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Toks Omishakin, Transportation Secretary Nominee, Moves Up to Cabinet Level

Omishakin, 44, makes history as the first African American to serve in that Cabinet-level position responsible for overseeing all state agencies that regulate and support transportation and administer services related to the sector.

Published

4 years ago

March 21, 2022

Antonio Ray Harvey

Toks Omishakin being sworn in by Gov. Gavin Newsom Feb 28, 2022 (Facebook)

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Adetokunbo “Toks” Omishakin Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).

“@CAgovernor want to express gratitude for new appt to Cabinet Secretary @CA_Trans_Agency,” tweeted Omishaken after his nomination was announced in February.

“Looking fwd to continued #partnership and realizing shared vision to implement initiatives with #Equity #Climate #Safety focus, for CA’s transportation system, now and in future. #CAForAll,” Omishakin’s tweet continued.

In California state government’s chain of command, Omishakin’s role as secretary is a step up from his last role: director of California Department of Transportation (CalTrans).

Newsom appointed him to lead CalTrans in September 2019.

Earlier this month, Omishakin’s wife and two children joined him as he took the oath of office in Sacramento to begin serving in the governor’s Cabinet.

At the swearing-in ceremony Newsom said Omishakin brings experience and vision to the role.

“As head of the largest and most complex transportation system in the nation, I’m confident that he’ll continue to bring his forward-thinking leadership and dedication to serving the people of California,” Newsom stated. “(Omishakin will) advance our ongoing work to build safer, healthier, and more sustainable communities that serve all Californians.”

The same day Omishakin took the oath of office, Newsom swore in Amy Tong, 48, to succeed his African American Secretary of California Government Operations Agency (GovOps) Yolanda Richardson.

Richardson resigned from the role in February, citing personal reasons. That same week California’s first African American Surgeon General Nadine Burke-Harris also resigned “to focus on her family.”

Tong previously served as director of the California Office of Digital Innovation. Before that, she was director of the California Department of Technology.

“A veteran of state service, Director Tong’s deep experience in the public sector and leadership in the technology field have helped guide key efforts to make government more efficient and effective, including our work to bridge the digital divide and help state agencies navigate complex challenges during the pandemic,” Newsom said, pointing out Tong’s past accomplishments.

In his role as CalSTA Secretary, Omishakin will oversee Caltrans, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Highway Patrol, the High-Speed Rail Authority, among other agencies and transportation-focused committees.

He is assuming the position after President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill into law last year. The legislation will direct billions of dollars into the state for wildfire preparation, public transit projects, bridge and road repair, and broadband internet.

California will receive $25 billion from the federal government for highways under the Reconnecting Communities Initiative. The program was created to undo some of the effects of the economic and social disruption caused by highway construction through a number of majority Black communities under the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

The U.S. Transportation Department estimates that, between 1957 and 1977, nearly 480,000 households across the country were forced out of their homes to accommodate the highway construction, which started under President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration. Some of those highway projects entrenched segregation by isolating some of those majority-Black communities and cutting off their access to resources.

In an April 2021 interview with California Black Media, Omishakin said CalTrans needs to “engage more” with Black and Brown communities.

“We need to reach out more to people and businesses to let them know what opportunities exist,” he said.

The position of Secretary of the California State Transportation requires Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $227,178 annually.

Omishakin, born in Knoxville, Tenn., is registered without a political party preference. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University, an HBCU in Mississippi. He is completing a doctorate degree in Engineering Management at the University of Tennessee.

From 2011 to 2019, Omishakin was deputy commissioner for Environment and Planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

In August 2020, Omishakin opened the CalTrans Office of Race and Equity (CORE), which works closely with the Office of Civil Rights to combine equity initiatives. The office hosts a virtual business summit to support small business owners.

“Omishakin has implemented innovative strategies to create a more equitable, world-class transportation network for all users while improving the safety and livability of neighborhoods across the state.

“Under his leadership, Caltrans has worked to accelerate more than 100 roadway projects during the pandemic, adjusted operations to help keep goods moving amid supply chain challenges and spearheaded the transformative Clean California program that is revitalizing public spaces across California,” said Newsom.

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Black Leadership Council Recognizes Assemblymembers Bonta, Jackson for Leadership and Service

“The Black Leadership Council has been imprinted in my heart because I first met with you all when I was a first-year legislator and we talked about what we wanted for our children and our families,” Bonta said. “It’s just an incredible honor to receive this award and share this honor with my partner in this work, Dr. Corey Jackson.”

Published

2 months ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

The Black Leadership Council (BLC) Legislative Awards Luncheon took place in Sacramento on June 17. The event is a core component of the BLC's "Black in Action" Day of Advocacy. The initiative brings leaders from public and private sectors to the State Capitol to engage with policymakers and push for systemic solutions advancing Black prosperity in California. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

The Black Leadership Council (BLC) honored Assemblymembers Mia Bonta (D-Alameda) and Dr. Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) during its annual Legislative Awards Luncheon for their leadership in advancing racial justice, economic opportunity and community investment.

Both members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), Bonta received the Education Equity Champion Award, while Jackson was presented with the Wealth Equity Champion Award.

The luncheon was held June 17 at the Sutter Club in Sacramento following a morning of meetings between BLC members and CLBC senators, assemblymembers and Capitol staff.

“Whenever you’re in the same room and being honored alongside Oakland’s own Mia Bonta, you must be doing something right. One of the things that’s clear is that this nation needs Black leadership more than ever,” Jackson said.

Jackson was recognized for co-authoring legislation that expands economic opportunity, strengthens the social safety net and supports youth and vulnerable communities.

Bonta was honored for establishing the bipartisan California Legislative Children’s Caucus, a bicameral coalition that advocates for investments in childcare, health and education. The caucus promotes evaluating state budgets and public policy through the lens of children’s well-being.

BLC and the CLBC work together to translate community priorities into legislative action. Both lawmakers said the BLC was among the first organizations they met with after taking office.

Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins (D-La Mesa) attended the luncheon to celebrate her legislative director, Jerika Edwards, who received the Next Generation Leadership Award. Sharp-Collins credited Edwards with building a distinguished record of civic engagement, public service, voting rights advocacy and social justice leadership.

Nikki A. Beasley, executive director of Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, received the Housing Equity Champion Award. Carol F. Burton, a health care, criminal justice and behavioral health executive, received the Health Equity Champion Award. BLC member Joya Chavarin, a California-based education researcher, was presented with the Trailblazer Award.

“The Legislative Awards Luncheon offers a valuable opportunity to recognize impactful legislators, their staff, and community leaders,” said Meron Agonafer, a member of the BLC Executive Committee.

Established by PRC, formerly the Positive Resource Center, the BLC is a statewide coalition dedicated to advancing policy and systems change in education, housing, health and justice. Its overarching mission is to achieve “Black prosperity” through statewide advocacy and public policy.

“The council targets a high volume of legislation,” said Dr. Deborah Hawkes, PRC’s chief executive officer, who oversees the BLC’s statewide strategy and community initiatives.

“Freedom means opportunities. It means access to quality education, stable housing, good health, economic security, and the ability for every person to thrive,” Hawkes said. “That work requires investments, it requires leaders who are willing to speak up, organizations that are going to do the work, and partners who are willing to sustain the movement.”

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Black Caucus Bill Requiring Major Corporations in California to Disclose Links to Slavery Moves Forward

“We have a public accounting of the ways that our civic institutions have benefited from chattel slavery and built wealth in the process,” said Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). “We even had cost estimates of what is true accounting for what that (wealth) would be.”

Published

2 months ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), at the podium, presents Assembly Bill 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, before the California Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24. The committee approved the measure on an 11-1 vote. The bill would require major corporations doing business in California with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to search their historical records and submit sworn affidavits disclosing any ties to chattel slavery. Seated on the committee are Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), left, and California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego). CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

In August 2000, the California Legislature confronted a little-known chapter of American history after records uncovered in the state archives revealed that, before the Civil War, some insurance companies issued policies to slaveholders that insured enslaved people against injury, death or escape, treating human beings as property.

That same year, former state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) authored Senate Bill 2199, landmark legislation requiring insurance companies doing business in California to disclose records of slaveholder insurance policies issued by them or their corporate predecessors.

More than two decades later, California lawmakers are seeking to expand that transparency.

Assembly Bill (AB) 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, authored by Asm. Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights), builds on the disclosure framework established by SB 2199. The measure would require certain large corporations to search their historical records and submit sworn affidavits, under penalty of perjury, disclosing documented ties to chattel slavery or profits derived from slavery.

On June 23, AB 2599 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), on an 11-1 vote. The measure now heads to the Senate Public Safety Committee.

“We have a public accounting of the ways that our civic institutions have benefited from chattel slavery and built wealth in the process,” said Bryan, vice chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). “We even had cost estimates of what is true accounting for what that (wealth) would be.”

Bryan continued, “This bill is simply about disclosure. We’ve had a conversation about the private sector’s role in extracting that wealth, but this bill starts with that conversation around disclosure.”

Known as the Slavery Era Insurance Policies Act, Hayden’s SB 2199 required insurers licensed in California to examine their archives for antebellum policies covering slaveholders against the loss or death of enslaved people. The results were compiled by the California Department of Insurance.

AB 2599 would extend that transparency requirement beyond the insurance industry. It requires entities doing business in California with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to review their records for historical involvement in slavery-related transactions.

The bill specifically identifies industries historically tied to the slave economy, including textile, tobacco, railroad, shipping, rice, sugar, financial and insurance companies.

AB 2599 is the CLBC’s sole priority bill this legislative session, according to Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the caucus and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Weber Pierson cited several financial institutions and insurance companies that have acknowledged or documented historical ties to slavery, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, New York Life, AIG and Aetna.

“This bill (AB 2599) is extremely important because it acknowledges that many disparities facing Black Americans did not happen by accident. It also talks about the fact that many of the economic opportunities that benefited major institutions did not also happen by accident — but by their participation in chattel slavery,” Weber Pierson said.

The bill’s primary co-sponsor is the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation and Truth. Other supporters include Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA), Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Healing Justice Santa Barbara, the Black Power Network, the Inland Empire Black Worker Center, LA Voice, the League of Women Voters of California and Starting Over Inc.

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The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Hold Day of Advocacy at the Capitol in Sacramento

A member of the “Divine Nine,” Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization was established by 22 women who sought to shift the group’s focus from social activities to public service, academic excellence, and social activism.

Published

3 months ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro) presents a Senate resolution to the Delta Theta Sigma Sorority Farwest Region at the State Capitol on May 4. Photo courtesy of the Senate Rules Committee.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

On May 4, members of the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., convened at the California State Capitol for the organization’s 23rd annual Delta Days in Sacramento.

The two-day advocacy event brings together chapters from across California to engage directly in the legislative process, connect with lawmakers, and advocate for policies impacting Black communities.

Members of the sorority were honored on the Senate floor by Sen. Laura Richardson (D-San Pedro), who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Richardson welcomed the Farwest Region during the presentation of a Senate resolution recognizing outgoing Regional Director Kimberly Usher for her leadership and service.

“In addition to the Far West Region, we are led by a fearless leader, regional director Kimberly Usher. She has now served her full term of what’s allowed,” Richardson said. “We are going to be having our regional conference, but we wanted to give it to her here, officially recognizing her service.”

The resolution was co-authored by Richardson and fellow members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and Delta Sigma Theta, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego) and Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton).

Usher has served in the leadership role since 2022.

“We are founded on sisterhood that is deeply rooted in scholarship, service, and social action,” said Weber Pierson, a member of the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

“Today, we continue a legacy of empowering communities and upholding the high cultural, intellectual, and moral standards established by our founders over a century ago,” she added.