By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned residents about rising cryptocurrency fraud and online sextortion scams, urging Californians to recognize warning signs and protect themselves as scammers increasingly target younger people through social media.

Speaking at a news conference on Oct. 19, Bonta said Americans lost $20.9 billion to internet-based scams in 2025, including $11.4 billion to cryptocurrency scams. He said artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and malicious smart contracts have made fraud easier to carry out and more difficult to detect and prevent.

While older Californians remain targets, Bonta said his office has seen a sharp rise in reports of Gen Z consumers being targeted on platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram.

One growing scheme involves so-called rug-pull scams, in which fraudsters promote low-priced stocks or volatile cryptocurrencies through online investment groups and streaming communities. After generating interest and driving up prices, scammers sell their holdings, causing values to collapse and leaving investors with losses.

Bonta also warned about sextortion, in which scammers trick or coerce victims into sharing explicit images before threatening to distribute them to friends and family unless they pay. He advised victims not to give in to demands, saying scammers often do not release the images when victims refuse to pay. Instead, he recommended ignoring and blocking the perpetrators.

Another scheme, known as recovery fraud, targets people who have already lost money to cryptocurrency scams. Fraudsters impersonate blockchain recovery specialists or law enforcement officials and demand additional payments while promising to recover stolen assets.

Bonta urged Californians to be skeptical of promises of large returns on small investments, fake cryptocurrencies resembling established ones, and celebrity endorsements that may have been generated using artificial intelligence. He also warned that scammers can use AI to impersonate loved ones through manipulated video and audio.

“Never use a crypto ATM,” Bonta said, emphasizing that transactions can be difficult to trace and reverse and that the machines lack adequate consumer protections.

His office has shut down more than 100 fraudulent websites over the past two years that collectively scammed victims out of at least $8.3 million, he said.

Bonta also highlighted Senate Bill 1208, which he said was recently signed into law. The measure allows law enforcement to petition a court to return seized cryptocurrency to victims, including when alleged perpetrators are outside U.S. jurisdiction.

Residents who have fallen victim to scams can report them to the California Department of Justice at oag.ca.gov/report.

Bonta also urged victims not to feel embarrassed, stressing that scammers are responsible for the harm they cause.

The 21st annual Taste of Soul Family Festival brought hundreds of thousands to Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles on Oct. 17 for food, music and a celebration of Black culture. Visitors could shop with small businesses, enjoy live music performances, speak with health professionals and learn about job opportunities. 

Presented by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel, the free festival stretched along the corridor from Stocker Street to Obama Boulevard. The Sentinel estimated attendance at more than 300,000. The day also marked founder Danny J. Bakewell Sr.’s 80th birthday. 

“We call it a party with a purpose,” Pam Bakewell, the founder’s sister and a longtime festival organizer, told California Black Media (CBM). 

The enticing aromas of barbecue, fried chicken and catfish filled the air as food vendors served up a tempting array of Southern favorites, including cobbler and other desserts. Vendors also offered clothing, jewelry, books and beauty products. About 350 vendors and sponsors participated, including approximately 80 food vendors, Bakewell said. Businesses came from across Southern California and as far away as Chicago and Atlanta.

“In one day, an entrepreneur has the opportunity to showcase their business to hundreds of thousands of people,” Danny J. Bakewell Jr., president of the Sentinel. 

Chase offered vendors training in marketing and financial management, followed by a reception.

Experienced vendors also helped newcomers. Pam Bakewell cited Cobbler King, a longtime participant who shares lessons from his early festivals about preparing for crowds and building a business. 

“We want everybody to be successful,” she said. “We can’t guarantee that, but we give you the crowd.” 

Kaiser Permanente served as the festival’s main medical provider. St. John’s Community Health sponsored Children’s World, where children played games while families received preventive care and information about follow-up services. 

St. John’s provided flu shots, fluoride treatments for children and clinic sign-ups for physical examinations. It also reported distributing more than 10,400 bags of diapers.

CBM hosted a booth as part of its California Black Health Journalism Project, a yearlong, solutions-oriented reporting initiative to advance health equity for Black Californians. 

Dr. Deidra Beckles, who practices family and internal medicine, and Adriana Westby-Trent, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, held “Ask the Doc” conversations. Both are with Divinely Restored Health & Wellness. The booth drew steady traffic as they answered attendees’ health questions. Visitors received a “Your Wellness Matters” T-shirt. 

The Sentinel promoted a developing jobs platform, inviting attendees to post resumes and connect with employers. Bakewell said about 350 people signed up along the boulevard. 

Three stages offered music for different generations. The Bakewell Media Sounds of the Soul Stage featured Thelma Houston, Switch and headliner Midnight Star. Tony Cornelius, son of “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius, introduced Midnight Star and appeared with eight veteran dancers from the television show. 

 The Radio Free KJLH Music Stage featured Lucky Daye, Alex Isley, Allen Stone and Terisa Griffin. On the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage, MAJOR. served as host and performer. The lineup included Deitrick Haddon, local choirs and a youth performing arts ensemble. 

During the festivities, ABC7 reported two stabbings and an hours long Los Angeles Police Department citywide tactical alert.  

Pam Bakewell said police told organizers the incidents occurred outside the festival boundaries. She said organizers are reviewing safety measures with security personnel and police. 

By Tamara Shiloh

Long before African Americans could freely tell their stories, Michael G. Shiner was quietly documenting history.

Born into slavery in 1805 in Piscataway, Maryland, Shiner became one of the most remarkable eyewitness chroniclers of nineteenth-century America. His writings preserved more than five decades of Washington, D.C., history, providing an extraordinary perspective on slavery, freedom, labor, and the nation’s transformation.

He was born to William Pumphrey Jr., whose family owned property in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Around 1812, Shiner was brought to the nation’s capital, where he eventually worked at the Washington Navy Yard. Although denied the educational opportunities available to White Americans, he learned to read and write, likely through religious instruction at Washington’s First Presbyterian Church.

His literacy became a powerful instrument of historical preservation. Beginning with recollections of events in 1813, Shiner recorded significant happenings in a handwritten journal he called his “book.” His observations included the British invasion of Washington during the War of 1812, particularly the burning of the Capitol and other government buildings in August 1814. His descriptions captured the fear, destruction, and confusion surrounding one of America’s most devastating wartime attacks.

However, his writings extended far beyond military events.

In 1828, Thomas Howard, chief clerk of the Washington Navy Yard, acquired Shiner and hired out his labor. He worked in the Navy Yard’s paint shop, observing the everyday experiences of enslaved and free workers. His diary documented ship launches, workplace accidents, labor disputes, racial discrimination, and political developments.

One of his most heartbreaking experiences occurred in 1833 when slave traders threatened to separate his family. His wife, Phillis, and their children faced the possibility of being sold away. Through determined intervention and assistance from influential individuals, Shiner obtained their release from enslavement.

He petitioned for his own freedom in 1836 and subsequently lived as a free man. By 1850, census records identified him as free, living with his second wife, Jane, and their children.

His writings continued through the Civil War, documenting the changing political landscape and the struggle for African American freedom. His manuscript also revered the Emancipation Proclamation, demonstrating the importance of this historic declaration to someone who had personally experienced enslavement.

Following the Civil War, he became active in Republican politics and advocated for African American rights. His remarkable memory and detailed observations made him a respected figure throughout Washington.

Shiner died of smallpox on January 16, 1880, at approximately seventy-five years old.

Today, his 186-page manuscript, The Diary of Michael Shiner Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard, 1813–1869, is preserved at the Library of Congress.

What makes his achievement extraordinary is that an African American laborer, once considered property under American law, became an invaluable recorder of the nation’s history.

Shiner never achieved fame during his lifetime as a writer. Yet his determination to document the world around him ensured that future generations could understand American history through the eyes of someone who experienced both slavery and freedom.

By Quintella Griffin , Legal Writer

You put your home in a living trust. You choose who inherits. You expressly disinherit relatives. An attorney prepares the documents. You expect your wishes to survive you.

Dr. Laura Dean Head’s trust did not.

California property owners should examine Laura Dean Head Living Trust, Alameda County Superior Court, Oakland, Case No. RP20061734, and Hamlin v. Jendayi, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three, Case No. A167695.

The case delivers a sobering warning: a living trust can face a successful challenge even when its chosen beneficiary presents evidence supporting the person’s stated wishes.

Head, a San Francisco State University professor, named Zakiya Jendayi as successor trustee and primary beneficiary. They had known each other for 28 years. Seven years after Dr. Head’s death, her estranged sisters contested the trust. Jendayi alleges that they consulted various probate attorneys while forum shopping before pursuing the challenge. Judge Sandra K. Bean in Dept. 103 invalidated the trust based on undue influence.

Jendayi’s compilation, “The Truth Is in the Transcriptions,” places disputed findings beside testimony and medical records. She argues that the evidence tells a different story.

Estate planning attorney Elaine Lee testified that she reviewed the trust privately with Head, behind a closed door. Lee’s testimony, reproduced in the compilation, attributes the beneficiary choices to Head and describes her insistence that her sisters receive nothing.

Hospice social worker Jenna Noe confirmed that Head told her she wanted to leave her belongings to Jendayi. Noe also testified that Head made her own decisions in their conversations.

The court described complete dependence on Jendayi. The compilation points to paid caregivers, hospice professionals and frequent visits from friends. When the judge asked nurse Dolly Woodson whether she had witnessed Jendayi abusing Head, Woodson answered no.

Jendayi also challenges the court’s treatment of her conditional power of attorney and alleges omissions and unequal treatment of evidence.

Yet the appellate court affirmed the judgment. It found substantial evidence supporting undue influence, rejected the judicial-bias claims and deemed any deficiencies in the statement of decision harmless. The published portion held that disinherited potential intestate heirs had standing to contest the trust.

That ruling endangers Californians who have properties held in a trust. Disinheritance did not prevent this challenge, and evidence supporting Head’s intentions did not secure the outcome Jendayi sought.

For homeowners relying on a living trust, the question is urgent: how well will your documented choices withstand a contested courtroom narrative?

Read the decision at https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2024/a167695m.html

Examine the testimony. Consider what happened when a woman’s written wishes and the evidence offered to defend them were still not enough.

Sources: Hamlin v. Jendayi (2024) 105 Cal.App.5th 1064, opinion filed Oct. 17, 2024, modified Nov. 12, 2024; Jendayi’s supplied compilation of transcript excerpts and exhibits. Claims of error reflect Jendayi’s position.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC) celebrated community and business leaders at the 23rd Annual Business Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 22 at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Jack London Square. Held under the theme “Building a Stronger Oakland Through Innovation, Technology, and AI,” the event brought together business owners, elected officials, and civic leaders.

Oakland Mayor Barbara lee and U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon were also present.

Keynote speaker James “Jim” Reynolds, Jr., founder, chairman, and CEO of Loop Capital, enthusiastically addressed the audience. Reynolds’ firm is backing the AASEG (African American Sports and Entertainment Group) and partners with funding to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum site in East Oakland. 

Reynolds spoke of plans to provide thousands of employment and contracting opportunities to Oakland’s resilient residents.

“We expect to completely close the deal by Dec. 31 and in January we will begin digging,” he said of the six-year acquisition process.

“I want all small businesses, entrepreneurs, and contractors to prepare themselves for these opportunities,” Reynolds explained in the green room.

Reynolds has successfully completed multiple billion-dollar developments and projects including Los Angeles International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport, and now Queens, New York.

AASEG President Ray Bobbitt said the Coliseum Project will be the largest development in the country. Bobbitt stressed that Reynolds and his team took a chance on Oakland at a time when companies were abandoning the city.

“Mr. Reynolds is committed to the project and transforming the area,” said Bobbitt. “Mr. Reynolds sees Oakland as a great city with untapped potential. We are very grateful he believes in us.”

In 1997, Reynolds founded the Chicago-based municipal bond firm, growing it into one of the nation’s leading minority-owned financial services companies and among the largest privately held investment banks in the country.

Reynolds said he was very impressed with Oakland’s business community. “This community is really ready for something new and we plan to deliver.”

During the luncheon, OAACC presented awards to four honorees.

Derreck Johnson received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Johnson founded Home of Chicken and Waffles in Jack London Square in 2003, creating jobs for the formerly incarcerated and young people from Oakland’s inner-city communities.

Celessa Baker, vice president of Marketing Partnerships at Sephora, received the Visionary Leadership Award. A marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience, Baker served as retail marketing lead for the global launch of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna.

Angela Johnson, director and head of Global Delivery Partnerships at Uber Technologies, received the Business Excellence Award. She previously served as Uber’s chief of staff and founded the Coalition of Black Excellence.

Dr. Denise Saddler, superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District, received the Educational Recognition Award. Saddler has spent more than 40 years in the city’s education system, working as a teacher, principal, and district leader before becoming superintendent in 2025.

Lee announced that Oakland is listed in the Top 10 as best destinations. “Oakland is on the move,” said Lee. In agreement with Lee, Simon vowed to continue fighting for the resources needed to keep Oakland moving forward. 

“The chamber is committed to strengthening Oakland’s economy and uplifting its Black business community,” said Cathy Adams, president and CEO of OAACC.

Nov. 3 Election Endorsements

The Post Newspaper Group endorse the following political candidates, propositions and measures.

Oakland

Mayor

• Barbara Lee

City Council

• District 2: Charlene Wang
• District 4: Janani Ramachandran
• District 6: Kevin E. Jenkins
• City Auditor: Michael Houston

OUSD School Board

• District 2: Jennifer Brouhard
• District 6: Valarie Bachelor

Measure EE: Yes

Measure FF: Yes

Berkeley

Berkeley City Council

• District 1: Laura Babbitt
• District 4: No endorsement
• District 7: Syrak Micael
• District 8: No endorsement

Peralta Community College Board of Trustees

• Area 5: Sandra Weese

East Bay Municipal Utility District

• District 3: Marguerite Young

Bay Area Rapid Transit

• District 4: Robert Raburn

AC Transit

• District 3: Joel Young

City of Richmond

• Mayor: Ahmad Anderson

State Offices

• Governor: Xavier Becerra
• Lt. Governor: Fiona Ma
• Secretary of State: Shirley N. Weber
• Controller: Malia M. Cohen
• Attorney General: Rob Bonta
• State Assembly, 14th District: Buffy Wicks
• State Assembly, 18th District: Mia Bonta

Federal Offices

• U.S. Congress, 10th District: Mark De Saulnier
• U.S. Congress, 12th District: Lateefah Simon
• U.S. Congress, 14th District: Aisha Wahab

State Measures:

• Prop 1: Yes
• Prop 2: Yes
• Prop 3: Yes
• Prop 4: Yes
• Prop 5: Yes
• Prop 37: Yes
• Prop 38: No
• Prop 39: No
• Prop 40: No
• Prop 41: No
• Prop 42: No
• Prop 43: No
• Prop 44: No
• Prop 45: No

District Measures

• Regional Transit Measure: Yes