In the News
Written by: Julia Métraux
On Wednesday, a group of six Democratic members of Congress, led by Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), raised concerns that the federal government is “failing to protect federal contractor workers with disabilities” in a letter sent to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Written By Brandon Patterson
On March 14, President Trump signed an executive order slashing the operations of two federal agencies supporting growth in minority business and neighborhoods as he continued his attacks on programs supporting people of color and on the size of the federal bureaucracy.
Written by Chase Hunter
Two Congressional representatives from the East Bay are expressing outrage after 10 Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, voted in favor of a Republican budget bill to keep the government open for the next six months and enact drastic spending cuts across federal agencies.
Written by Gabe Greschler
Days after admonishing Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer over his willingness to support a Republican bill in order to avoid a government shutdown, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi affirmed her party’s support for the minority leader, saying she has confidence in his leadership.
Written by Mark Alfred
California is being hit particularly hard by Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
It is home to more federal workers than any other state, many of them with the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose workforce is being slashed by thousands nationwide. Its national parks and reserves are facing staffing cuts, while its universities stand to lose millions in grants that support medical research.
Written by Austin Metzger
In a building filled with 150 people, U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon began her speech explaining how her aunt was one of two black women at San Francisco State University who in 1968 helped lead a historic student-led strike that demanded the creation of an ethnic studies department on the campus.
“It started here,” Simon said, “It started here when students and professors alike had to move against the administration to physically take space, and they shut San Francisco State down.”
Written by Shira Stein
WASHINGTON — Bay Area lawmakers have received an increase in calls from constituents in January and February, seven members told the Chronicle. Those who were in office at the start of the first Trump administration said the volume is similar to that time period. But the messages they’re getting have gotten more specific: Constituents are asking them to “do something” and not just make symbolic moves or release statements.
Written by Matthew Green & Natalia V Navarro
About halfway through President Donald Trump’s contentious address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Lateefah Simon decided she’d heard enough.
“I did decide to attend because my job as a new member of Congress is to deeply understand the institution,” the freshman Democratic representative from Oakland told KQED. “But you know, I was in there for about 45 minutes and there was only so much hatred that I could hear.”