By Lou Yeboah

Why? Don’t you know that if you want to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat. Forward is a fight. On the road to moving forward are many obstacles. It’s not the easy road of the least resistance but the hard road of great resistance. Why? Because Satan does all he can to prevent our growth and development. He knows how great that path is so he resists every step forward we take. But I want you to know that you have all the weapons of warfare you need to carry on for, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” [Isaiah 54:17] “If God be for you who can be against you?” [Romans 8:31]. I tell you, don’t let anything get in the way of you moving forward. God wants to do more than you can ever imagine. Move out and move forward!

You see, there is only one way to move in the Kingdom: Move Forward! When we ‘Move Forward’ the Lord will open the door! Be dissatisfied with your position. As Paul said in [Philippians 3:12] “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” I tell you, God has created an open place for you to walk in. If you would just believe and move forward into the things of God, “He would supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” It’s time to ‘Move Forward! Don’t wander in wilderness – move out and move forward. The command given is, “Forward!”

As [Deut. 1:7] says, “Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers – to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – and to their descendans after them.” [Deut. 1:7-8]. You have stayed long enough in this mountain…now set up your journey. Go up and possess the land.” Forward March!

I want you to know that the purpose of my thought and intention today is to convey the significance of the moment or occasion we as a people of God have embarked upon. It is an occasion of opportunity, a point of entering, a moment of possessing.  Now is the time we must move. “For a great door and effectual is opened unto (us).” For God desires to take us places that “eyes have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Shake yourself off from the things that inhibit or obstruct your mobility and progression from entering into the things God has prepared for you. Forward March!

By Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media

According to the California Education Code, all California school districts will have to submit a first interim budget report by December 15.

This report compares the school district’s ongoing fiscal condition to what was projected in the budget they submitted in July. The report includes the latest student enrollment and attendance figures, data on staffing, year-to-date accounting, and projections of expenditures and cash flow.

Through this review, districts assess whether they will be able to meet their obligations and are required to self-certify whether their fiscal condition is positive, qualified, or negative (i.e., will meet, may not meet, or will not be solvent over the next three years).

Most school districts will certify that they will meet their financial obligations for the current and two subsequent fiscal years, but there are a growing number of districts that will assign themselves qualified or negative certifications.

Large school districts, based on their July budgets, that may be on the list of qualified or negative certifications include Los Angeles Unified, Sacramento City Unified, Sweetwater Union, and Oakland Unified.

Districts with negative and qualified certifications must come to terms with the fact that unless they find new revenue sources or gain better control their expenditures, they will have to request a state loan to avoid fiscal insolvency.

According to Assembly Bill 1200, called the Eastin Act, the state of California is required to maintain the financial soundness of public-school districts. Since 1991, when the bill passed, nine districts have been given emergency loans. Four are still repaying loans they accepted.

Under AB 1200, a district secures a state loan through Legislative action. A state-appointed administrator takes over, the superintendent is fired, and the board of education becomes an advisory body. All decisions about the district’s operational priorities are taken away from the local level until the state loan is paid in full.

State intervention has not guaranteed that the school district in receivership will be better managed. This must concern school districts facing this prospect.

Inglewood Unified is currently the only school district in state receivership. Its experience is “the canary in the coal mine” that districts on the verge of accepting a state loan need to look at closely.

In September 2012, the governor approved Senate Bill (SB) 533 authorizing a loan up-to $55 million to Inglewood Unified to allow it to avoid fiscal insolvency. The State Superintendent and California Department of Education (CDE) took over Inglewood’s schools and drew down $29 million from the loan, obligating the school district to pay $1.8 Million a year for 30 years to retire the loan.

Between 2012 and 2017, the state superintendent appointed three administrators, two interim administrators and one trustee. During this period of unstable leadership, the district’s finances and operations did not significantly improve and little progress was made toward being able to return to local control.

In 2015, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee approved an audit concerning the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s oversight of the Inglewood Unified School District.

A key recommendation the State Auditor made to the Legislature was “any future state emergency funding for a school district appropriated by the Legislature should specifically require the state superintendent to document the selection and appointment process of a state administrator, including the rationales for progressing certain candidates once screened or reasons that particular individuals were ultimately selected to serve as state administrator.”

So far, the Legislature has failed to implement the recommendation put forth by the audit. It’s clear that Inglewood’s progress has suffered because of a lack of stable leadership provided by the state.

A similar experience happening to any other school district in the future is unacceptable.

In 2018, Assembly Bill (AB) 1840 provided financial relief to Inglewood Unified and Oakland Unified as both school districts struggled to balance their budgets and pay off state loans. In that legislation, responsibility for managing a school district under state receivership was removed from CDE and given to each of the responsible County’s Office of Education.

The last State Administrator appointed by CDE to lead Inglewood Unified, Dr. Thelma Melendez, recently retired. Under the guidelines of AB 1840, a new County Administrator, Dr. Erika Torres, was announced by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE).

All that is known about how this appointment was made is that the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT pronounced Fick-mat) identified 26 candidates to be interviewed, a LACOE interview panel made a recommendation and it was approved by County Superintendent Debra Durado, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and President of the Board of Education Linda Darling-Hammond.

Before her appointment, Torres was acting interim County Administrator and, for about a year, she was the LACOE Deputy Superintendent charged with working with Melendez. So, she takes the job already knowing what needs to be prioritized and what resources she will need to succeed in turning around the school district.

This may be the model that should be adopted for future state takeovers. Instead of firing the superintendent of the school district, a reasonable transition period should be observed. Prior to the appointment of Torres, each state administrator had to figure out on their own how they would lead. That process failed to produce satisfactory progress.

It is time for the Legislature—hopefully, during the upcoming session—to craft legislation that will provide better direction on how school districts under state receivership are managed. The future of the students in those districts will be the beneficiaries of the legislation they approve.

ATLANTA, GA— Actress and Comedian B. Simone has recently launched a cosmetic line. The line features an assortment of lip glosses, mattes and liners to enhance the natural beauty of the everyday woman. The up-and-coming beauty mogul reached a whopping $100,000 in sales in just 24 hours on Black Friday. B. Simone Beauty is available exclusively at bsimonebeauty.com.

B. Simone’s Instagram videos have received recognition from the likes of Chris Brown, Rihanna, Lil Boosie, TI and many more. She has a crazy social media following of over 3.8 million. Her ultimate goal is to be an actress and movie star aka the “Female Jamie Foxx.” She recently released a new freestyle titled “Raw Shit” that received 1.6 million views in 48 hours. Aside from selling out of lip gloss, releasing new music, and partying with Rap-star crush Da Baby, Simone is prepping for a national comedy tour with comedy legend Martin Lawrence in February.

“I just wanted to create something to sell that I love and use every day. I know beauty and I’m a licensed cosmetologist. I went over to China and developed a formula from scratch. We finally got it right and I’m proud of it,” B. Simone tells Dash Radio.

Select cosmetics are still available, but all new colors will be released in January. Visit bsimonebeauty.com for more information.

By Covered California

Sheila Head has been an entrepreneur in Oakland, California for 36 years.

“I love what I do,” said the hairstylist and owner of Head Designs.

But while her business was relatively healthy, Head’s body was not.

“I only would go (to the doctor) when I absolutely had to go,” Head said. “Then Covered California came around, and I jumped on it. My life seemed to blossom.”

Open enrollment is underway for consumers to sign up for health insurance through Covered California. A key deadline is December 15 for consumers who want their coverage to begin on January 1. Open enrollment runs through January 31.

A free health screening revealed that Head was pre-diabetic.

“Oh, no. I don’t want to have anything to do with diabetes,” said Head.

Diabetes is one of the diseases that disproportionately affects African Americans. The U.S. Office of Minority Health estimates that African Americans are 80 percent more likely than other races to get diabetes and are twice as likely to die from the disease.    

                                                                       This year’s open-enrollment period features some of the biggest changes since Covered California first began offering health coverage in 2014. First, two new state initiatives — the state subsidy program and the restoration of the individual mandate — were key elements in Covered California’s record-low 0.8 percent rate increase for the upcoming year.

While preliminary, early data shows that 85 percent of eligible low-income Californians are qualifying for a state subsidy on top of their federal tax credits. About 50 percent of middle-class Californians across the state with household incomes between 400 and 600 percent of the federal poverty level are finding out they are eligible to receive a state subsidy starting in January.

“We have heard from people across the state who will be saving hundreds of dollars a month because California is putting its people first,” Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said. “Whether you never thought you could get financial help, or if you have checked before, you need to check again because there is new money available that may dramatically reduce the cost of your coverage.”

The new state subsidies are already helping consumers who have selected a plan for 2020. Eligible low-income consumers who qualify for a subsidy are receiving an average of $19 per month, per household, while eligible middle-income Californians who receive a subsidy are getting an average of more than $500 per month, per household.

Enrolling for coverage now is critical because California restored the penalty that was part of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act from 2014 to 2018. That means most consumers who do not get covered could face a fine when they file their 2020 taxes in the spring of 2021. A family of four would pay a penalty of at least $2,000, and potentially more, for not having health insurance throughout 2020.

The penalty aside, Lee and Head focused on the positive aspects of being insured, including free health screenings, an annual checkup and peace of mind knowing that if a health crisis occurs, you won’t go bankrupt when bills pile up.

Free preventative health care services offered by all Covered California health plans helped Head make wise choices to stay healthy, and she is now an active participant in an innovative diabetes-prevention program offered through her health provider, Blue Shield.

“Covered California gave me, like, my own heath care team,” Head said. “I hope everyone will have the opportunity to feel like I’ve been feeling.”

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Covered California Open Enrollment Information

Those interested in learning more about their coverage options can:

• Visit www.CoveredCA.com.
• Get free and confidential in-person assistance, in a variety of languages, from a certified enroller.
• Have a certified enroller call them and help them for free.
• Call Covered California’s Service Center at (800) 300-1506.

Open enrollment runs through January 31, 2020. Enroll by December 15 to have coverage start on January 1.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

Black Republicans in California are focused and organizing. 

They want to “reintroduce” African Americans in the state to the GOP, Black Republican leaders and activists say.

By increasing the number of Black Republicans holding political office in the state and inspiring more Black Californians to vote red, they believe their efforts will purple the deep blue African-American vote in the fourth bluest of blue states in the country, according to a ranking by The Hill, a Washington D.C.-based website that covers the U.S. Congress, Presidency and national politics.

“We are Black first, then Republican,” says Corrin Rankin, 45, a GOP activist and delegate who splits her time between homes in San Mateo and San Joaquin counties.

“We believe Republican policies are more in line with our values as Black Americans than democratic policies,” says Rankin. “We believe in low taxes, small and efficiently-run governments, and limited regulation. The more regulations you have, the less people – especially people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds – are able to get involved in any industry.”

Last February, at the state Republican convention, Rankin says she and other African-American conservatives who attended decided to organize themselves and form an association called the Legacy Republican Alliance (LRA), a political action committee, after they found out the California Republican Party had a directive to not reach out to Black voters.

“We understand from a business perspective that the number of Black Republicans in the state is relatively small, but that was not the right way to go for the party,” she says. “There were other ethnic organizations at the convention. That’s why we decided to create the LRA, to increase our numbers and make our voices heard so that we can have a seat at the table.”

California has the fifth largest Black population in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.   African Americans account for about 6.5 percent of the state’s total population of nearly 40 million people.

Democrats in California make up 72 percent of Black registered voters, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Six percent of those African-American likely voters are Republican. Independents account for about 20 percent.

And there are no Black Republicans who are members of the state legislature or among California’s delegations to the United States Congress.

But some African-American leaders in the California Democratic Party are concerned that their party has not done a good job empowering Blacks when it comes to things like organizing voter registrations and encouraging voter participation. Many point out, too, that fellow Democrats at the state, county and local levels often overlook issues important to African Americans like failing schools and the high cost of housing, and they sometimes advance public policies that disproportionally impact Blacks as well as middle class and lower-income families.

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Those Black Democratic leaders – two of them spoke with California Black Media off the record for this article – say those missteps by their party cause them to work harder to ensure that their party remains the first choice for Black Californians.

But Taisha Brown, who was sworn in chair of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus last month, says Black support of the Democratic Party and elected Democrats in the state has never been stronger. And with more African-American Democrats being appointed to influential leadership positions in the state, she is confident things are moving in the right direction.

“We may not see eye-to-eye on every issue as Democrats in California, but we still stand with each other, and we support a party where there is room to have difficult conversations that allow us to move forward together in good faith as we work for a better California, a better country, a better life for all of our families,” she said. “Now, more than ever, we have to listen to each other and think about how the things we fight for impact all of us.”

Since the LRA was formed, Rankin says the group has launched a website and focused on informing Black Californians that Republican policies on employment, business, education, taxation, criminal justice reform, community-police relations and criminal justice reform are better for their families and communities.

They have also been actively raising money to support Black Republican candidates and LRA members, including Navy veteran Joe Collins who is running for U.S. Congress against Rep. Maxine Waters in the 43^rd district which covers the Los Angeles area; Aja Smith, an Air Force vet, also running for U.S. Congress against Democratic Rep. Mark Takano in the 41^st district in the Inland Empire; Tamika Hamilton, another Air Force vet running for Congress against Democratic Rep. John Garamendi in the 3^rd Congressional district west of Sacramento; and Major Williams who is running for mayor of Pasadena.

Another member of the LRA, Jonathan Madison, has been elected Regional Vice Chair of the Bay Area GOP.

In April of this year, the California Republican Assembly (CRA), a statewide conservative activist group former California Gov. and U.S. President Ronald Reagan called “the conscience of the Republican Party,” elected Johnnie Morgan, 68, as its first African-American president for a three-year term.

Morgan says one of his main goals as CRA president is to recruit more African Americans and Independents to join the California Republican Party.  

“African Americans place a high value on family as does the Republican Party,” Morgan told California Black Media.

Rankin is encouraging Black Californians who want to make a difference in their communities to reach out to the LRA for mentorship and guidance on how to get elected to county or municipal office.

“You can run for city council or your local school board and represent yourself, your interests, your neighbors and your community,” she says.

Rankin says the LRA is building a framework in California that it hopes to take nationwide.

“Our state is in desperate need of diverse and thoughtful leaders who will bring a much-needed, new approach to solving California’s toughest challenges,” she says.  

By Zack Whittaker | Tech Crunch

If you just bought or plan to buy a smart TV, the FBI wants you to know a few things.

Smart TVs are like regular television sets, but with an internet connection. With the advent and growth of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, most saw internet-connected televisions as a cord-cutter’s dream. But like anything that connects to the internet, it opens up smart TVs to security vulnerabilities and hackers. In addition, many smart TVs come with a camera and a microphone. But as is the case with most other internet-connected devices, manufacturers often don’t put security as a priority.

That’s the basic takeaway from the FBI’s Portland field office, which just ahead of some of the biggest shopping days of the year posted a warning on its website about the risks that smart TVs pose.

“Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her,  an easy way in the backdoor through your router,” wrote the FBI.

The FBI warned that hackers can take control of your unsecured smart TV and in worst cases, take control of the camera and microphone to watch and listen in.

Active attacks and exploits against smart TVs are rare, but not unheard of. Because every smart TV comes with their manufacturer’s own software and are at the mercy of their often unreliable and irregular security patching schedule, some devices are more vulnerable than others. Earlier this year, hackers showed it was possible to hijack Google’s Chromecast streaming stick and broadcast random videos to thousands of victims.

In fact, some of the biggest exploits targeting smart TVs in recent years were developed by the Central Intelligence Agency, but were stolen. The files were later published online by WikiLeaks.

But as much as the FBI’s warning is responding to genuine fears, arguably one of the bigger issues that should cause as much if not greater concerns are how much tracking data is collected on smart TV owners.

The Washington Post earlier this year found that some of the most popular smart TV makers — including Samsung and LG — collect tons of information about what users are watching in order to help advertisers better target ads against their viewers and to suggest what to watch next, for example. The TV tracking problem became so problematic a few years ago that smart TV maker Vizio had to pay $2.2 million in fines after it was caught secretly collecting customer viewing data. Earlier this year, a separate class action suit related to the tracking again Vizio was allowed to go ahead.

The FBI recommends placing black tape over an unused smart TV camera, keeping your smart TV up-to-date with the latest patches and fixes, and to read the privacy policy to better understand what your smart TV is capable of.

As convenient as it might be, the most secure smart TV might be one that isn’t connected to the internet at all.

Still: more than 4 in 10 are still not sure, mistrust of government driving the lack of participation

A new national survey of public attitudes about the 2020 U.S. Census shows Americans are growing more willing to stand up and be counted, confirming a positive trend from other surveys, although serious concerns about how the data will be used ? and if it will be secure ? confront the Census Bureau’s outreach campaign on the eve of major operations.

The online survey found that 58 percent of respondents said they “definitely will participate” in the 2020 Census. That means more than 4 in 10 are still not sure, which is comparable to this point in advance of recent decennial counts in 2000 and 2010.

The survey found deep levels of general mistrust of government driving the lack of participation among manythat is undermining census participation. For example, 49 percent agreed with the statement …

… The government will do whatever it wants regardless of the data.

This sentiment was over 50 percent among Hispanics, African Americans, Muslimsand the youngest age group. The findings show the toughest motivational challenge for the Census Bureau is with the youngest Americans. Among those age 18-24, only 29 percent said they will participate, and for those 25-35, it was 52 percent, well below the national average. Despite the cynicism, the 2020 Census had one of the highest reputation scores, with 78 percent of respondents expressing a favorable view, compared to only 50 percent favorable for the Federal Government.

The survey was conducted by Quadrant Research for Article 1, a non-profit coalition of Census expertswho conducted the audience research to help craft a national unifying civic message to promote a full, complete and accurate count in 2020.

Summary …

The challenge for the 2020 Census is becoming clear: many people in the U.S. (more than 4 in 10 overall) aren’t yet fully committed to participating.

While this may not be abnormal in the lead-up to a decennial Census, there are significant headwinds to contend with in this particular climate ? most notably that the federal government is unpopular. There are significant doubts that the government actually uses the Census data to guide its actions. Furthermore, certain groups – Muslims, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Young Adults primarily – are especially concerned that the government will actively use their personal information for nefarious purposes.

This polling demonstrates a few key points necessary to overcome the skepticism, ensure broad participation, and get an accurate count – particularly among the most vulnerable groups:

• The Census Bureau must maintain a perception of independence from politics and the rest of the federal government in the lead up to the Census.
• To guard against any growing skepticism of the Bureau (given it is part of the federal government), outside groups like community and non-profit organizations can play a big role in convincing people to participate.
• It is imperative to communicate about the community-level benefits of an accurate Census in order to make it clear that the government does in fact use the data to make important decisions. (The Bureau’s media campaign intends to do this.)
• There is also clear value in supporting that message with a more emotional appeal –one that positions the Census as a source of empowerment for marginalized groups and truth about what America looks like.

Key Takeaways …

Read the Full Report here …

By California Black Media Staff

Landlords Are Hiking Rents Before Rent Control Law Takes Effect

Before a new rent control law Gov. Newsom signed in October goes into effect in January, some landlords around the state are trying trying to get ahead of the restrictions they see coming by slapping tenants now with double-digit rent increases and no-violation evictions.

AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, will the amount landlords can hike rents within one year to 5 percent, plus local inflation. It will also protect tenants who have rented a place for more than one year from no-violation evictions.

The law only exempts rented single family homes and condos that are not owned by corporations.

There are reports from all around the state about the sudden new rent increases and rise in evictions. According to a renter advocacy group “Tenants Together” about 36 cities – including Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Stockton – have responded by passing local ordinances to prevent evictions or place temporary moratoriums on rent increases.

The good news is that once the law goes into effect next year, any rents raised since March 2019, the month the bill was referred to the Legislature, will drop back to what they were at the time. But evictions that happened in that same period will not be reversed.

“Tenants Together” says there are legal resources and vital information available to help Californians affected by rent hikes. Communities can also pressure their local governments to pass urgent ordinances against the practices.

Some landlords are pushing back, saying that this period before the signed bill becomes law allows them an 11^th-hour chance to bring the rent on their properties up to market prices and get rid of bad tenants.

Gov. Newsom Wants to Close One State Prison

Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this month that he wants to close at least one state prison in California – where there is a disproportionate number of African Americans serving sentences in the state penitentiary system the Department of Correction and rehabilitation mostly runs and costs taxpayers more than $15 billion a year.

Although African Americans only make up about 5.6 percent of California’s population, Black prisoners account for more than 28 percent of all inmates in state prison.

The governor has neither decided which prison he wants to close nor spelled out how he would go about doing it – taking into account  jobs, other local concerns, sentence reductions, etc., – but he says the issue is “personal” to him.

“I would like to see, in my lifetime and hopefully my tenure, that we shut down a state prison,” he said. “But you can’t do that flippantly. And you can’t do that without the support of the unions, support of these communities, the staff, and that requires an alternative that can meet everyone’s needs and desires.”

Moving California away from over-focusing on punishment to strengthening prevention programs, as well as providing rehabilitation and reintegration assistance for formerly incarcerated people, is his priority, said Newsom.

The state is investing $20 million in the 2019-20 budget to help formerly incarcerated people successfully reintegrate into their communities through the California Community Reinvestment Grant program.

Why You Should Be Paying Attention to Prop 13  

About 65 percent of Californians are happy with Prop 13, according to CalMatters.

It is a 1978 ballot measure that limits the amount of tax that can be applied to a home or commercial space to 2 percent of the property value a year and 1 percent of the same amount when it is sold.

But recently, there has been rising support among people around the state for revising parts of Prop 13 to allow larger tax increases on commercial properties, but not on homes.

If the more than 400 civic and political groups – as well as elected officials, activists and ordinary citizens – backing the proposal get their way, and the initiative gets placed on the 2020 ballot, it could play out to be one of the biggest political fights in the state next year.

Supporters of the “Schools and Community First” initiative say new tax revenues from commercial properties would generate around $12 billion in much-needed funding for public services and education around the state.

Gov. Recaps State Efforts to Fight Wildfires and Help People Affected PG&E Blackouts

Last week, Gov. Newsom recapped in detail the different ways the state mobilized resources to help Californians, including people with disabilities, in response to the recent wildfires and PG&E blackouts in October that affected more than a million people in at least 35 counties.

He said all state agencies –  concerned with everything from health and social services to business, transportation and public safety – joined hands with non-profits and private companies like AT&T, Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, and more, to help affected Californians who needed it most.

“Faced with the unprecedented decision by PG&E to leave millions of Californians without power, the State of California sprung into action to protect vulnerable residents,” said Gov. Newsom. “Our world-class emergency responders and emergency agencies battled on multiple fronts – dangerous fire conditions and Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Through prepositioning of firefighting assets and mobilizing emergency response systems, California was able to avoid the major loss of life that has occurred under similar conditions.”

The Governor said the state has also kicked off a $75 million program to help state and local governments provide assistance to their residents during shutoffs.A new website,  RESPONSE.CA.GOV, will also “serve as a one-stop portal for resources available to Californians impacted by wildfires and power shutoffs,” the governor’s office said. 

By Lou Yeboah

That’s right! Why? Because one day is not long enough to thank God for all that He’s given us. His blessings come daily. [Psalm 68:19] says, “Blessed be the Lord, Who DAILY loadeth us with benefits….” Every day God has new blessings for us, and every day ought to find us thanking Him. I tell you, we must never be guilty of allowing our thanks to wait until Thanksgiving to be expressed. We are to be thankful to the Lord EVERY DAY of our lives, because “Thanksgiving” is like breathing – how could we survive if we only breathed just once in a while? We can’t.

I want you to know that instead of setting aside only one day for Thanksgiving the Bible actually designated several times during the year for God’s people to celebrate His goodness and thank Him for His blessings!” Each year at the beginning of the harvest season, for example, God’s people were called to come together to give thanks for His goodness in supplying their needs. This festival took place in late spring, fifty days after the annual Passover celebration. As the harvest season ended in the fall, God’s people celebrated another time of thanksgiving, lasting seven days. Other times of thanksgiving during the year also recalled God’s mercy and goodness. But more than that, people were urged to remember God’s goodness EVERY DAY of the year—and that should be true for us as well.

So, as you prepare to go through the traditions of Thanksgiving, may you not get so caught up with the turkey and the trimmings that you forget about the God who gives us all things, and the Savior to whom we owe all our praise! Don’t just relegate Thanksgiving to one day a year—or make November the only month you count your blessings. Make it a lifestyle!  Continually thank God for all He has done for you.  As [1Thessalonians 5:16-18] says, “Rejoice ALWAYS; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Wishing you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

By Charlene Muhammad | California Black Media

Even if you have people living with you who are not on your lease – or say your affordable housing application – you should still make sure they are counted during the 2020 Census, says Ditas Katague, director of the California Complete Count office.

“No enforcement agency, federal, local, or anything, can get that data,” she assures Californians. “It’s safe.”

Last week, Katague visited Los Angeles county, the hardest-to-count area in the United States and also a region in the state with census tracts where the most African Americans live. She was on a stop that was part of a statewide push to encourage all Californians to respond to next year’s census forms.

She sat with California Black Media writer Charlene Muhammad to talk more about the state’s  $187.3 million investment to get an accurate count of all Californians. Katague also shared details about what her office has been doing so far to achieve it, and she give some insights on why it has been so hard for census workers to get the African-American count right in the past.

CALIFORNIA BLACK MEDIA (CBM):  What has your office done to reach out to Blacks in California – particularly to the the Black population here in Los Angeles?

DITAS KATAGUE (DK):  As you know, statewide, the money and the investment that both the governor and the legislature have made across the state have been unprecedented. 

That’s because California is the hardest-to-count state in the country. In fact, the City of L.A. is the hardest-to-count city and Los Angeles County is the hardest-to-count county in the hardest-to-count state. 

So, even though our efforts are unprecedented, these are the reasons that we need to do that level of outreach. The U.S. Census is actually a federal operation, and so here at the state level, we don’t control any of the actual counting.  We don’t design the form, but what we can control is reaching out, educating our Californians to make sure that they know how important it is to respond.

And to that end, we’ve divided the state. We’ve used data to really inform our partners on the ground about where they should be reaching out and to whom.  I’m up in Sacramento. Nobody wants to listen to me about why they should be filling out the form.  It’s really about getting the word out through trusted community partners on the ground, and really connecting with folks to say why is it so important and what an accurate count means for them on the ground.

CBM: L.A. – the hardest to count in the country!  I didn’t know that. What makes L.A. and the state the hardest-to-count places?

DK: Well, for Los Angeles County, one of the things is that it’s so very diverse.  In L.A. Unified School District, they speak over 200 languages. That is what makes our state so beautiful and so diverse, but it also makes it very hard to count. 

Now, when we talk about hard to count from the state level, we looked at the state and we took these14 variables and we came up with a hard-to-count index based on them.

(Those variables are: Percent of households without broadband subscriptions; percent of households that are non-family; percent of households that are renter occupied; percent of housing units that are vacant; percent of households that are crowded with more than 1.5 persons per room; percent of population that is foreign-born; percent of adults (25 or older) who are not high school graduates; percent of population with income below 150 percent of the poverty level; percent of households receiving public assistance; percent of persons (ages 16 or older) unemployed; percent of limited-English households; percent of persons who moved from outside a county in the past year; percent of population under 5; and percent of total housing units with three or more units in a multi-unit structure.)

What does that mean?  Well, that is really because the enumeration is address-based, so it’s where you are.  In order to be invited, you have to have an address, right? Think about the difficulty of counting people that are living in multi-unit apartments, or if they’re living with non-family members. So, say there is an apartment, and there are four of us living there, and we’re not related. Sometimes, one person will get the mail and the invitation to respond, and they’ll respond for themselves but forget the other three roommates.  So, it sort of compounds itself in terms of the difficulty to be counted.  And, of course, we have a lot of people who rent.  We have a lot of people here in Los Angeles that have limited English, or that are new to the country. We have a lot of folks who are scared, or just kind of don’t care, and so it’s not just one thing that makes folks hard to count. It’s a number of things if you kind of layer them on top of each other.

CBM: Why is the Census important for the Black community?

DK: It’s important for all our communities, of course, but particularly for the Black community.  I mean they have to know we exist for us to resist, right?  And if they don’t know we’re here, then we’ll be ignored. I say that both for the Black community and also for the Native American community.  My Native American folks up in Northern California, the way they look at it is to save their water, and that’s what really resonates with them, because if they don’t know you’re there, they’ll take the water.  That’s how they feel, so you have to think about that within your community. If people don’t understand how strong and how powerful our communities are, they don’t understand what kind of voice we could have and will have. So, it’s really about being seen. It’s about standing up. It’s about no longer being invisible for all of our communities.

CBM: What has been your outreach efforts in the community so far?

DK: We’ve divided the state into regions, and so here in Region 8 is the Los Angeles County area. We have a contractor – California Community Foundation – and they’ve really done a great job looking at the data and then identifying partners because they’ve been involved in L.A. a lot.  And they’ve been funding partners on the ground to talk about it right now.  This time around, we’re doing an education component. We’re also identifying what I call the grass-top leaders, so maybe not all the way down to the ground just yet, but folks that are leaders and movers and shakers in the community to let them know why it’s so important.

Then, as we move into Spring – from January and February to March of 2020 – that’s when the education starts to move in to motivate and activate. That’s when we want everyone on the ground – from high school students all the way to our elder folks – to understand and be ready to respond. So, the efforts we’re doing right now are focusing on the importance, and it’s really about two things. It’s about power and it’s about it’s about money. We talked a little about power, about being heard when it comes down to it. And it might be a little bit nerdy, but it’s our Congressional representation, too. So, we could lose a seat or two – very serious – if we’re not counted and they don’t know where we are. So, I already joke around that we don’t need Texas to be counted. They don’t need to answer (laughs), but I mean it’s because it’s a zero-sum game in terms of the way they divide up the seats. It all depends on the response of other folks. 

And it’s about money. People say “Oh!  It’s about $1,000 per person, per year!”  But what does that actually mean? The way I think about it when I talk to my 16-year-old daughter is: What if she, for a semester, didn’t have a chair to sit in, or a desk to sit at during her math class at this public high school? If they don’t know we’re here, if we forget children – and children 0-5 have often, in the past three decades, been missed for a number of reasons. A child that is born in 2020 will be in 5th grade in 2030, and if they’re missed, will they have a seat or will they have to sit on the ground?  So, in terms of money, it’s about health clinics. Will that health clinic be located close enough?  I always talk about how a friend’s dad had a stroke, and he had to travel 10 extra minutes to get to a hospital because there wasn’t one close enough, and those 10 minutes can make a difference between life and death or being disabled or being able to heal.  So, in terms of health care, in terms of schools, our education, in terms of traffic, everyday traffic, the roads are getting worse and worse, but if we don’t know, we’re unable to plan for how many people are going to have cars. It has everyday impact on our lives.

CBM:  Let’s talk more about the fear factor. For instance, in the Black community, you may have someone with Section 8 (housing assistance), or people who may have formerly incarcerated persons, still in the system, living in their homes. One big issue is the trust factor with the Black community.  People are like, “We’re not telling the government anything!”  How have you all been able to get your message to permeate that attitude?

DK: There’s been a lot of testing done, and so we’re well aware of that. And there are different trust issues for different communities. And so one of the things we’ve been looking at is if they’ve tried different messages. But, at the end of the day, people think everybody’s going to get stuff on their Facebook and WhatsApp. At the end of the day, for me, even if technology is really quick, it’s really that face-to-face, that person-to-person communication that is most important. That’s human nature and that doesn’t change. That’s why the investment that we put out there has been to make sure that people in the community, whether it be faith-based, whether it be service-based – your hair stylist, your nail technician – whether it be community members that you already deal with, or even your healthcare professional in your clinic. We want to go where people go already in the community and we want them to be trusted. A part of that is being able to tell people that there’s Title 13 that guarantees privacy. 

People are like, “Well, why do they need to know my name? Why do they need to know all this stuff?”  And I think about it and it seems kind of invasive, but they do keep it private. No enforcement agency, federal, local, or anything, can get that data, so it’s safe.

I view the Census as a snapshot in time, like those coffee table books, and if you’re not counted, you’re missed.  And then, to quote my favorite play “Hamilton,” “who will tell your story if you don’t?”  So it’s to up to us to rise up, to be counted, and to be able to put a stake in the ground to say “I’m here, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be recognized and counted.”