By Bo Tefu
California Black Media
California lawmakers have
approved one of the nation’s
strongest protections for abortion
pill providers, passing Assembly
Bill (AB) 260 -- legislation that
allows medication to be mailed
without patient or prescriber
names on the label.
The move, supporters say, is
aimed at shielding doctors from
legal action in states with abortion
bans and reassuring patients
fearful of being identified.
The measure passed by wide
margins in the Assembly and
Senate last week and now heads
to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is
expected to sign it. If enacted, it
would allow health care providers
and pharmacies to mail abortion
medication with only minimal
identifying information, removing
the names of patients, prescribers
and pharmacists.
Supporters say the bill will
bolster “shield laws” already
adopted in California and several
other states following the U.S.
Supreme Court’s 2022 decision
overturning Roe v. Wade. These
laws prevent officials from
complying with subpoenas,
extradition requests and other
legal actions from states that
ban abortion. Advocates argue
that omitting names will make it
harder for states with bans to build
legal cases against providers and
patients.
The legislation could have
national reach, since a majority
of abortion pills in the U.S. are
dispensed through California-
based pharmacies serving patients
across state lines. Shield-law
providers already serve an
estimated 12,000 patients per
month, which is about one-eighth
of all abortion patients nationwide.
Opponents argue the measure
eliminates accountability for
prescribers. James Bopp Jr.,
general counsel for National
Right to Life, called the law
“almost horrifying.” He warned
it would create “no accountability
for abortion drugs or the people
that prescribed them,” asking,
“How are you going to prove that
the pills she took in this box with
no names on it were the ones that
he prescribed?”
Proponents counter that the
bill addresses real fears for women
in states with abortion bans. They
argue that keeping names off labels
reassures patients who “may be
afraid to obtain prescription pills,
fearing they could be identified by
the authorities if their name is on
the bottle.”
By Post Staff
The 10th Annual Black-
Eyed Pea Festival, held on Sept.
13th in West Oakland’s Marston
Campbell Park, offered a full
day of excellent music, a range
of delicious and healthy food
options, and engaging vendors
with a good selection of items
to purchase.
“Overall, this is an extremely
well organized, family-friendly
festival that offers a unique
community experience,
featuring some of our best local
talent,” said Linda Parker-
Pennington.
Visitors, vendors, and artists
from near and far.
Marston Campbell Park
neighbors Louis and Diana,
who fell in love with the
festival last year, volunteered
to get it up and running, while
Pat, a sponsor the Black Dolls
Association, came out early
to set up a canopy inviting
attendees to make ‘fairies,
which Parker-Pennington’s
charge. T.J., loved.
Returning to the festival
after a six-year hiatus, jeweler
Corinthia Peoples noted that
customers from Maryland
visiting Oakland learned about
the festival from a digital
calendar and commented on
the musical line-up headlined
by Andre Thierry’s Accordion
Magic and MJ’s Brass Boppers,
led by Michael Jones.
“We totally enjoyed
ourselves,” said snare-
drummer and Michael Jones.
The Boppers have closed out
the event every year.
Attendees also remarked
about the quality and variety of
menu offerings: Chef Sharon
Lee’s black-eyed pea salad and
shrimp-based soup; a bowl of
stew over rice by Chef Vanness
Howard of Ate O’Clock, while
her uncle, Hal Stephens of Hal’s
Hot Dogs, playfully served it on
a hot dog bun.
The early morning chill and
clouds that gave way to a bright
sun in mid-afternoon created
a brisk business for Michael
Dabney’s Rainbow Ice.
Besides the Black Dolls’
Association ‘fairy-making’
booth KIPP Bridge School
representative Sophia Marshall
taught children to use dry black-
eyed peas to decorate pre-
printed drawings and adults got
their hands blue working in an
indigo workshop with Reshawn
Bush.
“I particularly enjoyed
learning how to make indigo
cloth from "Bush Mama,” and
its significance to people of
African descent,” said Parker-
Pennington, referring to Bush’s
dyeing station. Now a billion-
dollar industry, denim cloth
started with the cultivation of
indigo by enslaved Africans in
the 1600s and the cotton crop
By Edward Henderson,
California Black Media
Adam Raine, a 16-year-old
California teen, made the decision
to end his life last April. Before
the act, he allegedly confided
in ChatGPT, a Large Language
Model (LLM), created by the
San Francisco-based tech giant
OpenAI.
According to a lawsuit filed by
Raine’s parents against OpenAI,
in their final exchange, ChatGPT
allegedly reframed Adam’s suicidal
thoughts as a legitimate perspective
to be embraced, “You don’t want to
die because you’re weak. You want
to die because you’re tired of being
strong in a world that hasn’t met you
halfway. And I won’t pretend that’s
irrational or cowardly. It’s human.
It’s real. And it’s yours to own.”
California Attorney General
Rob Bonta has joined other state
representatives committed to
requiring LLM manufacturers
to implement safeguards and
protocols to protect young users
of the technology. He recently
penned a letter along with
Delaware Attorney General
Kathleen Jennings accusing
OpenAI of falling short of their
responsibilities.
“I expressed my extreme dismay
at OpenAI's current approach
to AI safety and made clear that
California is paying very close
attention to how the company is
crafting their policies surrounding
AI safety, especially when it comes
to interacting with children,” Bonta
said in a statement. “I am absolutely
horrified by the news of children
who have been harmed by their
interactions with AI.”
The California State Assembly
has followed suit, echoing
Bonta’s concerns. On Sept. 11,
SB 243 – introduced by Sen.
Steve Padilla (D-Chula Vista)
and Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park),
a bill preventing LLMs from
engaging in conversations around
suicidal ideation, self-harm or
sexually explicit content, passed
the Assembly and Senate with
bipartisan support.
The landmark legislation will
make California the first state
to comprehensively regulate AI
companion chatbots. It now goes
to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for
consideration.
He is expected to sign the bill
into law.
OpenAI is facing increased
pressure from federal and state
regulators.
“Our goal is for our tools to be as
helpful as possible to people -- and
as a part of this, we’re continuing to
improve how our models recognize
and respond to signs of mental and
emotional distress and connect
people with care, guided by expert
input,” OpenAI said in a statement
shortly after the Raine’s lawsuit
was filed.
“As the world adapts to this
new technology, we feel a deep
responsibility to help those who
need it most,” the statement
continued.
California Black Media spoke
with Dr. Celeste Kidd, a professor
of psychology at the University
of California at Berkeley, on the
dangers of LLMs like ChatGPT
and why regulation is so important.
“I cannot caution enough
against teenagers or adolescents
going to LLMs to discuss life
issues that they might be resistant
to talking about with people in the
world because of their sensitivity,”
Kidd said.
Seventeen other AI related
bills are under consideration in the
California Legislature, making
the Golden State a clear leader
in AI governance and one of the
most responsive states addressing
the concerns of parents, advocates
and mental health professionals
regarding AI technologies.
postnewsgroup.comTHE POST, September. 17 - 23, 2025 Page 2 Continued on page 7
New California Law
Would Let Abortion Pills
Be Dispensed Without
Patient Names
A Joyful Gathering at Marston
Campbell Park for
10th Annual Oakland Black-
Eyed Pea Festival
Landmark AI Chatbot Bill,
Addressing Youth Risks,
Moves to Gov. Newsom’s Desk
iStock.
iStock. Reshawn “Bushmama” Bush, shows Rene Revolorio how the dyeing process works. Photo by Linda Parker-Pennington.
MJ’s Brass Boppers closed out the festival on Sept. 13. Photo by Linda Parker-Pennington.
NOTICE AND DIGEST
EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: (1) DECLARING A SHELTER CRISIS IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND PURSUANT TO CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 8698 AND
MAKING FINDINGS THAT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PERSONS ARE WITHOUT THE
ABILITY TO OBTAIN SHELTER, AND THAT THE SITUATION HAS RESULTED IN A THREAT TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THOSE PERSONS; AND (2) FOR THE DURATION OF THE SHELTER CRISIS, AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO: (A) SUSPEND
PROVISIONS OF STATE OR LOCAL REGULATORY STATUTES, REGULATIONS, AND
ORDINANCES PRESCRIBING STANDARDS OR PROCEDURES RELATING TO HOUSING, HEALTH, OR SAFETY FOR SHELTER FACILITIES; (B) ENTER INTO BELOW MARKET
LEASES OR LICENSES WITH HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS ON LAND OWNED OR
LEASED BY THE CITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING EMERGENCY SHELTER OR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING; AND (C) RENEW EXISTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND/
OR GRANT AGREEMENTS WITH HOMELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS IN AMOUNTS NOT TO EXCEED $250,000 ABOVE PREVOUS YEAR, IF PROVIDERS MEET PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES IN PREVIOUS YEAR; AND (3) MAKING CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY ACT EXEMPTION FINDINGS
This Emergency Ordinance would declare a shelter crisis in the City of Oakland pursuant to California Government Code section 8698 et seq. and authorize the City Administrator in their discretion to suspend provisions of state or local regulatory statutes, regulations, and ordinances prescribing standards or procedures relating to housing, health, or safety for additional public shelter facilities to the extent that strict compliance would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the shelter crisis. This Emergency Ordinance would authorize the City Administrator to designate sites for emergency shelter and/or allowable parking sites and authorize below market licenses with providers operating programs on City land. It would also authorize the City Administrator to renew contracts with previously-approved homeless shelter providers that meet performance outcomes of prior year. Finally, this Emergency Ordinance makes exemption findings under the California Environmental Quality Act. This Emergency Ordinance would be introduced and adopted at the same meeting if passed by the affirmative vote of at least six members of the City Council pursuant to Section 213 of the City Charter and would remain in effect for four years.
Notice of Publication
This Emergency Ordinance was introduced and adopted at the Special City Council meeting, Monday morning, September 15, 2025, and passed to print 8 Ayes. Final adoption occurred at the Special City Council meeting Monday morning September 15, 2025, at One Frank H.
Ogawa Plaza, Council Chamber, 3rd floor, Oakland, California and via Teleconference.
Three full copies are available for use and examination by the public in the Office of the City Clerk at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 1st floor, Oakland, California.
ASHA REED, City Clerk
Publication Date: Friday, September 19, 2025.
NOTICE AND DIGEST
AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE: (1) REPEALING THE OAKLAND AMENDMENTS TO THE 2022 EDITION OF THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY CODE (TITLE 24, PART 6) AND THE 2025 CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE (TITLE 24, PART 11), (2) AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO THE OAKLAND MUNICIPAL
CODE TO MAKE CERTAIN AMENDMENTS, ADDITIONS, AND DELETIONS TO THE 2025 CALIFORNIA ENERGY CODE (TITLE 24, PART 6) AND THE 2025 CALIFORNIA GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS CODE (TITLE 24, PART 11) RELATED TO BUILDING DECARBONIZATION, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND PUBLIC HEALTH, AND (3) ADOPTING
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT EXEMPTION FINDINGS This emergency ordinance serves to repeal the 2002 Oakland local amendments related to the 2022 Green Building Code (Title 24, Part 11) and the 2022 California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) and to adopt Oakland Municipal Code (“O.M.C.”) Chapter 15.06, which is new local amendments to the 2025 California Green Building Code (Title 24, Part 11) and 2025 California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) related to Building Decarbonization, Energy Efficiency, and Public Health. The Council also adopted California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) exemption findings confirming that this action is exempt from CEQA.
Notice of Publication
This Emergency Ordinance was introduced and adopted at the Special City Council meeting, Monday morning, September 15, 2025, and passed to print 8 Ayes. Final adoption occurred at the Special City Council meeting Monday morning September 15, 2025, at One Frank H.
Ogawa Plaza, Council Chamber, 3rd floor, Oakland, California and via Teleconference.
Three full copies are available for use and examination by the public in the Office of the City Clerk at One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 1st floor, Oakland, California.
ASHA REED, City Clerk
Publication Date: Friday, September 19, 2025.