Mon Jan 30 2017 (Updated 02/01/17)
End Domestic Violence, Boycott Driscoll's, and Ban Fracking
Mon Jan 30 2017 (Updated 02/01/17)
Hundreds Attend ChangeFest: A Climate Mobilization at State Capitol in Sacramento
A diverse array of Sacramento community groups participated in ChangeFest, a climate mobilization rally at the state capitol on January 21 as part of a week of anti-Trump street protests in Sacramento centered around the Presidential Inauguration. Speakers and musicians covered issues ranging from violence against women, to the Driscoll’s boycott in support of indigenous farmworkers in Mexico, to successful campaigns to ban fracking in San Benito and Monterey Counties, to the No DAPL struggle at Standing Rock. ChangeFest took place concurrently with the 20,000-strong Women's March in the Capitol.
Mon Jan 30 2017
Keystone XL, Dakota Access Pipelines Back on Table
President Trump signed executive orders on January 24 to push ahead with the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. Both projects sparked widespread opposition and protests, especially because of their risks to water, wildlife, climate and people. On January 27, attorneys representing the first ten water protectors arrested in actions against the Dakota Access Pipeline in early August 2016 renewed their motion for a change of venue, on grounds that the state did not adequately respond to their motion and is not taking basic steps to assess bias among jurors.
Sun Jan 29 2017
Anti-Abortionists Countered in San Francisco
On January 21, religious extremists once again held their annual anti-abortion Walk For Life march in San Francisco. They believe holding these events in liberal San Francisco packs a bigger punch because San Franciscans by and large believe that no laws or religion should govern decisions about their bodies, health, and welfare. Every year they are confronted by pro-choice protesters, even though this year there were dueling events in San Francisco. A larger anti-choice event was held in Washington D.C. on January 27.
Sun Jan 29 2017
Police Warrant Heightens Concerns Over In-Home Microphones
A warrant from police in Arkansas seeking audio records of a man’s Amazon Echo has sparked an overdue conversation about the privacy implications of “always-on” recording devices. The story serves as a wakeup call about the potential surveillance devices that many people are starting to allow into their own homes. The Amazon echo is not the only such device; others include personal assistants like Google Home, Google Now, Apple’s Siri, Windows Cortana, as well as other devices. Digital assistants and other IoT devices create a triple threat to privacy: from government, corporations, and hackers.
Wed Jan 25 2017 (Updated 01/29/17)
Oakland Land Reclaimed for Housing by Homeless Residents and Activists
Wed Jan 25 2017 (Updated 01/29/17)
Encampment Offers Safe and Dignified Space City of Oakland Unable to Provide
On the morning of Saturday, January 21, a network of Oakland community members took over Marcus Garvey Park, a public plot of land at 36th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, moving in small homes, a hot shower, a healing clinic, and other services — declaring it a people’s encampment for those who need housing and basic needs and services. The group which includes folks living on Oakland streets, activists from Feed the People and Asians for Black Lives said that the move-in demonstrates their ability to provide what the City of Oakland cannot to its most vulnerable residents.
Sun Jan 22 2017 (Updated 01/29/17)
Millions of Women Take a Stand Against Trump the Day After Inauguration
Sun Jan 22 2017 (Updated 01/29/17)
Women's Marches Across US and Worldwide Represent Largest Demonstrations in Recent Memory
On January 21, one day after Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, women and allies in cities across the U.S. and countries throughout the world marched in protest in record numbers. In Washington, D.C., where the original Women's March was called, around 500,000 attended, far more than had come for the Trump inauguration itself. In Los Angeles, some estimates set the number present at nearly 750,000. Some of the largest marches in Northern California were in Oakland, San José, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Santa Cruz.
Sun Dec 18 2016 (Updated 01/29/17)
Mobilization Against the Coronation of Trump
Sun Dec 18 2016 (Updated 01/29/17)
#DisruptJ20: Nationwide and Bay Area Call-outs for General Strike Against Trump
A large coalition, including CrimethInc. Workers’ Collective, is calling for a bold mobilization against the inauguration of Donald Trump. In addition to Washington D.C., protests will also be held in Oakland, San Francisco, San José, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and communities throughout the so-called United States. A widely circulated call to action states, "On Friday, January 20, 2017, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as President of the United States. We call on all people of good conscience to join in disrupting the ceremonies."
Mon Jan 16 2017 (Updated 01/22/17)
Reclaiming King's Legacy in the Age of Trump
Mon Jan 16 2017 (Updated 01/22/17)
120 Hours of Direct Action Across the Bay Area to Reclaim King's Legacy & Reject Trump
For the third year in a row, actions will be held across the Bay Area to “Reclaim King’s Radical Legacy." In previous years, protests and rallies culminated with a large march in Oakland on Martin Luther King Day. This year, with Trump set to be inaugurated as the President of the United States on the Friday after MLK Day, protests will be held over five days, from MLK Day on January 16 through to the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20. A diverse coalition will engage in 120 hours of direct action, coalition building, and campaign launching against white supremacy.
Sat Jan 14 2017 (Updated 01/16/17)
Fruitvale District Has Highest Levels of Lead Poisoning in California
Sat Jan 14 2017 (Updated 01/16/17)
Lead Poisoning in Oakland's Fruitvale District Is Worse Than Flint
Toxic lead levels are dangerously high in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, which has the highest level of contamination in California and are worse than in Flint, Michigan, according to a national report. Unlike Flint’s contaminated water crisis, which caught national attention in 2015, Oakland’s lead is not in the water system but is coming from old buildings and chipping paint that is getting into the dirt and being tossed up in the wind. The result is that 7.57 percent of children under the age of seven who were tested have high levels of lead in their blood.
Sat Jan 14 2017 (Updated 01/16/17)
California Agency Proposes Turning Monterey County Aquifer Into Oil Waste Dump
Sat Jan 14 2017 (Updated 01/16/17)
State's Proposal Shrugs Off Voters' Approval of Ban on Oil Waste Injection
Just months after Monterey County voters approved a ban on underground injection of oil waste, California regulators have announced a plan to turn an underground water supply in the county over to the oil industry for injection of contaminated waste fluid. The proposal — announced by California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources — seeks to exempt an aquifer that runs under the town of San Ardo from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. A similar aquifer exemption is currently under consideration in Livermore.
Mon Jan 2 2017 (Updated 01/04/17)
Thirty-Five Years Is Too Long — Call to Free Mumia Now
Mon Jan 2 2017 (Updated 01/04/17)
National Day of Action to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal After New U.S. Supreme Court Ruling
A recent US Supreme Court decision, “Williams vs. Pennsylvania,” could open the door for Mumia Abu-Jamal’s freedom. The decision ruled that a prosecutor cannot later sit as judge over the same defendant’s appeal. This is exactly what happened in Mumia’s case. On December 8, marking the 35th anniversary of imprisonment for American political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal and to protest the refusal by prison authorities to provide necessary medication, a coalition of supporters in Philadelphia, Toronto, Wellington, and Oakland demonstrated.
Sun Dec 25 2016
Israeli Forces Violently Subdue Holiday Santa Claus March
On December 23, Israeli forces suppressed Bethlehem’s “Santa Claus March,” shooting tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at participants, with many suffering from tear gas inhalation. A number of demonstrators participated in a march near Israeli checkpoint 300 which separates Bethlehem residents from Jerusalem. The march, which included participants dressed up as Santa Claus, close to the Christian holiday of Christmas, was launched under the banner “Terrorism and Occupation are Two Sides of the Same Coin,” and demanded the opening of Israeli checkpoints for Christian tourists to celebrate the holiday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Tue Dec 20 2016 (Updated 12/21/16)
Tulare County Has Most Agricultural Pesticide Illnesses in California
Tue Dec 20 2016 (Updated 12/21/16)
Santa Cruz County Ranked Second for Agricultural Pesticide Illnesses in 2014
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released a report last week detailing the 2014 results of their Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program. The report, documenting all reported pesticide-related illnesses from all California counties, shows 20.1% of agricultural pesticide-related illnesses occurred in Tulare County, making it the county with the most agricultural pesticide illnesses in the state. Santa Cruz County came in second with 17.2%. Of the 53 counties with documented pesticide-related illnesses in 2014, Tulare County accounted for over 1 in every 5 cases of poisonings from agricultural pesticides.
A lawsuit filed on December 13 by civil rights groups charges the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) with violating the constitutional rights of homeless people by confiscating and destroying their property in ongoing sweeps. Plaintiffs have lost cherished and necessary items, including family heirlooms, photographs of loved ones, tents, sleeping bags, warm weather clothing, tools, food, camp stoves, bicycles, and personal documents. “Caltrans has been a major obstacle to getting my life together," said plaintiff James Leone. "Twice in six years, I’ve been left with only the clothes on my back. Twice I’ve lost everything I own in the world.”
Sun Dec 18 2016
Obama Signs Bill with Water Giveaway to California Big Ag
In a slap in the face to fishermen, Tribes, environmental justice advocates, conservationists and family farmers, President Obama on December 16 signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act into law with an environmentally destructive rider sponsored by Senator Feinstein (D-CA) and Congressman McCarthy (R-CA). The controversial rider, requested by corporate agribusiness interests, allows San Joaquin Valley growers and Southern California water agencies to pump more water out of the Delta, driving numerous fish species closer and closer to extinction, according to Delta advocates.
Fri Dec 16 2016 (Updated 12/18/16)
California Agency Floats Plan to Turn Livermore Aquifer Into Oil Waste Dump
Fri Dec 16 2016 (Updated 12/18/16)
Oil Company with History of Spills Seeking Exemption to Safe Drinking Water Act
An oil company with a long history of hazardous spills in California wants state and federal permission to dispose of contaminated waste fluid into an underground water supply in Livermore. The proposal, announced by California's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, seeks to exempt an aquifer in eastern Alameda County from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act on behalf of E&B Natural Resources, the oil company seeking the exemption. State officials are now taking public comments and will hold a January 11 hearing on the proposal.
Sun Dec 18 2016 (Updated 12/20/16)
Low-Wage Workers Rise Up at SFO
Sun Dec 18 2016 (Updated 12/20/16)
Hundreds March, Rally, Demand $15 and a Union at the San Francisco Airport
Hundreds of workers marched and rallied at SFO on November 27 to demand $15 an hour and a union. The San Francisco International Airport — which makes hundreds of millions of dollars — has workers who make far less than living wages. Young workers have no future and families cannot survive on the low wages they are paid. The demonstration was part of a national day of action supported primarily by the SEIU International. Burger King employees, UBER drivers, and home care workers marched to the International Terminal and discussed their struggle for survival in the Bay Area.
Wed Dec 14 2016
Evicted Okupa Chanti Ollin Calls for Solidarity
Wed Dec 14 2016
Autonomous Cultural Center in Mexico City Seeks Global Support
Chanti Ollin, a well-known autonomous cultural center in the gentrified financial district of Mexico City, was violently evicted on November 22. Eight hundred riot police, two helicopters, and an armored car executed the operation, illegally breaking into the building and detaining 26 individuals without so much as a judicial order. This eviction takes place against the backdrop of Mexico City's new constitution, which seeks to privatize land and resources, and suppress any political or cultural activity that disrupts this profit-making program.
Sat Dec 10 2016
Disastrous New City at Tejon Ranch Approved for Kern County
On December 6, the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved Tejon Ranch Company’s disastrous Grapevine project, despite the harm the project will do to wildlife and nearby communities. The 8,000-acre development will straddle the San Joaquin Valley and Tehachapi Mountains and create a new city of up to 12,000 dwelling units and up to 5.1 million square feet of commercial real estate. The project will destroy habitat for the endangered San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, and threatened San Joaquin antelope squirrel, along with up to 36 other rare and imperiled species.
Wed Dec 7 2016 (Updated 12/08/16)
Perkins Family Perseveres Despite Lack of Accountability for Police Murder
Wed Dec 7 2016 (Updated 12/08/16)
Community Memorial for Richard Perkins Jr. on the 1-Year Anniversary of His Murder by OPD
Just over a year ago, Oakland police shot and killed Richard Perkins Jr. at the 24-7 Gas and Food on Bancroft and 90th Avenues. Richard was thirty-nine years old, the father of two children. His only crime appears to be having crossed paths with Oakland police when they were agitated over a large East Oakland sideshow earlier in the day on November 15, 2015, near which an OPD patrol vehicle was smashed by a crowd. On Saturday, November 12, family members and community gathered to memorialize Richard Perkins Jr. at Carter Park, blocks from where he was gunned down by Oakland police.
Thu Dec 15 2016 (Updated 12/16/16)
Japanese American Community Rallies Against Growing Racial and Religious Hatred
Thu Dec 15 2016 (Updated 12/16/16)
San Francisco Japanese Americans Protest Growing Wave of Racism, Homophobia, Xenophobia
On November 22, hundreds of Japanese Americans, Japanese, and supporters of human rights rallied to call for unification against racism, xenophobia and attacks on immigrants, LGBT and other disenfranchised communities. The rally was held at the Peace Plaza in San Francisco's Japan Town. Participants reflected on the effect on themselves and their families of the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, Peruvian Japanese, and Japanese in concentration camps during the Second World War.
The California Secretary of State’s Office announced that voters narrowly defeated Proposition 53, an initiative requiring voter approval of revenue bonds over $2 billion. Governor Jerry Brown is celebrating the victory because it would have required a vote on his controversial “legacy” projects, the Delta Tunnels and High Speed Rail. Dan Bacher writes: The results of the Proposition 53 vote are disappointing for those who care about salmon, the Delta and the public trust. However, there is no doubt that if an initiative solely requiring a public vote on the Delta Tunnels had been on the ballot, it would have been decisively approved.
Thu Dec 15 2016 (Updated 12/16/16)
San Francisco Educators Stand with South Korean Trucker Union
Thu Dec 15 2016 (Updated 12/16/16)
Solidarity with Korean General Workers Strike Against President Park Geun-hye
Korean Port Truck workers have struck against deregulation and union busting by South Korea President Park Geun-hye. They were attacked, beaten, and the leaders were jailed by the government. Many union leaders including the president of the KCTU have been jailed by the government. Supporters of the Korean general strike against the government spoke out at the San Francisco South Korean consulate on November 30.
01/30/17 Hundreds Attend ChangeFest: A Climate Mobilization at State Capitol in Sacramento frontpage | environment | race | labor | womyn | centralvalley | california | government | americas01/30/17 Water Protectors Continue the Fight Against the Dakota ‘Black Snake’ Pipeline frontpage | police | environment | race | sf | us | government01/29/17 Pro-Choice Activists Stand Up Against "Walk for Life" Despite Trump/Pence Assuming Power frontpage | healthhousing | womyn | sf01/29/17 The Privacy Threat From Always-On Microphones Like the Amazon Echo frontpage | police | us | government01/26/17 Volunteers to Break Ground on New Community Orchard in Santa Cruz environment | healthhousing | santacruz01/25/17 Encampment Offers Safe and Dignified Space City of Oakland Unable to Provide frontpage | police | race | healthhousing | eastbay | government01/22/17 Women's Marches Across US and Worldwide Represent Largest Demonstrations in Recent Memory frontpage | race | lgbtqi | womyn | centralvalley | sf | southbay | eastbay | northbay | northcoast | california | us | government | immigrant | santacruz01/16/17 120 Hours of Direct Action Across the Bay Area to Reclaim King's Legacy & Reject Trump frontpage | police | race | labor | sf | eastbay | government | immigrant01/14/17 State's Proposal Shrugs Off Voters' Approval of Ban on Oil Waste Injection frontpage | environment | california | government | santacruz01/14/17 Fruitvale Community Further Marginalized in Politicization of Ghost Ship Fire race | healthhousing | arts | eastbay01/14/17 Lead Poisoning in Oakland's Fruitvale District Is Worse Than Flint frontpage | environment | race | healthhousing | eastbay
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