By Bo Tefu and Edward Henderson, California Black Media\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd During Black History Month\u201d \u2013 California Officials Blast Trump for Posting Video Depicting the Obamas as Apes<\/p>\n
Gov. Gavin Newsom and a number of elected officials joined a wave of national backlash after President Donald Trump shared \u2014 and later deleted \u2014 a video widely condemned as racist for depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 6, Newsom\u2019s office blasted the President on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisgusting behavior by the President. Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.\u201d the social media post read.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) called for the President to be removed from office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDonald Trump is a racist, a stain on our White House and should be removed from office,\u201d Rivas posted on Facebook.\u00a0 \u201cSilence is complicity, and every Republican must speak out and reject his latest racist act.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senate Pro Tem Monique Lim\u00f3n called on her colleagues to \u201cdenounce this behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will not share the disgusting video depicting our former president and first lady, but I will however call on all, including our Republican colleagues, to vehemently denounce this behavior,\u201d said Lim\u00f3n in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe video shared is not just a meme video \u2013 the symbolism carries with its centuries of racist pain that seeks to dehumanize our Black community,\u201d she continued.\u00a0 \u201cPlease speak out and condemn this behavior. We cannot allow this dialogue to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) posted on his Facebook page on Feb. 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this is your President and you support this \u2026 we really just can\u2019t be friends right now,\u201d said Bryan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Feb. 7, Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), responded to Trump on her Facebook page.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be jealous because we are not in the Epstein files,\u201d\u00a0 Mckinnor wrote alongside a picture of Michelle and Barack Obama.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The controversy began after Trump posted the video on his Truth Social platform on Feb. 5. The clip promoted false claims about the 2020 election before briefly showing the Obamas\u2019 faces superimposed on primates\u2019 bodies, a trope widely understood as racist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump said he did not watch the full video before it was posted and declined to apologize.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see the whole thing,\u201d Trump told reporters, adding that he only viewed the portion about election fraud. Asked whether he would apologize, Trump said, \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t make a mistake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also said he condemned the imagery but maintained he had not personally seen the offensive portion before it was posted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The White House initially defended the post as part of an internet meme before later saying it had been removed and may have been posted in error.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,\u201d White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. But there are no apes in \u2018The Lion King,\u2019 only a mandrill, Rafiki.<\/p>\n
She also dismissed criticism as \u201cfake outrage\u201d and urged media outlets to focus on other issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) also expressed outrage about the video and the President\u2019s action.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVile. Disgusting. Abhorrent. Racist. And during Black History Month,\u201d Padilla said in a statement. \u201cTruly no words to fully describe how despicable and low the video posted by the President is. America deserves better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0New Trailer Bill: Proposal Calls for Moving Department of Education Under Gov\u2019s Office\u00a0<\/p>\n
Language for a budget trailer bill that would shift oversight of the California Department of Education (CDE) under the governor\u2019s office was released on Feb. 2, marking a key step in advancing Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s broader plan to overhaul the state\u2019s education governance system.<\/p>\n
The trailer bill language reflects a sweeping proposal included in Newsom\u2019s 2026\u201327 state budget plan that would move responsibility for managing the CDE into the executive branch while strengthening the coordinating role of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The proposal is intended to modernize what state leaders and policy researchers have long described as a fragmented and sometimes conflicting operational structure that oversees California\u2019s TK-12 education system.<\/p>\n
Under the plan, the State Board of Education would assume greater oversight authority, aligning policy development more directly with implementation by the Department of Education.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor far too long, California\u2019s fractured education governance system has contributed to persistent inequities disproportionately impacting low-income students, students of color, and multilingual learners,\u201d said Christopher J. Nellum, Ph.D., Executive Director of EdTrust-West last month when Newsom first proposed the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEdTrust-West commends Gov. Newsom for championing these essential reforms, and we look forward to working with state leaders and fellow advocates to ensure we build an accountable education system that finally delivers on its promise to our most vulnerable students,\u201d Nellum added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Newsom has framed the effort as long overdue, pointing to decades of reports calling for reform.<\/p>\n
\u201cCalifornia can no longer postpone reforms that have been recommended regularly for a century,\u201d Newsom said, describing the proposal as a step toward greater accountability, clarity, and coherence in how the state serves students and schools.<\/p>\n
The proposal draws on recommendations dating back to a 1920 legislative review and the Legislature\u2019s 2002 Master Plan for Education, as well as a December 2025 report from Policy Analysis for California Education warning that governance reforms were overdue. Analysts have argued that overlapping authority among the governor, superintendent, State Board of Education, Legislature, and local agencies has created inefficiencies and inconsistent policy implementation.<\/p>\n
If adopted, the changes would also expand the superintendent\u2019s role in coordinating education policy across early childhood, TK-12, and higher education systems. Lawmakers are expected to debate the proposal as part of the broader state budget process in the coming months.<\/p>\n
State Controller Malia M. Cohen: February Is Unclaimed Property Month in California<\/p>\n
California State Controller Malia M. Cohen and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia (D\u2011Anaheim) announced on Feb. 5 that the Legislature has adopted Assembly House Resolution (HR) 79, officially designating February 2026 as Unclaimed Property Month. The declaration aims to increase public awareness of California\u2019s unclaimed property program and encourage residents to check for lost or forgotten assets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The State Controller\u2019s Office (SCO) currently safeguards more than $15\u202fbillion in unclaimed property, representing over 84\u202fmillion individual properties that could belong to nearly 39\u202fmillion Californians. Common forms of unclaimed assets include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks, bonds, insurance benefits, and contents from safe deposit boxes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy office is safeguarding more than $15 billion in unclaimed property. In these uncertain times, taking a few minutes to visit claimit.ca.gov could mean reconnecting you or your loved ones with money that\u2019s rightfully yours,\u201d Cohen said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank Assemblymember Valencia for authoring HR 79 to help raise awareness about California\u2019s financial lost and found.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valencia, who chairs the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee, emphasized the financial benefit for residents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, California returns hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed property back to their rightful owners,\u201d he added. \u201cA quick search could put money back in your wallet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) also voiced support, noting the resolution\u2019s practical impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToo often, families are unaware their money is sitting unclaimed. That\u2019s why I\u2019m happy to join Assemblymember Avelino Valencia in raising awareness for this important program,\u201d Rivas said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cohen and Valencia encouraged Californians to visit the SCO\u2019s claimit.ca.gov portal<\/a> to search for and claim unclaimed assets.<\/p>\n Over 2 Million Sign Up for Covered California; Special Enrollment Still Available This figure includes both new enrollees and returning members, with many qualifying for low-cost coverage through financial assistance.<\/p>\n \u201cAs open enrollment draws to a close, Californians still have time to look out for themselves and those they love, but they need to act fast,\u201d said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman during a Los Angeles enrollment event.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAffordable health plans are still out there for many of our enrollees, but with the federal changes it is more important than ever that consumers take advantage of our marketplace and shop.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2026 open enrollment period took place amid policy and cost uncertainties, especially the expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits at the end of 2025. Early data from Covered California and regional partners indicate that while overall enrollment remains strong, fewer new enrollees signed up early compared with last year. This trend is attributed in part to the changing subsidy landscape.<\/p>\n Although regular open enrollment has ended, many Californians can still sign up through a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) if they experience a qualifying life event. These events include losing job-based coverage, marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or other changes in household circumstances. Most people have 60 days from the date of the qualifying event to enroll in a plan outside of open enrollment.<\/p>\n Coverage selected through an SEP generally becomes effective on the first day of the month after enrollment, offering a critical safety net for those who lose health coverage mid-year.<\/p>\n
Covered California is nearing record enrollment for the 2026 coverage year after open enrollment closed on Jan. 31, with more than 1.9 million Californians selecting or renewing health plans for the upcoming year.\u00a0<\/p>\n