Bo Tefu | California Black Media
Tony Thurmond: USC, KABC and Univision Debate Shuts Out Gubernatorial Candidates of Color
Four Democrats in the race for California governor are urging their rivals to skip an upcoming debate at the University of Southern California (USC), contending that the organizers’ standards for participation effectively shut out all major candidates of color from the stage.
That debate is being organized by USC, Los Angeles television station KABC and Univision.
Those not invited include Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond; Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra; Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; and former State Controller Betty Yee – all of whom are candidates of color and had been considered significant contenders in the race.
Scheduled for March 24 on the campus of USC, the gubernatorial debate is set to feature six candidates: Democratic billionaire businessman and activist Tom Steyer; Republican conservative commentator and former Fox News host Steve Hilton; U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14); former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter (D); San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan (D) and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco(R).
Organizers say the candidates they invited qualified under polling and fundraising criteria they set up.
Thurmond delivered some of the sharpest criticism of the selection process in a video statement released from the State Capitol, framing the controversy as both a political and historic issue in California’s leadership.
“California has never had a governor of color,” Thurmond said. “For nearly two centuries we’ve had governors who were white men. Now, in one of the most diverse states in the country, with one of the most diverse candidate fields we’ve ever seen, debate organizers have put together a stage that shuts out candidates of color. That’s a choice — a choice by USC, by KABC and by Univision to ignore the reality of California and to silence the voices that power this state.”
Thurmond, who has twice won statewide office and currently leads the nation’s largest public school system, questioned how he and other long-serving leaders were deemed unqualified to participate while lesser-known candidates were invited.
“Let’s be clear — I’ve been elected statewide twice,” he said. “Yet somehow, I’m not qualified for their stage, while a candidate polling at 3% and backed by billionaire donors is. This is exactly how the system protects power — billionaires and insiders deciding who gets seen.”
Supporters of the boycott say debate access can shape voter perceptions and campaign momentum in a crowded gubernatorial race. They argue that excluding candidates of color undermines representation in a state where no person of color has ever served as governor.
Despite the dispute, Thurmond urged supporters to stay engaged.
“They may try to shut us out of their debate stage,” he said, “but they can’t shut us out of this movement — not if we keep showing up and building a California that reflects all of us.”
California Requires Personal Finance Course for All High Schoolers — Promising Gains for Women and Girls
On March 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new requirement for California high school students to complete a personal finance course, part of a broader effort to expand economic opportunity and address wealth gaps affecting women and girls.
The policy mandates a one-semester financial literacy course for graduation, while a related executive order aims to improve women’s access to capital, savings and investment opportunities across the state.
Together, the moves position financial education as a key tool in preparing students for real-world money decisions and in promoting more equitable participation in California’s economy.
The State Board of Education adopted the curriculum under Assembly Bill (AB) 2927, signed by Newsom in 2024. The course will be available beginning in the 2027–28 school year and required for students graduating in the 2030–31 school year and beyond.
Students will learn practical skills including budgeting, managing debt, understanding credit scores, financing higher education and investing. The curriculum also introduces programs like CalKIDS, which provides state-funded college savings accounts for millions of children.
“Financial literacy is a life skill,” Newsom said. “We’re making sure every California student graduates ready to earn, save, invest, and build wealth — while also expanding access so more women and families can fully participate in our economy.”
Alongside the education requirement, Newsom signed an executive order focused on closing the gender wealth gap by expanding access to financial systems and investment opportunities.
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom said the initiative is designed to strengthen families and communities.
“When women have the opportunity to build wealth, families are stronger, communities are healthier, and our economy grows,” she said.
Black Caucus Chair Weber Pierson Announces Bill to Protect Against Physician Sexual Misconduct
Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), announced a new bill aimed at strengthening patient protections by permanently barring physicians who commit sexual misconduct from returning to practice.
Senate Bill (SB) 849 would require automatic revocation of a medical license if it had previously been revoked for sexual misconduct and later reinstated on or after Jan. 1, 2020. The measure would also prohibit those physicians from ever seeking reinstatement again.
The proposal comes as lawmakers seek to close gaps in California law that have allowed some doctors accused of sexual misconduct to resume treating patients.
“Throughout medicine, there have been troubling cases in which physicians whose licenses were revoked for sexual misconduct were later allowed to return to practice, putting new patients at risk,” Weber Pierson said.
California law already mandates automatic revocation for physicians found guilty of sexual misconduct. However, current rules allow some to petition for reinstatement, which has been granted in certain cases.
Weber Pierson said SB 849 would eliminate that pathway and strengthen accountability across the medical system.
“SB 849 closes that door permanently by requiring automatic revocation when a physician’s certificate was previously revoked for sexual misconduct and then reinstated on or after Jan. 1, 2020,” she said. “It also prohibits these individuals from ever petitioning for reinstatement or renewal again.”
Announcing the bill, Weber Pierson emphasized the need to restore trust in health care and protect patients.
“Today I presented my first bill of 2026, SB 849, focused on protecting patients and ensuring trust and professionalism in our healthcare system, because every patient deserves safe, respectful, and accountable care,” she said.
Sen. Padilla Warns ‘SAVE America Act’ Could Strip Millions of Voting Rights
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) is intensifying Democratic opposition to the proposed SAVE America Act, warning the measure could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters and reverse decades of progress in expanding access to the ballot.
Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor, Padilla, California’s former secretary of state, framed the legislation as a sweeping attempt to tighten voting rules in ways that could disproportionately affect married women, voters who rely on mail-in ballots and citizens lacking specific identification documents.
“This bill is anything but a voter ID bill,” he said, arguing that commonly accepted forms of identification, including driver’s licenses, would no longer be sufficient under its provisions.
Padilla also criticized requirements that would compel states to share unredacted voter rolls with the Department of Homeland Security. He warned that reliance on federal databases could produce errors leading to large-scale voter purges.
Citing analyses from states already participating in similar programs, Padilla noted that in some jurisdictions between one-quarter and one-half of voters flagged for removal were, in fact, eligible U.S. citizens.
The California Democrat linked the current debate to the civil rights movement, invoking President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 call for equal voting rights following the violence of Bloody Sunday. He argued that the proposed law would “turn back the clock” on hard-won protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act.
Padilla’s remarks come as he continues a broader campaign against what he and other Democrats describe as escalating federal pressure on states to provide voter data. Over the past year, he has joined colleagues in filing legal briefs, convening public forums and introducing legislation aimed at limiting voter roll removals.
Republicans backing the SAVE America Act say stricter documentation and data-sharing requirements are necessary to ensure election integrity. Padilla and voting rights advocates counter that maintaining accurate rolls requires precision and transparency — safeguards they argue are missing from the proposal.
“Nothing is more fundamental in our democracy than the right to vote,” Padilla said. “We will do everything in our power to protect it.”
State Capitol Rally: More Than 100 Advocates From Seven Regions Demand Action on Housing and Homelessness
More than 100 advocates from seven regions of California gathered at the State Capitol to call for urgent action on housing and homelessness. Participants emphasized that homelessness is solvable if lawmakers commit to sustained funding and policies that support vulnerable populations.
“Homelessness will stop when we have ongoing funding. If we don’t, it will continue,” said Amber, program manager for a Los Angeles County homeless shelter. She noted that the state’s Housing Assistance Programs (HAP)have helped more than 90,000 Californians access housing and exit homelessness. “The funding is critical because without it, over 40,000 people could lose their vouchers. Housing should not be optional; it should be a right.”
Other speakers included a Skid Row resident and advocate for homeless people, Suzette Shaw. She highlighted the importance of including voices with lived experience in shaping policies.
“People who are making the decisions about us have never lived one single day that we’ve lived through,” Shaw said. “It’s imperative to have the voice of someone who can provide context to the policies being introduced around our lives.”
The rally coincided with California Advocacy Day, where attendees met with lawmakers to stress that insufficient funding shifts costs onto emergency services, hospitals, and providers, rather than saving the state money. Speakers urged policymakers to maintain and expand support for youth, seniors, veterans, and families at risk of losing housing.
The event also set the stage for the Housing California Gubernatorial Forum at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. The nonpartisan forum featured gubernatorial candidates Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee, who discussed housing affordability, homelessness, and economic stability.
The forum was livestreamed.
Asm. Alexandra M. Macedo Writes Letter to Congress Urging Investigation into California Medicare Fraud
Assemblymember Alexandra M. Macedo (R-Tulare) has submitted an open letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, calling for a federal investigation into alleged Medicare fraud in California.
Her letter coincided with a U.S, congressional hearing titled Protecting Patients and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars: The Role of CMS in Combating Medicare and Medicaid Fraud, chaired by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY-2), John Joyce (R-PA-13), and H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9).
In her letter, Macedo detailed a field investigation in Van Nuys, Los Angeles County, where she discovered 197 hospice agencies registered at a single dilapidated building.
“This ‘ground zero’ for hospice fraud is not an isolated anomaly. It is a symptom of a systemic collapse in oversight,” she wrote. She highlighted widespread abuses, including “license flipping” through shell agencies, enrolling “ghost patients” without consent to bill Medicare, and providing zero actual medical services.
“Medicare and Medicaid are not bottomless pits,” Macedo added. “When fraudulent actors bill for ‘ghost patients’ or enroll healthy individuals without their consent, they deplete the very funds intended to provide high-quality care by the legitimate hospice providers for those truly in their final days. Additionally, these bad actors make it harder for families to find reputable care for their dying loved ones.”
Macedo also criticized state oversight under Gov. Gavin Newsom, writing that the administration “has failed to provide the aggressive oversight necessary to stop this hemorrhaging of public funds. Despite a state audit and supposed moratorium on new licenses, these fraudulent hubs continue to operate in broad daylight.”
The Assemblymember urged Congress and federal regulators to take swift action to protect patients, families, and taxpayer dollars, emphasizing that strong oversight is essential to maintain the integrity and solvency of Medicare and Medicaid programs.
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