Community

When Gavin Newsom Showed Up for My Community

In this last month, Newsom will be blamed for everything from the fires (PG&E is a better culprit if Mother Nature isn’t good enough for you); to the coronavirus (You saw how Republicans in lock-step with Trump enabled the virus to grow in 2020. Hundreds of thousands of Americans died needlessly); And you can throw in climate change (though Newsom has been one of the most forthright about addressing climate change. The Republicans? Climate deniers all).

Published

5 years ago

August 12, 2021

Isabelle Price

Governor Gavin Newsom at a Meeting, Photo courtesy of ca.gov website

California Gov. Gavin Newsom needs friends right now. I’m not a “friend.” But as a journalist he once invited me to coffee to talk about some columns I wrote, which included negative swipes about his policies. He reached out. We chatted. He’s still not a “friend.” But if I was on the street homeless, I know he wouldn’t be as cruel as some of his past policies might have indicated at first.

He would have at least given me some new cardboard.

Maybe made sure I had access to public services. But he’d help.

Since that meeting (he was mayor of San Francisco), he’s climbed to the highest office in the state.

Me? I’m talking to you directly.

I’ve written about him sparingly, but I did write a couple of years ago when we were both in attendance at the funeral of Alice Bulos.

Bulos was the “Godmother of Filipino American Politics.” You didn’t make political lumpia without the help of Alice Bulos. By lumpia, I mean that Filipino version of the egg roll, stuffed with anything you want. Cabbage? Tofu? Collards? You can put anything in a lumpia wrapper. Then you flash fry it crispy, add the secret dipping sauce. Have no party without them.

Lumpia. That’s how Bulos put together coalitions of different groups in politics.

You need Alice’s lumpia recipe.

At her funeral, Newsom towered over most of the Filipino Americans who were in attendance. He was like the whole string bean in the lumpia. But he came. He went to Mass. He walked out with the casket. And then he hung out with all of us outside the church. Took selfies. It was the same old Gavin. He was only lieutenant governor back then. But he wanted to be governor. Was he “campaigning” us? No, he was being personal. And real. He had to be there for all that Alice Bulos meant.

He showed up for her. And for us.

Right now, Newsom could use Alice’s recipe. He’s up for a recall vote that’s about to turn nasty as we get to the final month before the election which will be held on Sept. 14.

Republicans will do worse than Newsom on any of the big issues. And they’ll ignore all the little issues real folk care about.

Republicans do have a full roster of people among the more than 45 candidates who want the job. Some are talk show hosts. Having been one myself, I know the ones running can’t be serious. Running for office is just a publicity stunt. Lord help us if they win. Look at Trump. But they suck votes away from Newsom and wreak havoc on government when it already has enough problems on its hands– like fires, climate change and the coronavirus.

Start caring about this election. This is no slam dunk. In a UC Berkeley/Los Angeles Times poll, among likely voters, 47% want the recall; 50% are for Newsom.

That’s way too close with a month away.

Newsom needs people to show up by marking up their mail-in ballots (arriving by the middle of August), sending them in, or by voting in-person on September 14.

Don’t let voter apathy and more stringent coronavirus restrictions have an impact. A Republican running for fun, or a Trump wannabe isn’t what California needs right now.

My Filipino American friends who were at Alice Bulos’ funeral know how critical this all is.

They haven’t forgotten when Newsom showed up for us.

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. He vlogs at www.amok.com and on Facebook Watch. Twitter @emilamok.

Isabelle Price

Posts by Isabelle Price

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

1 day ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.