Breaking News

Economy

Meet the 29-Year-Old Activist and Atty Chairing California’s Reparations Task Force
BusinessCelebration of LifeEconomyFamilyNationalNews (Business)News (Family)Political

Meet the 29-Year-Old Activist and Atty Chairing California’s Reparations Task Force

Bo Tefu | California Black Media December 9, 2021

In June, California launched the nation’s first Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans this year.   The nine-member committee was established to meet the requirements of Assembly Bill (AB) 3121, which California Secretary of State  Shirley Weber authored and introduced in 2020 when she served in the Legislature.  Gov. Newsom signed it into law in September 2020.  “This is a debt that is owed, just because it hasn’t been paid doesn’t mean it goes away,” said the newly elected chair of the California reparations task force Kamilah V. Moore.    At the task force’s first meeting on June

No Preview
BusinessCOVID-19EconomyFamilyFinanceHealthLifestyleNationalNewsNews (Business)

California Goes on Offensive as Omicron Variant Threat Grows 

Aldon Thomas Stiles | California Black MediaDecember 9, 2021

Three days after Thanksgiving, Gov. Gavin Newsom went online to address the new COVID-19 Omicron variant, a version of the virus with at least 50 mutations, according to the World Health Organization.  26 of those mutations have never been detected before, scientists say.    “California is monitoring the new variant,” Newsom tweeted. “We will continue to be guided by data and science. Right now, the best way we know to protect yourself is to get vaccinated and get your booster. Go today. Don’t wait.”  The variant was first identified by a South African scientist and has since surfaced in several other Southern

Black Cannabis Entrepreneurs Say State’s $30 Million Fee Waiver Fund May Not Be Enough
BusinessEconomyFamilyLifestyleNews (Business)News (Family)

Black Cannabis Entrepreneurs Say State’s $30 Million Fee Waiver Fund May Not Be Enough

Edward Henderson | California Black MediaDecember 9, 2021

Alphonso “Tucky” Blunt, the owner of a marijuana product store in Oakland called Blunts and Moore, says his business is located in the same zip code where he was arrested for selling weed illegally in 2004.   Now that he is legit in the business – he opened his store a little over three years ago– Blunt says it is nearly impossible for Black and other minority-owned cannabis startups like his to make a profit in California.   “Where’s the tradeoff? I’ve been in the business for a few years and I’m still in the red. California has one of the highest

Black Woman Tech Founder Survived Homelessness and Started a Movement to Increase Generational Wealth in South L.A.
BusinessEconomyEducationFamilyFinanceLifestyleLocalNews (Business)News (Family)

Black Woman Tech Founder Survived Homelessness and Started a Movement to Increase Generational Wealth in South L.A.

L.A Sentinel Staff ReportNovember 26, 2021

Homeless at the age of 19, Cassie Betts has a riveting life story. She shares memories about befriending “questionable characters of the night,” with the tech-savvy inner-city youth she trains in her technology academy Made In South L.A. (MISLA), initially launched from the janitor’s closet of a South Central Los Angeles charter school.

CD-9 Welcomes Residents Applying for BIG:LEAP Program
EconomyFinanceHealthLocalNews (Business)News (Family)Safety

CD-9 Welcomes Residents Applying for BIG:LEAP Program

By Cora Jackson-Fossett, Staff WriterNovember 4, 2021

South L.A. residents lined up on October 29, at the field office of Councilmember Curren Price, Jr. to apply for the BIG:LEAP – the Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Program. The citywide program, which accepts applications until November 7, will provide 3,000 recipients with $1,000 per month for 12 months with no-strings-attached or conditions on how the funds must be spent.

As Bitcoin goes mainstream, Wall Street looks to cash in
BusinessEconomy

As Bitcoin goes mainstream, Wall Street looks to cash in

AP NewsOctober 19, 2021

Love cryptocurrencies or hate the very idea of them, they’re becoming more mainstream by the day.

Cryptocurrencies have surged so much that their total value has reached nearly $2.5 trillion, rivaling the world’s most valuable company, Apple, and have amassed more than 200 million users. At that size, it’s simply too big for the financial establishment to ignore.

COVID’s effects worsen America’s racial wealth gap: Blacks own 22 cents for every dollar held by whites Closing gaps would create 1.7 million jobs, add $300-450 billion to the economy
Charlene CrowellEconomyNationalNewsNews (Business)Op-Ed

COVID’s effects worsen America’s racial wealth gap: Blacks own 22 cents for every dollar held by whites Closing gaps would create 1.7 million jobs, add $300-450 billion to the economy

Charlene CrowellSeptember 30, 2021

As the global pandemic continues to take lives and infect multiple generations, virtually every dimension of life is challenged. And people with the fewest financial resources before COVID-19 are being challenged more than ever before.  

It is both a challenge and an opportunity for leadership in the Biden Administration, Congress, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the private sector address to effect policies and practices that reverse the nation’s still-growing racial wealth gap. Tried and true wealth-building tools like targeted homeownership and expanded small business investments together would bring sustainable and meaningful changes to those who historically have been financially marginalized. 

Senate Democrats Pass $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan – ‘The Most Significant Piece of Legislation in Decades’
Economy

Senate Democrats Pass $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan – ‘The Most Significant Piece of Legislation in Decades’

Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentAugust 12, 2021

Shortly after the U.S. Senate passed President Joe Biden’s most ambitious pieces of legislation, a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, Democrats acted again by pushing through an equally enterprising $3.5 trillion budget proposal. The bill would make childcare more accessible, create universal pre-K, expand paid family and medical leave, and make community college free for the first two years.

5 Things to Remember During Your Job Search
EconomyEmployment

5 Things to Remember During Your Job Search

Aubrey HenryJuly 1, 2021

Nearly 16 months after coronavirus lockdowns began, California is open for business. As job growth continues and the economy rebounds, beginning July 11, Californians who collect unemployment must look for work to maintain their benefits. EDD refers to these people as “claimants” – individuals who claim unemployment benefits.