OB Rag

By Murtaza Baxamusa / San Diego Free Press

There were about 185 thousand union members in San Diego, based on surveys by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2016. About 110 thousand of these workers are in the private sector. There are additionally 20 thousand workers covered by union contracts in the region. The continuing employment recovery in the last two years contributed to an increase in union membership.

Here are a few photos from the Solidarity with Immigrants rallies and marches held Saturday, February 18th in downtown San Diego – under the banner, “No Ban No Wall – Sanctuary for All” .

The demonstration began at the San Diego County Administration Building, and then the massive crowd poured onto Harbor Drive, turning and marching down Broadway to the Federal Building on Front Street. As the protest moved onto Harbor Dr., I stood on the median and personally counted 2,000 people in the street (give or take a hundred) – with another hundred or so stragglers or latecomers.

Editor: The following is an OB Rag staff editorial from October 1973. It was published during the time of the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal. As Nixon didn’t resign until August 1974, there were fears of what he would do in the months prior to the resolution of the Constitutional crisis. In reading this editorial written 44 years ago, many of the themes resonate with us today.

tyranny at home …

We of the OB Rag staff are appalled at Richard Nixon’s latest moves at establishing one-man rule n America. Nixon has stepped outside the bounds of his constituted authority … again. He has usurped the powers of the courts by refusing to comply with a court order to release the tapes. More, he has fired the one man, Archibald Cox, who had the legal authority to investigate the White House’s involvement in Watergate.

“House of Blues Gospel Brunch”
1055 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
WWW:heretopraise.com

A Review

People that know me know that I have been extremely depressed over the outcome of the presidential election last November. Couple that with a birthday coming up this week, the depression only became deeper. And we can throw in another depressing situation in that the friend that I thought would be coming here to help me “celebrate” my birthday is unable to come after all. I have been walking around in my own “house of blues.”

However, just by chance, I happened to see that the “House of Blues” was having their monthly “Gospel Brunch” the weekend of my birthday and I called my daughter Michele to ask her whether the price of $50 included the brunch and entertainment.

By Geoff Page

Concerns about the homeless problem continued to dominate the discussion at the Midway/Pacific Highway Community Planning Group’s regular monthly meeting Thursday, February 15, 2017. According to the board’s chair, Cathy Stanton, this subject is a regular topic for its meetings.

The chair announced that they want to devote the entire April board meeting to a discussion of the homeless issue. She said they want to include Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, and Mission Beach in the discussion as well as having city representatives there. Bruce Williams, representing Councilmember Zapf’s office, said they are supportive of the meeting and mentioned getting the mayor’s “homeless czar,” Stacie Spector, to attend.

By Jim Miller

While most of us were busy watching the Trump administration and their crack team of “populist” millionaires light the world on fire, a new study released by Thomas Piketty, Facundo Alvaredo, Lucas Chancel, and Emmanuel Saez underlined the fact that the steep costs of our historic level of economic inequality are being borne by those at the bottom of the economic system, particularly here in the United States.

As the Market Watch story on this new research outlined:

In the U.S., between 1978 and 2015, the income share of the bottom 50% fell to 12% from 20%. Total real income for that group fell 1% during that time period.

By Will Falk / San Diego Free Press

So many indigenous people have told me that the levels of sustainability their traditional cultures achieved prior to the arrival of colonizers were based on lessons learned from non-humans. Implicit in these lessons is the truth that humans depend on non-humans. This dependence is not limited to the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the food we eat. This dependence sinks into our very souls.

San Diegans are holding a March in Solidarity with Immigrants on Saturday, February 18th. It kicks off with a Rally at Waterfront Park (1600 Pacific Hwy), then after speeches, a march to the Federal Building – for more speakers – and finally a march through downtown to the Mayor’s Office.

(As of this posting, 1,700 have pledged to attend, with another 4,900 interested in attending.)

From their facebook:

Rain or Shine! We are calling on all people to unite and march in support of Immigrants and Refugees.

While San Diego has the busiest border crossing in the world and has one of the largest immigrant and refugee populations in the country, San Diego Mayor Faulconer has taken no action to protect immigrants against Trump’s policies.

As part of a set of actions at courthouses across the country, San Diego lawyers and legal workers rallied in downtown San Diego today – February 17 – in front of the Federal Courthouse on Front Street, all in solidarity with the proclaimed General Strike Against Trump on F17.

Several dozen brave folks made their voices heard and presence known in front of the red-bricked buildings, as the wind kicked up and the skies promised rain. Additionally, there were courthouse rallies in at least 17 other cities nation-wide.

In a new study of the 100 largest cities in America in how they promote a green environment and lifestyle, San Diego is found to be the 5th “greenest” city.

From WalletHub:

Apart from employing Americans, clean energy and other “green” practices, such as recycling programs and urban agriculture, benefit the environment and public health, all of which contribute to America’s bottom line. Recognizing those advantages, cities across the U.S. have aligned their sustainability efforts with their economic goals and in turn have received handsome returns on such investments.

On February 17th a wide array of concerned citizens and organizers from across the United States are calling for a national General Strike Against Trump, and are asking people not to go to work or school, or participate in economic and peaceful actions.

In solidarity, progressive lawyers and legal groups in San Diego have called for a Friday morning rally, part of a nation-wide coordinated effort where lawyers are rallying at courthouses in at least 18 cities.

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