Listed below are the morning’s prime tales on Monday, January 19, 2026
- As we have a good time and honor the lifetime of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. right now, we needed to take a more in-depth have a look at a few of the points which might be dealing with Black Californians. Specifically, the state’s reparations efforts. Whereas lawmakers accepted a handful of measures meant to make sure reparative justice for Black Californians, others have been tabled or vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom. So the place does all of it stand?
- A particular election is going on in Northern California this 12 months that would additional chip away at Republicans’ slim majority within the Home of Representatives.
- For the second time in 4 months, a bunch of Kaiser staff are going out on an open-ended strike at hospitals and clinics throughout California and Hawaii.
Reparation Efforts To Proceed In 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a handful of payments advancing the reason for reparations for Black Californians final 12 months, dealing the most recent blow to a first-of-its-kind motion to atone for state-inflicted harms from slavery to the current day. Newsom rejected payments that will have allowed the descendants of enslaved individuals to obtain choice in college admissions, enterprise licenses and loans for first-time homebuyers.
The measures had been amongst a number of reparations-related payments superior final 12 months by the California Legislative Black Caucus, following a shift in technique to concentrate on descendants of enslaved individuals moderately than race-based packages — an method designed to face up to mounting authorized challenges.
Lisa Holder is a civil rights legal professional and was a member of the state’s Reparations Job Drive. She’s additionally president of the non-profit Equal Justice Society. She stated that is going to be an extended course of. “You may’t legislate your self out of 400 years of inequality and injustice. You must do a complete physique of legal guidelines to vary the methods which were disparately affecting black people for many years.” she stated. “You now must put many, many legal guidelines in place to vary virtually each system, whether or not you’re speaking about methods of finance, housing. Legal guidelines that require equitable remedy, legal guidelines that require affirmative hiring generally in industries the place Black individuals had been affirmatively not employed,” she stated.
Governor Units Particular Election To Fill Congressman LaMalfa’s Seat
Governor Gavin Newsom has set a date for the particular election to switch Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who handed away instantly on January 6.
The election will happen on August 4. That’s later than the June date many observers anticipated, which might have coincided with the state’s already scheduled major election. And it leaves a at the moment protected Republican Home seat vacant for at the very least the following six months.
The winner of the particular election would serve for just a few months, earlier than having to run in a newly redrawn congressional district.
Union Of 31,000 Kaiser Staff To Go On Indefinite Strike
The union representing 31,000 nurses, rehab therapists, pharmacists and different specialty well being care professionals at Kaiser Permanente plans to go on an open-ended strike at hospitals and clinics throughout California and Hawaii.
After either side hit a wall of their months-long contract talks, the walkout is ready to start Jan. 26 at practically 20 Kaiser hospitals and 200 clinics, endlessly. “We can be on strike till we attain an settlement,” stated Brian Mason, a negotiator for the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Well being Care Professionals. He warned that the strike will probably trigger delayed or canceled surgical procedures and appointments.
UNAC/UHCP is a part of an alliance of well being care unions negotiating with Kaiser for a brand new set of nationwide and native contracts. In October, about 61,000 members of the alliance staged a five-day, multi-state strike to demand wage and staffing will increase. Talks resumed after the walkout, however they broke down in mid-December when Kaiser negotiators accused UNAC/UHCP leaders of not bargaining in good religion.
In a assertion issued on YouTube, chief human assets officer Greg Holmes stated a union official threatened to launch “proof of unlawful, unethical and reputationally damaging details about Kaiser Permanente” except either side reached an appropriate settlement.
