CALIFORNIA’S BLACK COMMUNITY GROUPS: NO ON PROP 45

SACRAMENTO – California’s leading Black community groups and news outlets are urging voters to reject Proposition 45, the California Chamber of Commerce’s 41-page ballot initiative that would roll back state environmental protections and weaken the state’s defense against President Trump’s attack on state clean air, water, and public health laws.

“Environmental review is a rare chance for neighborhoods to be heard before construction,” notes The California Black Power Network Action Fund (CBPNAF), the political and electoral arm of the California Black Power Network that represents 48 Black-led organizations statewide. “Black communities did not end up near freeways, refineries, and rail yards by accident; those decisions were made behind closed doors. We support building housing—with the involvement of the people who live there.”

Read the group’s full recommendation here.

It joins the Los Angeles-based Black Women for Wellness Action Project in opposing Prop 45. The group is the nation's first 501(c)(4) advocacy organization focused specifically on Black women's reproductive justice, policy advocacy, and electoral engagement.

San Diego’s leading Black newspaper The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint also has announced its opposition. Earlier this month, the state’s largest Black newspaper, the Los Angeles Sentinel, announced its opposition to Prop 45 as did Black Voice News.

Leading Black elected leaders opposing Proposition 45 include Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, and Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas.

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