Even though for many of us, this December 25th will feel like the “Grinch Stole Our Christmas,” like we have in the past, we just need to get on with it.
Two important things to note, politically, include the fact that Dr. Akilah Weber, the politically astute daughter of California Secretary of State and major political mover and shaker Dr. Shirley Weber, has just been elected as the next Chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC). Thanks to Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, recently re-elected member of the California State Assembly, for having done a fine job as CLBC chair last legislative session. The reparations fight in the California legislature will continue in the upcoming session (in fact, it has already begun in the December special session of the California legislature.)
Measure G, which passed recently, has just established Los Angeles County will now have nine county commissioners, rather than just the five that we are used to. A new 13-member commission will be set up in the coming weeks to establish exactly how the other four members of the L.A. County Board will be incorporated into county governance and how and when they will be elected.
The 13 members are supposed to be chosen from applicants who submit their information in the next few weeks from an application process that will be on the county’s webpage very shortly. We strongly encourage those who have a real stake in the future of L.A. County government (i.e., the population of Ladera Heights, a well-known and well-endowed predominately Black suburb which has regularly been given short shrift in the provision of governmental services) to apply to get on that 13-member commission.
The third thing to pay close attention to, is whether the U.S. Postal Service, a governmental institution since the original U.S. government was formed in the 18th century, gets privatized by the incoming Trump administration. While we’ve all probably had one or two serious issues with that branch of government in the past, privatizing the Post Office is not a popular answer for what is wrong with the governmental unit. Stay tuned and stay alert for any action needed to fight this action down if an expected attempt to privatize the postal service is really made. 2026 will be action-oriented politically, so get ready, get set!
Professor David L. Horne is founder and executive director of PAPPEI, the Pan African Public Policy and Ethical Institute, which is a new 501(c)(3) pending community-based organization or non-governmental organization (NGO). It is the stepparent organization for the California Black Think Tank which still operates and which meets every fourth Friday.
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