Category: Valleys

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

California’s Oldest AME Church Celebrates Historic 175th Anniversary

The overflowing pride, spiritual joy and sense of community was tangible at the oldest African American church in California, St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.). On Nov. 15-16. the congregation celebrated its 175th anniversary with a special church service and a “living museum” event in Sacramento.

Featured
Kathleen Untalan

Rams Fight, Hang On vs. Seahawks

facebooktwitterinstagram The Los Angeles Rams knocked off the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on Sunday in the first of their two regular-season meetings, earning a

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Historic Beatdown: Democrats Sweep Virginia as Speaker Don Scott and Jay Jones Make History

In a clear rejection of the policies of President Donald Trump, history repeated itself in Virginia. Democrats once again swept all three statewide offices as they did in 2017 during Trump’s first term. Abigail Spanberger easily won the office of Governor, and State Senator Ghazala Hashmi won her race over John Reid to be the next Lieutenant Governor. The victories occurred against the backdrop of a historic win in Virginia by Spanberger that will give Virginia its first woman Governor.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

A Week Later: A Dire Need in Jamaica

The United Nations reports that Hurricane Melissa has scattered nearly 5 million tons of debris across Western Jamaica, hindering crews from delivering aid and restoring critical services promptly.

African Americans
Stefi Mar

Medi-Cal Is Changing—What Black Californians Need to Know in 2025 and Beyond

Medi-Cal is undergoing major changes. For Black Californians, these shifts bring both opportunities and challenges. As California continues to reshape its health care system through initiatives like California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), the state is working to close long-standing racial disparities in care, especially in areas like maternal health, mental health, and preventive services.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Covered California Opens Enrollment; Warns of Premium Hikes If Tax Credits End

With the federal government shutdown now in its second month, Covered California officials are warning that nearly two million residents who rely on federal tax credits to keep their coverage affordable could face steep premium increases—or lose insurance—if Congress fails to act during open enrollment.

Los Angeles
Kathleen Untalan

World Day of Remembrance Matters — Here’s Why

facebooktwitterinstagram Every third Sunday in November, families across California and the world pause to honor loved ones lost in traffic crashes. But World Day of

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

The Legacy of Slavery Still Breathes—And This Book Refuses to Let It Sleep

A year after its release, The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Overcoming the 500-Year Legacy stands not only as a record of history but as a warning to the present. When Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. and this writer published their searing exploration of slavery’s enduring impact, they were documenting centuries of pain and resistance. Today, under the Trump administration, the book feels like a mirror held up to an America slipping backward into the shadows it once pretended to escape.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Operation Feed California Kicks Off to Support Families Hit by CalFresh Delays

Amid a crowd of thousands waiting for groceries at a San Diego food distribution site on Nov. 2, Josh Fryday, Director of the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement (GO-Serve), stood alongside California Service Corps members to launch Operation Feed California, a statewide effort to help the 5.5 million Californians struggling with delayed SNAP benefits during the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

The Blue Flood: America Finds Its Voice Again

By 8:30 p.m. on election night, the story was unmistakable. America had spoken, not with a whisper but with a roar that swept from Richmond to Atlanta, from Newark to New York City. The message was clear. The nation had seen enough of the cruelty, chaos, and conspiracies that marked the Trump years. What followed was not a trickle of blue, but a flood.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Gov. Newsom Signs Law Rewriting the Rules on K-8 Reading Instruction

California is set to overhaul how it teaches reading to K-8 students after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB)1454, a landmark reform authored by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and supported by the NAACP California-Hawaii State Conference

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

Halfway to Chains: What’s Already Been Enforced Under Project 2025

They said it would never happen here. Yet here we are. Forty-eight percent of Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s fascist playbook for dismantling American democracy, has already been put into motion. Nearly half of this regime’s roadmap to erase civil rights, gut public programs, and reimpose racial hierarchy has been realized, with Black America once again standing at the edge of the abyss.

Bakersfield
Stefi Mar

California’s Proposition 50: A Quiet Rebellion Against the Rigged Game

In a political season defined by distrust, Californians did something rare on Tuesday night. They stood up for democracy. Proposition 50, approved by a wide margin, was more than a ballot measure. It was a statement of intent. Voters sent a message that when the system begins to fracture, citizens still have the power to restore it.