June 03, 2021
City News Service
Mayor Eric Garcetti signed the city's $11.2 billion budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which allocates historic spending of nearly $1 billion to combat Los Angeles' homelessness crisis.
Garcetti proposed the largest spending plan in city history – which includes a $6.6 billion general fund revenue projection -- and the City Council unanimously approved it on May 20.
Government spending at all levels inevitably rises because of inflation, expansion of programs and increased population. The budget also includes half of the approximate $1.3 billion the city was allocated through the American Rescue Plan. The city received half of that funding in May, with the second half expected 12 months from now.
Of the American Rescue Plan dollars, the city will spend $151 million on program related to equity and justice, $281 million for homeless services, $244 million to restore city services and $64 million for COVID-19 response and recovery.
“This budget is about more than recovering from a once in a generation crisis -- it's about bending the arc of our city's history in the direction of greater equity and justice,'' said Mayor Garcetti. “This moment demands nothing less than our most courageous efforts to lift up those in need, and this budget charts a course to meeting our highest ambitions, restoring what we've lost, and building on what makes Los Angeles the best city in the world.''
Large spending areas within the budget include a total of $955 million to address the city's homelessness crisis, which includes $791 million in the city's budget in addition to carryover state and federal funding from the previous year.
The budget also allocates more than $1.7 billion for the Los Angeles Police Department, a 3% increase from when the City Council cut $150 million from the department's budget last July.
Additional allocations include:
• $62 million to help tourism and hospitality businesses and restaurants, including through the Al Fresco outdoor dining program;
• $33 million toward the Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Program;
• $30 million to expand the city's solar energy and electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and
• $29 million for a guaranteed basic income pilot program.
Council President Nury Martinez said that the budget “lays the groundwork for ongoing efforts to address'' systemic inequities, and added that “we aren't going to change historic inequities with one step or with one budget, but with this budget we take a step forward towards that.''
Councilman Paul Krekorian, chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee -- which picked apart the mayor's spending plan in a series of hearings leading up to its passage -- said following the council's vote last month that the past pandemic year and the preparation of the budget has been “a time like no other for the city, this committee and this council.''
“The effort that goes into a budget even in good years, even in more normal times, is immense,'' he said. “This has been like nothing I have seen in my time on the council.''
Council President Nury Martinez acknowledged the vocal calls for social justice programs that permeated the budget discussions, and even the continued opposition to a budget that critics insist funnels too much money to the LAPD.
“In Los Angeles, we face a reality that as much as we are a world- class city, we also have to acknowledge that we have so much more work to do in each and every one of our neighborhoods and for each and every one of our residents,'' she said. “For us to be a better city, to have a stronger future and for a real opportunity for our families and our kids and our neighborhoods across the city ... we have got to do better by them. And today, we are laying down a foundation brick by brick to be able to get there.
“Systemic change does not happen with one legislative motion or one city budget,'' Martinez said. “It takes time. And today, I am proud to say that we are going to start on that path forward.”
June 03, 2021
By Charlene Crowell
Contributing Writer
On the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, a 51-48 vote in the U.S. Senate seals Kristen Clarke’s place in history: the first woman, the first woman of color, and the first Black woman to receive Senate confirmation to head the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Civil Rights Division.
The largely partisan vote included Maine’s U.S. Senator Susan Collins as the only Republican to support the historic confirmation.
The COVID-19 pandemic and recession have thrown into sharp view vast health disparities and economic inequities. Much of Black America has suffered in ways that harkened back to Jim Crow and its separate, but never equal status. After years of rollbacks to hard-won racial progress, Ms. Clarke and all of DOJ are poised to correct, reverse, and advance ‘justice for all’ as a genuine reality instead of a slogan.
For Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Clarke’s nomination is as significant as it is promising.
“At this moment in history, filling this Division, the Civil Rights Division, on the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder on the streets of Minnesota, we are confirming the first woman of color in the history of the United States to head this Division,” said Sen. Durbin. “It is an historic choice… It shouldn’t be trivialized by ignoring the many endorsements she received because of her good life’s work, having spent her entire career defending the civil rights of all Americans.”
“Kristen Clarke is the right person at the right time to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights,” said Center for Responsible Lending Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel Ashley Harrington.
“Her vast experience in civil rights law reflects our country’s challenges – from fighting against mortgage discrimination and a grossly inequitable criminal justice system to taking on hate crimes and voter suppression aimed at denying Black and brown people the right to vote. We are excited for Ms. Clarke to take the helm in protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”
Since a new Administration began this January, a series of hopeful signs signal that regressive and harmful practices will be challenged in the name of justice.
Nominated on January 7 by President Biden, his remarks noted Clarke’s nomination for both its significance and opportunity.
“The Civil Rights Division represents the moral center of the Department of Justice. And the heart of that fundamental American ideal that we’re all created equal and all deserve to be treated equally,” said President Biden. “I’m honored you accepted the call to return to make real the promise for all Americans.”
Soon thereafter, a tsunami of endorsements for Clarke’s confirmation highlighted national and diverse support for her service. Her backers included labor unions, environmental activists, law enforcement officials, along with legal colleagues and civil rights leaders.
Perhaps one of the earliest and most poignant expressions came from John W. Marshall, the son of the nation’s first Black Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall. Penned on behalf of his family, the February 9 letter to U.S. Senate leadership drew a key historic connection. 
“Ms. Clarke is a pathbreaking lawyer, like my father, who built her career advancing civil rights and equal justice under the law, and breaking barriers through her leadership for people of color while making our nation better for everyone,” wrote Mr. Marshall.
His letter also shared an eye-opening example of Ms. Clarke’s groundbreaking work in civil rights. “Ms. Clarke has successfully utilized the law as a vehicle for advancing equality, as my father did. For example, she successfully represented Taylor Dumpson, who was targeted for a hate crime after her election as American University’s first female Black student body president.”
Similarly, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP, advised Senate leadership before its scheduled confirmation hearing of its support for Ms. Clarke.
On April 12, Derrick Johnson, its President and CEO wrote, “The NAACP believes that Ms. Clarke is exceptionally suited to oversee the Civil Rights Division at a time when people of color have suffered devastating harm at the hands of law enforcement. She is the leader we need to ensure local police agencies are complying with civil rights laws and advancing public safety by maintaining positive relationships with the communities they serve. Ms. Clarke has prosecuted police misconduct cases and has worked to make the criminal justice system fairer for people of color.”
Ms. Clarke’s legal career takes on even more significance when one considers this daughter of Jamaican immigrants grew up in Brooklyn New York’s public housing. Although financial resources were limited, the family’s teachings of discipline and hard work were not. From public schools, her collegiate studies took her to the prestigious Ivy League.
In 1997, she received her Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. Three years later in 2000, Clarke completed her Juris Doctor at Columbia University.
Her first job as a new attorney was as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice, working on voting rights, hate crimes, and human trafficking cases. In 2006, she joined the NAACP Legal Defense Fund until then New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman appointed her as director of the state’s Civil Rights Bureau. In this state role, Clarke led enforcement actions spanning criminal justice, voting rights, fair lending, housing discrimination, disability rights, reproductive access and LGBTQ rights.
As recognition of her legal acumen grew, so did the number of honors she received: the 2010 Paul Robeson Distinguished Alumni Award from Columbia Law School; 2011 National Bar Association’s Top 40 Under 40; the 2012 Best Brief Award for the 2012 Supreme Court term from the National Association of Attorneys General; and the New York Law Journal’s 2015 Rising Stars.
Months later, the August 2016 edition of the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal featured a Q&A interview with Ms. Clarke. In part, she reflected on her childhood and how it influenced her career aspirations.
“I’ve experienced what it’s like to be underprivileged, and I’ve experienced very privileged settings as well.
I feel a deep sense of responsibility to use the opportunities that I have been given to help those less fortunate. We live in a nation that’s divided along lines of race and class. I have a personal sense of what life is like on both sides of that divide, and I want to figure out how we close some of those gaps and level the playing field.”
At the April 14 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her nomination, Clarke recalled her legal career journey and the principles that guided her work.
“I began my legal career traveling across the country to communities like Tensas Parish, Louisiana and Clarksdale, Mississippi,” testified Clarke. “I learned to be a lawyer’s lawyer – to focus on the rule of law and let the facts lead where they may.”
“When I left DOJ,” she continued, “I carried the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as my guide: ‘Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country.
This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on’. I’ve tried to do just that at every step of my career.”
Now, Ms. Clarke returns to the Department of Justice at a time when the agency is recommitting its focus on serving the entire nation equitably. Since early this year, a series of actions reflect the agency’s renewed commitment to civil rights. Here are a few examples:
This February and following an FBI investigation, a Michigan man was indicted on a charge of hate crimes after confronting Black teenagers with racial slurs and weapons for their use of a public beach.
In March, two former Louisiana correctional officers were sentenced for their roles in a cover-up of a 2014 prisoner’s death at the state’s St. Bernard Parish that followed a failure to provide medical treatment while incarcerated.
In April, DOJ and the City of West Monroe, Louisiana reached a consent agreement following a lawsuit alleging violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Although nearly a third of the city was Black, the at-large election of city aldermen resulted in all white local officials. With the consent decree, the method of aldermen selection will change to a combination of single district representatives and others elected at-large.
On May 7, DOJ issued a three-count indictment of four Minneapolis police officers on federal civil rights charges in the death of George Floyd.
Additionally, convicted former officer Derek Chauvin faces an additional two-count indictment for his actions in 2017 against a 14-year-old teenager.
The indictment charges Chauvin with keeping his knee on the youth’s neck and upper back, as well as using a flashlight as a weapon.
Additionally, DOJ is currently investigating police practices in both Louisville, and Minneapolis.
Readers may recall that Breonna Taylor was killed in her Louisville home during a late-night, no-knock warrant police entry.
“Our nation is a healthier place when we respect the rights of all communities,” advised Ms. Clarke in her confirmation hearing remarks.
“In every role I’ve held, I have worked with and for people of all backgrounds…I’ve listened deeply to all sides of debates, regardless of political affiliation.
There is no substitute to listening and learning in this work, and I pledge to you that I will bring that to the role if confirmed.”
Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending.
She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
May 27, 2021
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The U.S. Department of Labor continues to engage in deep conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion, as the most recent jobs report shows a dismal 9.7 percent unemployment rate among African Americans.
In a rare one-on-one interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said the Biden-Harris administration isn’t just about getting jobs for African Americans.
The administration wants to level the playing field, which would allow those in communities of color to obtain good-paying jobs, ascend to the middle class, and be rewarded when it comes time for promotions and other opportunities to advance.
“I think we are seeing 500,000 jobs per month added to the economy on average over the last three months, and we saw some positive signs in the hospitality industry this month,” said Secretary Walsh.
“We saw more Americans working and looking for work in March and April, which are all good signs. But the unemployment rate in the Black community is still 9.7 percent, and that’s too high.”
The latest jobs report revealed that the U.S. economy added 266,000 jobs in April and an overall unemployment rate of 6.1 percent.
While the unemployment rate for African Americans stood at 9.7 percent, it was 7.9 percent for Hispanics, 5.7 percent for Asians, and 5.3 percent for Whites.
“Whether I’m speaking as the Secretary of Labor or the former mayor of Boston, we have a lot of work to do when it comes to equity when it comes to African Americans and other communities of color,” Secretary Walsh demanded.
“When we talk about building back, we have to be real intentional and put the focus on how do we build back to give people of color an opportunity to be successful in the 21st-century economy.”
Secretary Walsh continued:
“The President made equity a center point. We have to be focused on job training as well. This is an issue that has been in our country forever. I think we have a President and Vice President focused on closing the economic opportunity gaps and creating real pathways into the middle class. If we don’t do it correctly, we are going to lose another generation of young people to poverty.”
Secretary Walsh adamantly rebuked suggestions that African Americans simply have decided not to pursue available jobs.
“In my experience, there are lots of people in the African American community doing lots of great things. We have to amplify our message and get more people engaged in the conversation,” Secretary Walsh remarked.
“We can’t say that African Americans are not doing enough. We have to say as a society, and businesses need to do more. We have to create pathways, and when people get in a company, they have to get opportunities to advance themselves whether it is through education or job opportunities in leadership positions.”
The secretary noted that all workforce development and apprenticeship programs must include individuals of color and women. Any grant opportunities should contain an insistence that programs include everyone, not just White people, Secretary Walsh said.
He scoffed at the suggestion that the Black unemployment rate is high because many younger Blacks are electing to start new businesses instead of joining the traditional employment pool.
“I’m not fully there on that argument of people of color not coming back to the workforce,” Secretary Walsh notes in response.
“We are still in a pandemic, and remember, we shut the economy down in a matter of weeks, so we’re not going to see people go back as they went out.
“When you start thinking about full in-school learning, strong childcare, and people getting their shots, they will go back to work. Everyone wants to be able to put food on the table for their children. I’m not sold that there are 8 million jobs, and people don’t want to go back to work.”
May 27, 2021
When was the last time you looked at your bank account balance? According to a recent study, over 60 percent of Americans check their balance at least once week. This is a habit, if practiced the right way, can you put on the path to achieving your financial goals.
Whether you’re looking to becoming financially independent, planning for a long awaited vacation, or saving for a down payment to buy your first home, we want you to be aware of some of the tools and skills right now to help make your financial journey as smooth as possible.
But let’s talk about the basics first. Managing your money can be overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be. Understanding things like budgeting, saving, paying your bills, and even building your credit score are skills that can help you at any stage of your life.
Even in these difficult times with the pandemic when so many of us are facing greater uncertainty around our finances and job security, it is these types of moments where understanding core financial skills can be the difference maker.
The past year has impacted families, friends, colleagues and our community. Since the start of the pandemic, 44% of Black Americans have said that either they or someone in their family has experienced a job or wage loss due to COVID. In these situations, especially, it is critical to know how to manage your finances to stay or get back on track.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, how to start making progress, or simply looking to refresh your knowledge, consider the following as you chart a successful path forward and take control of your financial future.
Advice and Tools
Our financial goals hub is a great place to start. Start by picking a goal – save, budget, or build credit – and explore advice, offerings and tools that more simply allow you to control your financial future. Our Grow Your Savings page, for example, offers an interactive calculator that maps out a timeline to reach savings goals and highlights how the Autosave tool can help you manage a regular savings schedule to stay on track and meet your goals. Other resources are also available, such as budget worksheets to monitor and track monthly spending, guidance on using the Credit Journey tool to build and protect credit, as well as background on low-cost checking accounts designed to provide access for anyone who has had trouble getting or keeping an account in the past.
Reserved Capital for Business Owners
Education, reliable support and resources are fundamental first steps to financial literacy, but equal access to capital is just as critical. With 41% of Black-owned businesses shuttering since this time last year, COVID-19 has only worsened the disparities and inequities that demand an intentional reprioritization of capital. Through our Entrepreneurs of Color Fund, we’re working to provide more access to capital to future entrepreneurs, existing business owners and communities who have historically and unfairly struggled to secure it. JPMorgan Chase also recently announced it is setting aside funds specifically for Black and Latinx business owners – stop into your local branch and talk with a Chase For Business representative to see if you qualify.
Equitable Home Lending
Home equity is also a major contributor to families’ wealth, making it imperative that we increase property ownership among Black communities. One way we hope to do this is through our Chase DreaMaker mortgage, which makes applying for your first mortgage or refinancing a current one more attainable with a smaller down payment, and by offering reduced mortgage insurance, more flexibility around your credit score, potential assistance grants and homebuyer education courses.
Visit our Community Center in the Crenshaw District
Just a few weeks ago we officially opened our newly re-designed Community Center Branch in the Crenshaw District, which provides financial health workshops, skills training, small business pop-ups and more. Unlike traditional branches, this branch has been designed specifically for the South Los Angeles community and with the intent to close gaps in access to financial education, resources and access to capital for reaching milestones like buying a house, starting a small business or paying for education.
And you may have also seen that we’ve hired a community manager based in our Crenshaw Community Center. As Community Manager for Los Angeles, Jordan King will work with the community and small businesses to increase awareness of available resources, and help connect you with financial health tools, products and services. Look for more free interactive programs on topics such as budget building, home buying tips, interview and job search skills, how to fund a small business, and others coming soon.
No matter where you are financially, budgeting and saving are two key habits that can help all of us bounce back from life’s unexpected moments or keep on track to ensure you meet your goals. That is why we are here to help everyone have open conversations about what it means to become financially healthy and provide support, tools and advice to get there. Financial health is a journey, and we can help you think about a plan for now and the future.
If you are able, please stop by our Crenshaw Community Center at 4401 Crenshaw Boulevard to learn more about the resources available.
Otherwise, for more resources, information and access to tools that can help you achieve your financial goals and milestones, visit chase.com/personal/financial-goals
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