Author: Source

Editor: We received the following from “Occupy San Diego”, which is planning on holding a solidarity action in support of the current “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations that have been occurring daily since September 17th in and around Wall Street in New York City. Who knows what state the Manhattan actions will be in by time the San Diego protest rolls around, but the San Diego organizers are planning daily meetings.

SAN DIEGO-Occupy San Diego is standing in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street in NYC, and will begin a peaceful civil disobedience protest of the global financial corruption currently invading politics, media and corporations, by occupying an open space in the Gaslamp District indefinitely starting on October 7, 2011 at 4:30 pm.

By Melissa Harris-Perry / The Nation Magazine / September 21, 2011 ( October 10, 2011 edition of The Nation.)

Electoral racism in its most naked, egregious and aggressive form is the unwillingness of white Americans to vote for a black candidate regardless of the candidate’s qualifications, ideology or party. This form of racism was a standard feature of American politics for much of the twentieth century. So far, Barack Obama has been involved in two elections that suggest that such racism is no longer operative. His re-election bid, however, may indicate that a more insidious form of racism has come to replace it.

Gearing up for Round 2 of Hunger Strike, CDCR Threatens Strikers

By Prison Hunger Strike Solidarity / September 23, 2011

On Monday, September 26th, prisoners at both Pelican Bay & Calipatria will resume the hunger strike to stop the torturous conditions of Security Housing Units (SHUs).

Prisoners first went on hunger strike on July 1st for nearly four weeks, until the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) agreed to begin implementing some of the prisoners’ five core demands.

This Wednesday [Sept 28th], the Centre City Development Corp. will decide whether to approve the final schematic design plans for the redevelopment of Horton Plaza.

By unanimous decision, and before the plaza’s lead designer, the CCDC Advisory Committee voted last Wednesday to recommend the acceptance of that plan. One week earlier, on Sept. 14, the CCDC Real Estate and Budget-Finance & Administration Joint Committee voted 7-0 to make the same recommendation.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Coastkeeper has launched a new program to combat urban runoff in San Diego: Pollution Patrollers.

In the new initiative, a team of trained volunteers will search for sources of pollution in San Diego County that contribute to urban runoff. Commonly cited as the number one threat to water quality in San Diego, urban runoff contains pollutants such as oil, grease, pesticides, metals, bacteria and toxic chemicals that wash into the region’s waters during rainstorms and over-irrigation.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) president Michael Peevey has issued a ruling ordering San Diego Gas & Electric Company and two other utility companies to allow consumers who don’t want a “smart meter” installed to place their names on a delay list, pending the outcome of upcoming workshops on the issue.

The United Food and Commercial Workers have voted to accept a contract offer from the “Big Three” grocery chains – Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons – ending the specter of a costly strike.

Employees in the San Diego region cast ballots Friday and other locals voted today, with an overall majority voting in favor of what their leaders described as a fair deal. The contract ends a two-tiered system in which new employees paid more for their health benefits.

Monday afternoon Coalition will urge Council to keep Miramar Landfill public

From onlineCPI.org

Community groups will be out in force Monday to tell the San Diego City Council to keep Miramar Landfill under public control.

“It’s becoming clearer all the time that contracting out the landfill is a bad idea,” said Clare Crawford, CPI Executive Director. “There are just too many risks for taxpayers, our environment and the services every household and business relies on.”

The Council is scheduled to vote at 2 p.m. Monday on moving forward with Mayor Sanders’ proposal to put the landfill operations up for bidding by private companies.

Editor: The protests in and around Wall Street in New York City are still going on, and have now entered their eighth day. “Occupy Wall Street” efforts have now been endorsed by three unions. Here is a report by Chaz Valenza who has been monitoring the demonstrations. There have been between 150 and 250 people occupying and sleeping at a park a block from Wall Street, which they have re-named Liberty Park.

Over 30 regional civic, health, labor, environmental, faith and business organizations have joined together to stage San Diego’s response to the 350.org call for an international day of action for climate change on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Hundreds of similar events all over the world will be held that day with the goal of sending a strong message to elected leaders that climate change is real and will dramatically diminish the quality of life, prosperity, and happiness for current and future generations.

By Brittany Bailey / Special to the OB Rag

Since the OB Rag’s article on the Dumanis Fundraiser on Del Monte in Ocean Beach created such controversy, I decided to stakeout the event and report on any protests that may arise. Nothing says ‘political espionage’ more than a college student facebooking in a mini cooper.

If I were the kind of person who stereotypes (and I am), I might say that at a liberal fundraiser, I might expect to find an offering of free abortions, a justice of the peace presiding over same-sex marriages, and guests using the smattering of hors d’ouvres to make sandwiches for the homeless. I wasn’t sure what to expect at a conservative’s fundraiser– maybe a politician accepting monetary donations in exchange for political patronage? Oh, wait….

San Diego: Home of the working poor

From the Center on Policy Initiatives

Poverty grew dramatically in San Diego County in 2010. CPI’s analysis of US Census Bureau poverty and income data shows that more than 1 million people in the county are struggling with economic hardship, including many who have jobs.