVID Eviction Moratorium looms.
Participants in the sit-in, are calling on all supporters to come to the 5th floor of 1221 Oak Street or outside the county building immediately to support the protest.
The Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP), ACCE and EBHO, along with other local activists, are mobilizing outside of the Alameda County Administration Building to stand in solidarity with Moms 4 Housing, an organization focused on uniting mothers, neighbors, and friends to reclaim housing for the Oakland community from the big banks and real estate speculators.
Bay Area
Season 15 Winner of America’s Got Talent Set to Teach Class at Delta College
According to Delta College officials, Leake was previously an academic advisor at the college and will now teach Digital Media 31.

By Victoria Franco | Bay City News Foundation
Brandon Leake, the season 15 winner of the reality TV show “America’s Got Talent” and a Stockton native, will begin teaching an evening digital media class next Monday at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton.
Leake debuted on the show in 2020 by reading a poem that was an ode to his sister and was the first and only spoken word poet to win the competition.
According to Delta College officials, Leake was previously an academic advisor at the college and will now teach Digital Media 31.
The class is a media performance class and lab focused on individual speech improvement, through the study and practice of voice control and manipulation, proper breathing and diction.
Students enrolled in the class will complete a digital media portfolio and the class is transferable in the California State University system.
The class will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Students wanting to add the class to the schedule can visit their MyDelta portal.
Activism
Following More Mass Shootings Democrats Introduce Assault Weapons Ban
On January 22, a gunman opened fire on a crowd celebrating the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, killing 11 and wounding 9. The Democrats’ proposed Age 21 Act would make it illegal to sell or buy an assault weapon to anybody under 21, bringing it in line with the legal age for purchasing handguns. President Joe Biden has publicly stated his support for the legislation.

By Stacy M. Brown,NNPA Newswire
Two proposals aimed at curbing the spread of assault rifles were submitted today by Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein of California, and Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
The Assault Weapons Ban seeks to prohibit the commercialization, distribution, production, and importation of assault rifles and other firearms designed for use in military operations, as well as high-capacity magazines and similar devices.
On January 22, a gunman opened fire on a crowd celebrating the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park, California, killing 11 and wounding 9.
The Democrats’ proposed Age 21 Act would make it illegal to sell or buy an assault weapon to anybody under 21, bringing it in line with the legal age for purchasing handguns.
President Joe Biden has publicly stated his support for the legislation.
Biden said that the number of mass shootings declined during the decade that the Assault Weapons Ban was in effect.
“In the 10 years that the Assault Weapons Ban was on the books, mass shootings went down,” Biden remarked.
“After Republicans let the law expire in 2004 and those weapons were allowed to be sold again, mass shootings tripled,” he declared.
Both houses of Congress were urged to take quick action by the president.
According to Biden, “the majority of American people agree with this rational measure.”
“There can be no greater responsibility than to do all we can to ensure the safety of our children, our communities and our nation,” he insisted.
In the House of Representatives, Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline said he plans to introduce a companion bill to the Senate’s Assault Weapons Ban.
Feinstein said assault rifles “seem to be the unifying denominator in the seemingly endless number of horrific shootings.”
“Because these firearms were created for maximum efficiency in mass murder,” the senator noted.
“They have no place in our society or educational institutions. It’s time to take a stand against the gun lobby and do something about getting these lethal weapons off the streets, or at the absolute least, out of the hands of our youth.”
Blumenthal added, as the gunman at the Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park demonstrated just days ago, assault weapons are designed for one and one purpose only: to murder or hurt human beings.
“These military-style combat weapons – built for the battlefield and designed to maximize death and destruction – have brought bloodshed and carnage to our streets and continue to be the weapon of choice in countless mass shootings,” Blumenthal said.
“Guns don’t respect state boundaries, which is why we need a national solution to restricting the ownership and use of assault weapons. Now is the time to honor gun violence victims and survivors with this commonsense action.”
Rep. Ciciline argued that it is long past due to reinstate an assault weapon ban and remove these “weapons of war” from civilian areas.
The assault weapons prohibition “passed the House last year with bipartisan backing, but was blocked by Senate Republicans,” Ciciline noted.
“We need to come together to enact this commonsense, effective, and proven policy to reduce gun violence and save lives. I thank Senator Feinstein for her partnership in this fight and look forward to introducing the House companion bill in the coming weeks.”
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