Thursday, October 15 | Volume 40 No. 31

Thursday, October 15, 2026

California Secretary of State: ‘Do Not Let Anyone Keep You From Voting’

By Carl Dameron

The Adrian Dell & Carmen Roberts Foundation Brings ‘Velvet Nights: An Affair to Remember’ to Riverside

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber urged voters to vote early in the Nov. 3 general election, confirming that the state’s mail-in ballot system remains unchanged despite federal challenges and rejecting claims of widespread election fraud. With ballots already being distributed by mail to every registered voter, Californians have multiple ways to vote: in-person at a polling site, using official drop boxes or by mail. Voting rules preserved Existing mail voting systems were secured nationwide this November by a Sept. 14 Supreme Court order blocking a new U.S. Postal Service rule for federal ballot mail through the midterms. The rule — which USPS issued last August to implement part of President Donald Trump’s March executive order on “election integrity” — would have required every state and local jurisdiction to use USPS-approved ballot envelopes; upload the name, address and barcode of each mail voter to a new federal portal; and match that data exactly on each envelope. Ballots failing any of those checks would not have been delivered. “That was knocked down by the courts because it said it was too late,” said Weber at an Oct. 8 American Community Media briefing. “It would have been cha otic.” Last January, she also secured a win for California in United States of America v. Weber, wherein the U.S. Department of Justice sued the state to obtain full access to its entire voter registration database, including California voters’ Social Security and driver’s license numbers, partisan affiliation, home ad dresses and voting history. “We refused, we went to court and won the case,” said Weber. While Oct. 19 is the voter registration deadline, Californians who are adult U.S. citizens can still register and vote at their county elections office or a polling site through Election Day; those provisional ballots are counted once verified by election officials. Eligible 16- and 17-year-old Californians can also apply to become automatically registered to vote as soon as they turn 18. “Tell them they are not too late,” Weber said of unregistered Californians who believe they have missed their window. “They can still register the day of the election on Nov. 3.”

To read more, visit westsidestorynewspaper.com.

RIVERSIDE, CA — Keeping up with its annual tradition, the Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts foundation will be presenting their annual gala. This year’s theme is ‘Velvet Night: An Affair to Re member’. The evening event will take place on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Grand Taj located at 10190 Indiana Avenue, Riverside, California 92503.

Guests are encouraged to wear velvet or satin attire. Join in for a night of live music, dinner, dancing, raffles, a silent auction, and more. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased online. Sponsorships are also available. If you’d like to purchase a ticket, become a sponsor, or purchase a table, please visit www.adcrfoundation.org.

Continued from page 4

California College Students hungry, and in California, there is no reason for them to be, whether they’re in kindergarten, high school, or college,” Newsom said. The administration estimates the changes could help more than 200,000 additional students enroll in CalFresh, providing more than $250 million in food assistance. Newsom announced the changes during a visit to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, alongside First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Director Jennifer Troia.

To read more, visit westsidestorynewspaper.com.

Continued from page 4

The California Endowment Breaks Ground on Robert K. Ross Center led the Endowment as president and CEO for 24 years before retiring in 2024. His work emphasized how housing, employment and community conditions affect health. This is TCE’s first project com bining housing and community services on its property. President and CEO Brenda Solórzano told

California Black Media (CBM) that an unused backlot, the neighborhood’s Hope Village vision, and money raised through the foundation’s social bond initiative made it possible.

To read more, visit westsidestorynewspaper.com.