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Years
Vol. 65 No. 14 | Thursday, April 3, 2025
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Serving San Diego County’s African & African American Communities 65 Years
LAWMAKERS RELEASE SWEEPING INSIDE BILL PACKAGE TO FAST TRACK : HOUSING PRODUCTION THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
SD BOLTS 13-U CELEBRATES!
FAREWELL LEON WILLIAMS SEE PAGE 8
SEE PAGE 7
FAIR CHECKOUT FOR ALL:
SAN DIEGO BANS
DIGITAL-ONLY GROCERY DISCOUNTS Asm. Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood) presents AB 557 at a news conference organized to introduce a 20-bill package aimed at fast-tracking housing production in California. McKinnor's bill would end local inspections on factory-built housing. PHOTO: Antonio Ray Harvey/CBM
By Antonio Ray Harvey CALIFORNIA BLACK M EDIA Two members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) joined a bipartisan and bicameral group of lawmakers to introduce a 20-bill package that would fast-track housing production in the state. Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor (DInglewood) and Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) added bills that would make housing more affordable and cut down the time it takes to
get approval to build houses. The package of bills is based on recommendations included in the final report of the Select Committee on Permitting Reform, chaired by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland). On March 27, Wicks, McKinnor, and other legislators attended a media event at the State Capitol Swing Space Annex to formally unveil the measures. See HOUSING page 2
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CLOSURE
POISED TO DEEPEN LOCAL EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES How San Diego Leaders Are Fighting Back
Food 4 Less digital app advertisement in egg aisle. PHOTO: Macy Meinhardt/Voice & Viewpoint Staff
By Macy Meinhardt VV STAFF WRITER/CA LOCAL NEWS FELLOW Soaring grocery store prices are a pain point in the wallets for many San Diegans, including seniors and low-income families. And now, in the digital era, food coupons gatekept behind smartphone apps add another hurdle for folks needing discounts the most. Today, many of the region’s most popular chain stores, Food 4 Less, Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, and Smart & Final, primarily rely on their websites and digital apps to provide consumers with discounts. the state’s Civil Rights Office. Ten days later, on March 20, Trump issued an executive order formally instructing the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to “facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” Core functions of the DOE include: enforcing civil rights laws, data collection, student aid, and policy setting. Per the latest executive order, these functions “can, and should be returned to the States.” The DOE also provides public schools with federal grants and formula funding, targeting support for disadvantaged students, special education, and specific programs. While the administration says that formula funding for schools, which is protected by law, would be preserved, they have cut nearly half the workforce in charge of distributing those funds.
San Diego Unified Administrative Building in North Park. PHOTO: Glassdoor
By Macy Meinhardt VV STAFF WRITER/CA LOCAL NEWS FELLOW
dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), warning that the shift could worsen educational inequalities.
San Diego Unified leaders are sounding the alarm as the Trump administration moves to
This comes as half of the DOE workforce was laid off this month, along with the closure of
Federal funding only accounts for 6% of San Diego Unified’s $1 billion budget. However, the funding that they do receive from the federal government largely goes to supporting marginalized student populations, such as Title I, free lunch programs, special education, support for military families, and special education funding.
Take a browse on Food 4 Less’ digital coupons page, for example, which is filled with discounts on essential consumer items— toilet paper, laundry detergent, feminine hygiene products, chicken, frozen meals, produce, and more. These discounts, however, are only available to those who know how to work a smartphone app. Residents argue this disadvantages those in the “digital divide,” people with limited access to or confidence in using computers and the internet. See DISCOUNTS page 2
Black and brown students are the primary beneficiaries of funding tied to Title I, which is implemented to close education inequity gaps. According to Cody Patterson, a San Diego Unified Board Trustee, it is deliberate. “There’s no way you can look at this dismantling of the administrative state and the attack on DEI, ethnic studies—and the attack on public education more broadly—without identifying that it is designed to disproportionately impact black and brown students,” said Patterson. Now, a broad coalition is rallying to block these threats before they hit classrooms. Just last week, San Diego Unified Superintendent Fabiola Bagula, along with trustee members, went to Washington, D.C, to urge lawmakers to protect critical funding sources. See INEQUALITIES page 2
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