Author: NNPA

Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) is entering his final year of service in the state Legislature due to term limits.

Assemblymember Sade Elhawary — an educator, organizer, and lifelong advocate for social justice — represents California’s 57th Assembly District, representing communities in Los Angeles like Exposition Park, South L.A., and Downtown.

Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2024 to represent the 79th District, which includes southeastern San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, a master’s in education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University, where she later returned as an adjunct professor.

Just days before Christmas, East Brundage Lane in Bakersfield was filled with laughter, music, and the unmistakable excitement of children clutching brightly colored Santa gift bags. But this time, Santa Claus came in the form of neighborhood mothers.

Leon Harris, 35, is intimately familiar with the devastation guns can inflict. Robbers shot him in the back nearly two decades ago, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The bullet remains lodged in his spine.