Politics

State Agency Faces Elimination After First Black Woman Takes Charge

Published

7 years ago

March 14, 2019

In January, members of the California Board of Equalization (BOE) selected Malia M. Cohen, former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, to chair the 140-year-old state agency.

Cohen became the first Black woman elected to the board last May and the first to lead the agency responsible for representing taxpayer interests and “equalizing” county-by-county tax assessments across the state.

Now, less than eight weeks into her 4-year term and under two months as chair, Cohen has been thrust into a difficult fight, as lawmakers grapple with whether or not to dismantle the agency, she finds herself justifying her job, her $151,260 salary, and the very existence of the agency she leads.

“Here we are, members of the new board, just shy of eight weeks in – of coming into this position – we now have to defend keeping the board elected,” Cohen said.

Cohen said the board represents the interests of many disadvantaged Californians such as small business owners who may not be able to afford an attorney or families who speak English as a second language and people impacted by wildfires. BOE is a champion against unfair practices like the widespread undervaluation of homes in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Lawmakers held hearings to check in on the operations of the board since its functions were reduced by Gov. Jerry Brown two years ago. A state audit before that decision revealed a series of shocking incidents of mismanagement and corruption involving members of the previous board, including the misappropriation of $350 million.

During the hearing, Cohen asked lawmakers to give the new board, under her leadership, time to fix “the sins of the previous class.”

Former Gov. Brown signed Assembly Bill 102 or the Taxpayer Transparency and Fairness Act into law in 2017 following the audit that uncovered the scandals at the BOE. The legislation stripped the state agency and its elected board of much of its tax administration and adjudication powers. The law also relieved the agency of its tax collection responsibility.

New state agencies like the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and the Office of Tax Appeals were created to take over some of those functions while others were absorbed by existing state offices.

The BOE is the only elected government board of its kind in the United States that is specifically set up to represent taxpayer interests.

California State Controller Betty T. Yee, who was once an elected officer of the 4-member board, believes the board is no longer relevant.

“For me the answer is no,” said Yee. “The BOE does not need to continue to have an elected board. The name on the door of who administers these programs is less important than how they are administered.”

Since the board’s mandate is constitutional, the process to determine its fate will take a few years. Legislators would have to vote to place a constitutional amendment regarding the Board’s fate before California voters on the 2020 ballot.

Tanu Henry, California Black Media

Posts by Tanu Henry, California Black Media

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Community

‘Eyes on Cuba’: A Conversation About Humanitarian Conditions Facing Cuba in Midst of Crippling U.S. Blockade

Cuba has long held a unique place in conversations about race, revolution and international Black solidarity. Its history has intersected with African liberation movements, anti-colonial struggles and debates about social equality throughout the Americas.

Published

4 hours ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Speakers from the Cuban embassy First Secretary Sulia Páez Chacon (left) and Second Secretary Gabriela Castillo shared the harsh realities caused by the U.S. blockade that has intensified dramatically this year. Photo by Ken Epstein.

By Carla Thomas and Ken Epstein

Community members gathered last weekend for an “Eyes on Cuba” conversation with two representatives of the Cuban embassy in the United States, focusing on the terrible suffering inflicted on the Cuban people by the intensified U.S. blockade and also discussing the historic connections between Black freedom movements in the U.S. and struggles for justice in Cuba.

Held in downtown Oakland Saturday, Aug. 22, at the office of Oakland Rising, the event featured presentations by representatives of the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., First Secretary Sulia Páez Chacon and Second Secretary Gabriela Castillo, who spoke and answered questions about the harsh realities of conditions on the island, with a population of about 11 million, while also highlighting the historic resilience and perseverance of the Cuban people.

The gathering was held in honor of the annual commemoration of Black August, a month of remembrance, education, and reflection on Black resistance, political prisoners, liberation movements, and the continuing pursuit of justice.

For more than 60 years, Cuba has faced a blockade designed to cripple its economic growth and overthrow its government, going back to the 1959 revolution against the colonial regime imposed by the U.S. But the recently intensified blockade has cut off the island’s fuel supply, creating an energy and humanitarian crisis that is strangling the country.

With the lack of oil previously supplied by Venezuela and the U.S. threat of high tariffs on countries that dare to ship petroleum to Cuba, the impact on water, sewage, healthcare, food, and medical supplies has been devastating for the country, according to the speakers.

“There are 100,000 patients now waiting for healthcare services,” said Chacon.

“There are 32,000 pregnant women whose care has been disrupted. This is criminal and a collective punishment. This is genocide – If this blockade continues, it will lead to a silent Gaza,” said Castillo.

Organizers framed the conversation around humanitarian conditions, international solidarity and the importance of building connections among Black communities across national borders.

The speakers shared that the country now experiences 12-48-hour blackouts that affect the transportation of goods, hospital services, and even people’s sleep patterns.

“This is impacting the lifesaving (kidney) dialysis services, special needs kids lacking hearing aids, and even supplies crucial for fixing machinery such as ultrasound machines,” said Castillo.

“Cuba is a Black country,” said Castillo. “Even if you are blond-haired and blue-eyed, your genetic heritage is African.”

“Eyes on Cuba” offered participants an opportunity to explore those connections while discussing the current crisis.

“We have 7,000 containers of supplies already paid for by Cuba, but the companies now refuse to send the shipments for fear of U.S. sanctions on their countries,” said Chacon.

Chacon and Castillo spoke about how the country has rebuilt itself since the 1990s and created healthcare and education systems so robust that they rival and even surpass those of many so-called advanced countries.

“We are from a generation born in crisis, and we rebuilt, but today the pressure we are under is extraordinary,” said Chacon.

Castillo explained that the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. government “has always been very complicated.”

“(But) the relation between the people of Cuba and the people of the U.S. is something that we cherish, that we carry in our hearts, that is way older than the Cuban revolution itself: the cultural ties, the social ties, historical ties, the political ties. We’ve always had a lot in common.”

Castillo said that the blockade on Cuba is more than economic; it seeks to erase the people’s identity.

There are, she said, worldwide disinformation campaigns against Cuba and its people, “mainly centered in the lie that Cuba is a threat to the U.S. “

The mainstream media says that “Cuba is a country on the brink of collapse, that our government is not competent enough to run the economy,” she said. “But they almost never say that the root of everything is the blockade. They don’t say that despite the hard situation right now, the country is not paralyzed. We have reorganized the whole economy.”

“For many young people, for Black people in Cuba as well, if it weren’t for the revolution, we wouldn’t be here,” said Castillo. “My grandmother from my father’s side, when the revolution triumphed, was 12 years old, and she was cleaning houses with her mom. She only had the possibility to study through elementary school. (After the revolution), she had the possibility to go to high school, and because of the revolution, she was able to study at the university and become a professional. I think that most of us in Cuba have the same story.”

At the close of the event, speakers recommended that, for more information, people watch the recently released documentaries on Cuba, “Teresita’s Dream” and “Cuba After Castro.” Local organizers will schedule follow-up discussions to plan solidarity actions.