Government

Proposed state law adds to gentrification fears

WAVE NEWSPAPERS — More than 300 passionate community members attended a standing-room-only town hall meeting May 22 to oppose the passage of state legislation that could eliminate single-family housing around major transit hubs throughout the state.

Published

7 years ago

June 11, 2019

Angela Parker Contributing Writer

By Angela Parker

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — More than 300 passionate community members attended a standing-room-only town hall meeting May 22 to oppose the passage of state legislation that could eliminate single-family housing around major transit hubs throughout the state.

Diane Robertson, president of the Sutro Avenue Block Club in Leimert Park, was the lead organizer and helped pull the meeting together to give the community a better understanding of how Senate Bill 50 will directly impact their neighborhoods.

Authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the proposed legislation would mandate that cities allow at least four homes on plots designated for single-family homes that are built around mass transit hubs. While supporters of the bill claim it is a necessary step in tackling the housing crisis that Los Angeles currently faces, opponents argue that it will do little to provide residents with affordable housing, and, instead give developers free reign to build luxury apartments that will price out current community members and change the landscapes of communities where families have lived and worked for decades.

Monica Breckenridge, 57, lives in the Crenshaw Manor neighborhood, in a house that has belonged to her husband’s family for four generations. She is one of many who fear that if SB 50 were to pass it would threaten their very way of life.

“I am concerned about the character of my neighborhood being overrun and overwhelmed by multifamily units being next door to single-family units,” Breckenridge said. “I do not want to give up the character of it being the family home. It’s incredibly important to me that this still be the home where the grandkids come to for Christmas and Easter.”

“I think this is just a way to back door very wealthy individuals into (these communities) and to displace longtime residents who bought in these neighborhoods when they could not buy anywhere else,” Breckinridge added. “This is about … preserving the legacy that we have already established.”

Featured panelists at the town hall included deputy director of Los Angeles City Planning Department Arthi Varma, community advocate Romerol Malveaux, community advocate and co-chair of land use community and vice president of P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council Hydee Feldstein, vice president of the Baldwin Hills Estate Homeowners Association and builder John Gonzales, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival Larry Gross and president of the P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council Brad Kane.

While any movement on the bill has been tabled until January 2020, Wesson warned attendees not to celebrate just yet.

“Nothing is ever really dead in Sacramento,” Wesson said, adding that 60% of residents who reside in the 10th District will be effected by this bill. “Now I recognize that we have a housing crisis and we need to creatively come up with a way to try and fix it, but who better to do that than the people that live in the area?

“I understand that their heart is in the right place, but … come and meet with us … and together we can write every word on how we are going to do this and going to do that.”

Wesson urged attendees to stay engaged and reach out to their local representatives to express their views on this issue and to educate their community members about the bill.

The panelists pointed out that Los Angeles is working very hard to increase available housing and the state just needs to give the city’s existing plans time to bear fruit.

“We are aware that there is an affordable housing crises …but the reality is that SB 50 is a real estate bill masquerading as a housing bill that will provide an enormous gift for developers,” Gross said. “It is wall street in our back yards. The news media is framing the demise of SB 50 as due to white home owners in the suburbs … but it was the tenants, home owners, progressives and people of Los Angeles working together who fought SB 50 because we know (that) SB 50 will accelerate gentrification, it will increase displacement, it will destroy the quality of life in neighborhoods, and it will handcuff local government and provide windfall profits to large developers.”

After the panel discussion, there was a question and answer session in which attendees expressed their concerns about issues such as employment, city zoning laws, and public perception of the bill that could have long-term effects on the ability of the city to provide affordable housing going forward.

Robertson, who was thrilled by the turnout, and the amount of education that attendees received on the bill, agrees that the town hill is just the beginning.

“I hope that the people who came tonight feel energized and inspired to … talk to their neighbors, colleagues, and friends. … That’s how it starts,” Robertson said.

Angela Parker Contributing Writer

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Community

Asm. Corey Jackson Announces Launch of 24-Hour Childcare in His District

Assemblymember Corey Jackson has secured $2 million in state funding for a proposed childcare special district in Moreno Valley and Perris. This funding aims to establish a system providing 24-hour, seven-day-a-week childcare, which would be California’s first special district focused solely on childcare. The initiative seeks to address the area’s designation as a “childcare desert” and high costs for working families. The funding will cover startup, planning, and formation costs for the district. Read more about the specifics of this groundbreaking initiative.

Published

3 days ago

September 28, 2026

Post News Group

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) has secured $2 million in state funding to launch a proposed childcare special district serving families in Moreno Valley and Perris, paving the way for a system designed to provide childcare 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Moreno Valley-Perris Childcare Special District would be the first special district in California focused specifically on childcare, according to Jackson’s office. The state funding will cover startup, planning, and formation costs and help the district meet requirements set by the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO.

The proposed district would coordinate a mixed-delivery childcare system that could include home-based and center-based care. The goal is to provide universal childcare for families who work overnight, early morning, or other nontraditional shifts.

Jackson’s office says Moreno Valley is a certified “childcare desert,” with licensed childcare spaces available for only 15% of children with working parents. Infant care in Moreno Valley averages $2,776 a month, or about 35.7% of median household income. In Perris, licensed infant care can cost more than 60% of an individual worker’s gross median earnings, according to the assemblymember’s office.

“Securing this $2 million in startup funding is a monumental victory for the working-class families of Moreno Valley and Perris who have been trapped in a childcare desert for far too long,” Jackson said.

The proposal follows Jackson’s unsuccessful effort to establish the district through Assembly Bill 2083. The legislation would have created the district as a dependent special district covering Moreno Valley, Perris and their spheres of influence, with Riverside LAFCO responsible for reviewing its formation and boundaries.

The new funding allows the district’s formation to move forward without requiring mandatory contributions from local school districts and other stakeholders, according to Jackson’s office. His spokesperson, Daniel Peeden, said Jackson hopes the district can be operating by 2028.

The proposal has faced questions from some local officials. Moreno Valley City Councilmember Ed Delgado, who is running against Jackson for the 60th Assembly District seat, said he supports affordable childcare but questioned how the proposed district would operate and how much it would ultimately cost.

“Basically, he didn’t have a plan. We didn’t see a plan,” Delgado said, adding that officials had questions about operating costs, insurance and eligibility.

“It’s going to take a lot more than $2 million to create a special district to provide affordable childcare,” Delgado said.

Delgado has suggested working with existing childcare centers to subsidize costs for local families rather than creating a new agency.

Jackson’s office says the program will lower barriers to “workforce participation” and reduce “affordability anxiety” for young families. This landmark District is poised to trigger a virtuous cycle of economic upward mobility and long-term regional prosperity in the 60th Assembly District, his office added.

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Economy

Poll: Becerra Widens His Lead Over Hilton; Californians Split on Wealth Tax

A new Public Policy Institute of California poll shows Democrat Xavier Becerra leads Republican Steve Hilton by 22 points in California’s governor’s race, with 60% of likely voters supporting Becerra compared to 38% for Hilton. The September survey also reveals Californians are closely divided on a proposed one-time tax on billionaires, with 52% of likely voters in favor of Proposition 40. Affordability issues are a major factor for voters. Read more to learn about the poll’s additional findings on voter sentiment.

Published

3 days ago

September 28, 2026

Post News Group

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Democrat Xavier Becerra holds a 22-point lead over Republican Steve Hilton in California’s governor’s race, while voters remain closely divided over a proposed one-time tax on billionaires, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.

The September PPIC survey found that 60% of likely voters support Becerra, compared with 38% for Hilton. His lead is actually narrower than it was in July, when he led Hilton 61% to 36%.

Becerra leads among independent voters, with 57% supporting him compared with 38% for Hilton. Party loyalty remains strong, with 93% of Democratic likely voters backing Becerra and 92% of Republicans supporting Hilton.

Hilton leads in the Central Valley, where 52% of likely voters support him compared with 46% for Becerra.

Affordability remains a major factor: 65% of likely voters say candidates’ plans to address cost-of-living issues are “very important” to their vote.

“Affordability continues to be top of mind for Californians when considering their choice for governor,” said Mark Baldassare, PPIC Statewide Survey director and Miller Chair in Public Policy.

The poll also found a narrow split over Proposition 40, a proposed one-time tax of up to 5% on taxpayers with assets exceeding $1 billion. Fifty-two percent of likely voters said they would vote yes, while 46% said they would vote no.

Support for the wealth tax varies sharply by party. Seventy-two percent of Democrats favor Proposition 40, compared with 46% of independents and 21% of Republicans.

Two competing measures also drew majority support. Fifty-one percent back Proposition 41, while 54% support Proposition 42, both of which could affect the wealth-tax proposal.

The findings come as Californians express broader frustration with the state’s political direction. Seventy-one percent of likely voters expect bad economic times in California over the next year.

“Californians are clearly grumpy and aren’t enamored with any particular political party or movement,” Baldassare said.

The survey interviewed 1,745 California adults, including 1,103 likely voters, from Sept. 4-10. The margin of error for likely voters is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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Black History

Caribbean Nations Produce Action Plan Calling for UK Reparations Over Slavery

Caribbean nations are developing an action plan with legal options to press the United Kingdom for negotiations regarding slavery reparations. Officials at a recent conference indicated that regional leaders hope for targeted talks at upcoming Commonwealth and UN summits. However, if diplomatic efforts are resisted, the Caribbean nations are prepared to pursue international court action. A spokesperson for the British government recently reiterated its long-held position against paying reparations. Read more about the unified strategy being pursued.

Published

3 days ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Bussa Emancipation Statue in Bridgetown, Barbados. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

By Post Staff

Caribbean nations are producing an “action plan” with legal options to push the United Kingdom (UK) into negotiating a decades-long slavery reparations deal, according to officials at a reparations conference.

Leaders in the region are hoping the UK would agree to targeted and constructive negotiation talks at upcoming Commonwealth and UN summits, but they are ready to take the matter to international courts if Britain continues to resist diplomatic options, according to the Guardian.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson reiterated the British government’s long‑held position that “the UK does not and will not pay reparations”.

Ralph Gonsalves, the former prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said the Caricom Regional Conference on Reparations, which was hosted last week by Barbados with the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC), was key for agreeing to a unified strategy to bring Britain to the negotiating table. Gonsalves is now an elder and adviser for the Repair Campaign, a social movement for reparatory justice.

He said that slavery happened over centuries and reparations had to be realistic and set over decades. “We need a concrete, multigenerational plan,” he said.

On the legal options available to the Caribbean, Gonsalves challenged arguments that Britain did not violate historical laws during transatlantic slavery, adding that the UK’s signature on contemporary UN conventions had established a binding legal obligation for reparative justice.

“The fact is that the consequences of slavery fall squarely under the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which obliges states to help address the consequences of native genocide and slavery,” Gonsalves said.