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☆ How Group Black's $500 million promise to Black-owned media unraveled
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Montaque cofounded Group Black in 2021 with the goal of directing $500 million in advertising money to Black-owned media in its first 18 months. With the pledge, Group Black laid out a plan to steer money to Black media owners and acquire media companies. Bough, Group Black's chief strategy officer, was a former Mondelēz and PepsiCo marketer who presented the CNBC reality show "Cleveland Hustles." Various outlets reported that Group Black mounted bids for media companies including the Sports Illustrated publisher Arena Group, the Paramount-owned BET, Vice Media, and Vox Media. Seven former employees described Montaque as an energetic leader but said he was ultimately ineffective in executing Group Black's mission.

Persons: Travis Montaque, Weeks, Montaque, Bonin, Black, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Richelieu Dennis, Dennis, Ursula M, Burns, Randy Brooke, Ursula Burns, Seth Kaufman, Moët Hennessy, Gamble, Ziff Davis, offsites, Gamble —, Spokespeople, Derrick Johnson, Lionel Hahn, Todd Brown, It's, Christopher Kenna, I'm, Samantha Skey, Black's Travis Montaque, Arturo Holmes, Vivek Shah, Bough, Sheila Marmon, Media's Refinery29, Erika Goldring, Richelieu Dennis who's, Kirk McDonald, GroupM Organizations: Black, Cannes Lions, Business, Black's, SHE, Cola, Walmart, PepsiCo, CNBC, Xerox, Getty, Moët Hennessy North America, Procter, Gamble, NAACP, Urban Edge Network, Corporate America, Association of National Advertisers's Alliance, Inclusive, Multicultural, Diversity Media, Penske Media Corp, Zeta, Fox, Everyday Health, Sports, Arena Group, Paramount, BET, Vice Media, Vox Media, Galore Media, Mirror, Marmon, Media Locations: GroupM, America, Soho, Manhattan, Santa Monica, Cannes

☆ Media network Group Black faces a leadership in flux
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

All in all, Group Black said it planned to deploy $500 million in Black-owned media by the end of 2022. Some brands have provided updates on their commitments since, but gains by Black-owned media companies have been uneven overall. Group Black's idea was to help steer ad dollars to its member companies and use some of the ad dollars to buy stakes in media companies. It listed among its founding member companies Essence, which is part of Dennis' company, Sundial Media; podcast company Pod Digital Media; and lifestyle media company She Media. Various outlets also reported that Group Black sought to acquire stakes in media companies including Sports Illustrated publisher Arena Group and Vox Media.

Persons: —, Travis Montaque, Montaque, Montaque hasn't, Kerel Cooper, Dan Bisgeier, Delida Costin, Mike Owen, Ryan Robertson, Marchelle Wright, Ashley Banks, Cooper, Holler, Richelieu Dennis, Bonin, Black, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ursula Burns, Fortune, Seth Kaufman, Moët Hennessy, Dennis Organizations: Service, Business, Black, Xerox, Moët Hennessy North America ., Media, Pod Digital Media, Sports, Arena, Vox Media Locations: Black

☆ Wall Street execs, Spielberg, 'dark money' groups quietly back Democrat running for Pennsylvania Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Daniel McCaffery, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Supreme Court judge, arrives at his polling place to vote in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. If McCaffery wins, it would give the Democrats one more seat to boost their majority on the state court. Beyond the Spielberg group, the PAC has received funds from at least two veteran finance executives, according to the records. The "dark money" group is chaired by Chuck Hadley, according to his LinkedIn page. The North Fund, another 501(c)(4) "dark money" organization, gave $600,000 to the PAC, according to records.

Persons: Daniel McCaffery, Steven Spielberg, Carolyn Carluccio, Adam Bonin, Jeffrey Yass, Spielberg, Forbes, Stephen Mandel, Susan, Mandel, Mark Heising, Heising, Lynn Schusterman, Charles Schusterman, Schusterman, Chuck Hadley, Hadley, Arabella Organizations: Democratic, Pennsylvania, Democrat, Republican, Susquehanna International Group, Trust, Foundation, Lone, Lone Pine Capital, Medley Partners, PAC, Forbes, McCaffery PAC, Partners, North Fund Locations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's, Hollywood, Tuesday's, Lone Pine

Josh Shapiro to bypass the Legislature and start automatic voter registration. “THE DEMOCRATS ARE TRYING TO STEAL PENNSYLVANIA AGAIN BY DOING THE ‘AUTOMATIC VOTER REGISTRATION’ SCAM,” Trump wrote on his social media platform. Democrats contended that Shapiro was well within his legal authority to authorize automatic voter registration. A survey of several states with automatic voter registration revealed similar experiences. Republicans in some states that have switched to automatic registration say it will lead to fraud or illegal voting, and conservatives in Alaska have attempted to repeal that state’s automatic registration.

Persons: — Donald Trump, Josh Shapiro, Trump, Shapiro, ” Trump, Ronna McDaniel, “, ” McDaniel, ” Shapiro, Adam Bonin, ”, Tammy Patrick, Charles Stewart III, ” Stewart, Democrat Joe Biden, Sam DeMarco, ” DeMarco, Christina A, Cassidy, Marc Levy Organizations: Republican, Democratic Gov, Democratic, Republicans, Trump, “, MSNBC, District of Columbia, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Association of Election, Massachusetts Institute, Science, Pennsylvania Project, Public, Institute of California, University of Southern, University of California, Democrat, Democratic Party, Associated Press Locations: HARRISBURG, Pa, Alaska, Georgia, West Virginia . Georgia, Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Berkeley, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Atlanta

Richelieu Dennis, left, and Bonin Bough are two of the co-founders of Group Black, which has been exploring an acquisition of Vice Media for several months. Group Black, a company that aims to invest in and grow Black-owned media firms, has submitted a bid to acquire beleaguered Vice Media for around $400 million, according to people familiar with the situation. Vice has received other bids for the entire business as well as pieces of its business, people familiar with the matter said. The company hopes to wrap up the bidding process in the next few days, the people said.

The councilman has defied demands for his resignation and attended last week’s meeting, amid vociferous protests, “to get back to work,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan before the meeting. Calls for de León’s resignation have continued since October, when audio of a year-old conversation between de Léon and fellow council members was posted anonymously on Reddit and obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Much of the conversation focused on maps proposed by the city’s redistricting commission and the council members’ frustration with them, but it also featured racist remarks about a fellow council member’s Black son and about Oaxacans. “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” de León told CNN on Tuesday, clarifying his remarks comparing White colleague Mike Bonin’s Black child to a designer handbag. De León pointed to his body of work, including his work on environmental issues and advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants.

“We are seeing more litigation in 2022 relating to elections and election administration and the like than we have ever seen before,” Elias said. Consovoy McCarthy, a 20-lawyer Washington law firm that represented Trump in lawsuits over congressional subpoenas, is playing an especially active role on the Republican side. The lawyers' real test may come after election day, when close or contested results are likely to spark fresh lawsuits, attorneys said. Whatever shape those cases take, "you have to be ready,” said Adam Bonin, an election lawyer who has represented Democrats in Pennsylvania. Opinion polls show Republicans are set to win back control of the House of Representatives and perhaps also the Senate at the midterm elections.

☆ Los Angeles police investigating whether council members were recorded illegally
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police are investigating whether audio of members of the City Council making racist comments was recorded illegally, the police chief said Tuesday. The recording from 2021 was leaked online and published by the Los Angeles Times this month. The 2021 meeting was attended by Martinez, council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, and Ron Herrera, the president of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Protesters shouted over council members at their meeting Tuesday, demanding that de León and Cedillo resign, NBC Los Angeles reported. Martinez resigned as a City Council member Oct. 12, two days after she stepped down as council president.

☆ Latino leaders call for resignations over racist remarks while outlining 'principled path' to representation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Edwin-Head-Shot-Copy.Jpg | Edwin Flores | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A group of Latino academics and civic leaders are insisting on the resignations of Latino members of the Los Angeles City Council after a recording of racist remarks was leaked, while outlining the need to ensure that the city's Hispanics are represented politically in a way that still strengthens race relations. "It is time to chart a principled path for the role an emerging Latino majority plays in our community." “The City of Los Angeles is overdue for institutional reform, especially reform that depoliticizes the redistricting process,” they said. The City Council is up for election on Nov. 8. In the letter, the group requested the opportunity to meet with City Council leaders.

☆ Latino LA councilman said he won't resign following uproar over racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

LOS ANGELES — Embattled Los Angeles Councilman Kevin de Leon said Wednesday he will not resign amid an uproar over a leaked tape that revealed him participating in a meeting in which Latino officials made crude, racist remarks and plotted to expand their political power. The scandal already has led to the resignation of former City Council President Nury Martinez and calls from President Joe Biden for those involved to step down. The councilman also told KCBS-TV in Los Angeles that he would refuse to resign. “We don’t want him here because he’s racist,” said Loera, a salesman reviewing items at a local household goods shop with a view of downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles City Council members are among the highest paid in the country with annual salaries of nearly $229,000, and de Leon’s announcement also keeps his city paychecks coming.

☆ LA City Council member embroiled in racist audio scandal says he won't resign: 'There is a lot of work ahead.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

LA City Council member Kevin de León said he will not resign amid scandal over leaked audio. "No, I will not resign, because there is a lot of work ahead," de León said, invoking Los Angeles' homelessness problem. De León's decision comes just days after LA City Council member Nury Martinez resigned amid mounting pressure over the same audio. "People should not ask me for forgiveness, because I can't forgive them because it's not my prerogative," he said during a council meeting. Then-acting City Council President Mitch O'Farrell stripped de León and Cedillo of their committee duties earlier this week.

☆ Los Angeles’ Nury Martinez’s shocking anti-Black remarks hurt at the deepest level
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Amir Whitaker | Amir Whitaker Is Senior Policy Counsel With The Aclu Of Southern California. Before Joining The Aclu | Whitaker Represented Students | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many of us in Los Angeles are still in shock from the recently leaked audio recording of politicians spewing racist and hateful language. It laid bare the true colors of four of the most influential Latinx leaders in the country, whose collective power affects nearly 4 million Angelenos. But this is Los Angeles, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Hearing a public servant in one of the most powerful seats in our city government fantasize about committing violence against a Black child was extremely troubling. I get anxious just thinking about having to explain to my Black child what they need to know to survive in America.

Some may want to see the explosive, racist diatribes of a handful of prominent Los Angeles City Council members as an unfortunate incident that will eventually fade away. But the reality is that such prejudice from Latino to Latino and Latino to other racial groups is not so uncommon. That was on stark display in the conversation among former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, council members Kevin De León and Gil Cedillo and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, who resigned Monday. "If you’re going to talk about Latino districts, what kind of districts are you trying to create?” she asks her colleagues in frustration. Zapotecs, or Indigenous people of Oaxacan descent, number about 200,000 in Los Angeles County, one of the largest Oaxacan communities outside Mexico.

☆ Former L.A. City Council president resigns amid uproar over leaked audio of racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The former president of the Los Angeles City Council at the center of a controversy over leaked audio of racist remarks announced her resignation from the elected board on Wednesday. “It is with a broken heart that I resign my seat for Council District 6, the community I grew up in and my home,” she said. No one expected me to win, but with the support of residents throughout the district I overcame that challenge and won the seat for Council District 6. In the leaked audio, Martinez likened the Black son of council member Mike Bonin, who was 2 years old at the time, to an animal. Since the Los Angeles Times first reported about the audio recording on Sunday, the controversy has grown into a national story.

☆ California attorney general to investigate L.A. City Council after leak of audio with racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The California attorney general announced Wednesday his office will investigate the Los Angeles City Council to determine whether any laws were broken after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced this week. Martinez has resigned as council president, and she announced she is taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles. Bonta said in the statement he was “deeply appalled" by the remarks from some of Los Angeles’ highest-ranking officials. A council meeting Wednesday was also met with a hostile crowd that disrupted the beginning of the meeting more than once. “The leaked audio has cast doubt on a cornerstone of our political processes for Los Angeles," Bonta said in the Wednesday statement.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso insisted he's not white, but really Italian — and thus "Latin" — during an awkward debate moment Tuesday in the nation's second-largest city. Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso speaks at Emerson College Los Angeles on Oct. 7, 2022. The mayoral hopeful said he's, for decades, led efforts to bring more education opportunities and healthcare to Black and Latino communities in Los Angeles. "I connect with the Latino community but quite frankly my job as mayor is to connect with every community — the Latino community, the Black community, the Asian community, right? Caruso' "Latin" identity comment drew a harsh reaction, ranging from scorn to mockery.

☆ Los Angeles City Council member Nury Martinez resigns – but does not apologize – after explosive audio of racist comments leaked
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

LA City Council member Nury Martinez has resigned after she was caught making racist comments. Earlier this week, fellow city council members and US president Joe Biden called on her to resign. On Monday, Martinez resigned from her position as City Council president, but not the council itself, and taken a leave of absence as calls for her full resignation grew. Advocate groups from across Los Angeles spoke out at City Council meetings earlier this week, calling for all of the involved council members to resign. Earlier this week, Martinez offered a short apology for her words, according to KTLA.

☆ Los Angeles city official resigns amid furor over racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Tyler Clifford | Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 12 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman resigned her seat on Wednesday, days after she stepped down as president of the body as pressure mounted after an audio recording of her making racist comments was made public. Democrat Nury Martinez, who represented Los Angeles' sixth district, faced calls to resign from local officials and U.S. President Joe Biden. A fourth person heard on the leaked tape, local labor leader Ron Herrera, has resigned from his position as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Martinez was first elected to the city council in 2013 and became president in 2020. Martinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks."

☆ Crowd demands resignations at chaotic L.A. City Council meeting after leaked recording of racist remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Antonio Planas | Antonio Planas Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

An outraged crowd converged on a meeting at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday and demanded the immediate resignations of three Latino City Council members after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced this week. Martinez has resigned as council president, and she announced she is taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles. Lori Condinus of the National Action Network Los Angeles was one of dozens of members of the public to speak. Martinez apologized and announced she was stepping down as council president in a statement Monday. “Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council."

☆ Los Angeles official takes leave of absence as racist comments roil city
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Dan Whitcomb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Oct 11 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman day took a leave of absence from her post on Tuesday as a furor raged around her and two colleagues over racist comments she was heard making on an audiotape of their private conversation. Democrat Nury Martinez, who resigned her leadership post a day earlier, announced her leave of absence in a statement issued before the regularly scheduled council meeting. Herrera resigned on Monday night from his position as president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Times reported. Martinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks." Martinez was first elected to the city council in 2013 and became president in 2020.

☆ Los Angeles council president steps down after audio leak of racist comments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 10 (Reuters) - A Los Angeles city councilwoman resigned as president of the council on Monday after the release of an audio recording in which she makes racist and other disparaging comments, including ones about the Black son of a colleague. She continues to represent Los Angeles' sixth district. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMartinez also disparaged Mexicans from Oaxaca and voiced her displeasure with Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, saying "he's with the Blacks," the Times reported. Bonin issued a statement on Sunday calling for the city council to remove Martinez as president and for her to resign from the legislative body. Martinez was the first Latina to become president of the city's council in January 2020, according to her office website.

The president of the Los Angeles City Council resigned Monday after an audio recording of racist remarks surfaced. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez at Los Angeles City Hall on April 1, 2022. The 2021 audio from a political strategy meeting attended by a handful of Latino Democrats on the council was first reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times. "Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council," she said. Bonin has called for Martinez, De León and Herrera to resign and said the episode points to deep fissures in the city’s population.

A small group of Los Angeles city leaders faced shame and castigation after an audio recording of racist remarks at a private meeting surfaced Sunday. The most egregious remarks were uttered by City Council President Nury Martinez, who seemed to verify the 2021 recording by apologizing to constituents. Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León and City Council President Nury Martinez confer at council meeting on Oct. 4. Martinez and de León and other Latino council members apologized Sunday after The Los Angeles Times reported that they had been taped making racist comments in a private meeting. The three issued a joint statement Sunday night that called past City Council support for Black Lives Matter "a facade."

☆ LA City Council president resigns after she was caught on tape calling the Black son of a fellow Democratic politician a 'monkey'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The president of Los Angeles City Council resigned on Monday after leaked audio revealed that she made racist remarks about a fellow Democratic politician's Black son. Martinez came under heavy criticism after the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that she made racist comments behind closed doors about Councilman Mike Bonin's son. In a conversation with other local officials, Martinez described Bonin's son, who is Black, as a "monkey." However, her statement said she was resigning as president of the council. Martinez, a 49-year-old Democrat, became the City Council president in 2019 after previously serving as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education.

☆ LA Mayor signs ordinance prohibiting 'sitting, lying, or sleeping' near streets, bridges, schools, which critics say criminalizes homelessness
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-30 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The mayor of Los Angeles signed an ordinance Thursday making it unlawful for people to "sit, lie, sleep" or otherwise situate their belongings in the "public right of way," according to CBS LA. The measure makes it illegal to sit, lie, sleep, or set up encampments near "sensitive use" properties, and other areas such as streets, overpasses, underpasses, freeway ramps, and more as mentioned in the document, and as reported by FOX 11. The ordinance restricts "sitting, lying, or sleeping or storing, using, maintaining, or placing personal property in the public right-of-way." The ordinance also makes it illegal to sit, lie, sleep, or set up encampments within 1,000 feet of or on a "street, sidewalk, or other public right-of-way." He said the ordinance tells people where they cannot sleep, but it doesn't tell them where they can sleep.

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