Category: California

by Phillip Smith / StopTheDrugWar.org

California’s largest doctors’ group is calling for marijuana legalization. The trustees of the California Medical Association (CMA) adopted the position at their annual meeting in Anaheim Friday. The call came after the group last year decided to study the issue and make recommendations.

The group, which represents more than 35,000 physicians statewide, called for legalization even as it acknowledged health risks and questioned the medical value of pot.

This past weekend witnessed a dramatic increase of Occupy Wall Street type actions across this country and around the globe. Something like 1500 cities and towns across planet Earth had actions and events on Saturday, October 15th. There were over 100 in the United States. This weekend’s events were also supplemented by the Anti-Austerity and Anti-War demonstrations that coincided with many Occupy actions, as they did here in San Diego.

The Occupy Movement is growing so quickly that activists within can hardly stay up on its developments. So, we’ve put a little something together. This is not an all-inclusive summary but an attempt to hit the high-points.

Statement of Support

by Josh Pechthalt, the president of California, AFT

The California Federation of Teachers endorses the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. Occupy Wall Street, and its local variations, represent the legitimate response of the 99% of us adversely affected by growing wealth and income inequality in America. The richest one percent of the population has doubled its share of the nation’s income over the past twenty years. Yet during this time the wealthy received massive tax cuts, a major cause of public budget shortfalls that hurt students, make our streets less safe, and harm the health of children and seniors.

by Christopher Cadelago / SignOnSanDiego / Oct 14, 2011

A judge this week ruled that the city of San Diego can restrict the location of medical marijuana dispensaries based on its zoning laws. San Diego County Superior Court Judge Ronald Prager wrote that state law regarding medical marijuana addresses the cultivation and possession for medicinal purposes, but not zoning and business licensing. …

Meanwhile, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith announced more lawsuits against another 16 collectives for allegedly violating local zoning code. … Under the decision, Ocean Beach Wellness Center at 4851 Newport Ave. was ordered to shutter its operation Thursday. The collective was part of an initial batch of 12 lawsuits brought by the city last month against businesses believed to be operating within 600 feet of schools, a violation of state law.

From Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity

Oakland – With the second phase of a massive California prisoner hunger strike in its third week, prisoners have begun to report grave medical issues. “Men are collapsing in their cells because they haven’t eaten in two weeks,” says a family member of a striker at Calipatria state prison, “I have been told that guards refuse to respond when called. This is clearly a medical emergency.” In an effort to isolate prisoners perceived by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to be leaders, some prisoners at Pelican Bay have been removed from the Security Housing Unit (SHU) to Administrative Segregation (Ad-Seg). The Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition has received reports that prison officials have been attempting to freeze out strikers held in the Ad-Seg Unit at Pelican Bay, using the air conditioning system in conjunction with cold weather conditions where the prison is located. Last week a hunger striker in Pelican Bay was taken to a hospital in Oregon after he suffered a heart attack. Prisoners have also been denied medications, including prescriptions for high blood pressure.

Getting rid of all the paper on his desk, Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday, October 9th, vetoed two pieces of legislation that would have been helpful to San Diego County.

Brown vetoed legislation that would have blocked a disputed landfill in North San Diego County, which is a major victory for Gregory Canyon LLC, developers of the long-pursued landfill proposed along state Route 76 near the Pala Indian Reservation, and a defeat for the rest of us, including the Pala tribe.

In addition, Brown also vetoed legislation that would have required big-box superstores – such as Wal-Mart – to submit a comprehensive economic analysis report when applying for a permit.

Update: Day #21 of Occupy America – the movement that began on September 17th at Wall Street.

The following is a summary of very recent Occupy actions around the country, over the last 24 hours. We counted 74 arrests from around the country of demonstrators by police.

In a sweet victory for Ocean Beach, the California Coastal Commission just this afternoon granted OB planners who attended today’s hearing in Huntington Beach a continuance before the Commission votes on the Ocean Park Villas condo project. The continuance will allow a full public hearing on the revised project by the OB Planning Board.

Due to the efforts of Planning Board members Craig Klein, Tom Gawronski and Giovanni Ignolia, the Commission put off their decision of whether to grant an amendment to the current Coastal Development Permit that had been granted the original project. But since the project has had a drastic re-design, no public review had been held on the revised plans. Plus local planners had complained about the lack of a public review process at the community level.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law.

In an escalation of the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the nation’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry, at least 16 pot shops or their landlords received letters this week stating they are violating federal drug laws, even though medical marijuana is legal in California. The state’s four U.S. attorneys are scheduled to announce a broader coordinated crackdown at a Friday news conference.

Two dozen people gathered on the sidewalk yesterday near the Lifeguard parking lot, and listened intently to speakers explain the problem with the coming construction of a huge 10-unit condo complex, slated for that entire block bordered by Abbott, Saratoga and the beach. (A full set of plans in PDF format are available for download)

It was the “Tour” of the future Ocean Park Villas site thrown together by an ad hoc group of OB planners, merchants, and grassroots activists to educate the community about what is going down – or in this case – what is going up.

New plans had been drawn up, substantially altering the previous plans which had been drawn up by local architect Steven Lombardi. Yet the new plans had not been seen by anyone on the OB planning committee or by anyone else in OB – until yesterday.

Round 2, Day 4: Strike Expands & Exposes ‘Perfect Storm’ in CA

by prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity / September 29, 2011

As released yesterday, Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity has confirmed that at least 6,000 California prisoners in jails, General Population, Administrative Segregation (Ad-Seg/ASU) and Security Housing Units (SHUs) are hunger striking for the human rights of California’s SHU-status prisoners. We have confirmed prisoners are striking at Pelican Bay, Calipatria, CCI Tehachapi, Centinela, Corcoran, Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, and West Valley Detention Center.

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.