California
updated
11:16 a.m.
I've had the movie "The Fog of War" sitting around for a month without having found time to view it. I now wish I had done so before the news of the death offormer Secretary of Defense [War] Robert McNamara. I'm old enough to remember McNamara as the "corporate genius" who was going to streamline the Pentagon in the early 1960s. Under Donald Rumsfeld's tenure, I sometimes thought I was hearing...
Happening-Here - 11:15 a.m.
In the 1920s the big money organized "stock pools" with which they could force stock prices up and down, bringing them immense profits. Part of the stock market crash was the result of these... ...
Seeing the Forest - 10:11 a.m.
There aren't jobs, and they aren't coming back. We need to figure out another business model for the economy. Jobs were about putting parts into a gizmo as it went past you ont he line. Machines... ...
Seeing the Forest - 10:11 a.m.
Opinion leaders and economists have been SO wrong for SO long I wonder ... do the ones living in, say, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado -- somewhere other than New York, SF, DC or LA for example -- have... ...
Seeing the Forest - 10:11 a.m.
According to yesterday's SDUT , San Diego City Councilmembers have a slush fund similar to the County Supervisors. Called “infrastructure improvement funds,” these monies are leftovers in the budget from years past that they can spend as they wish. Lani Lutar, president of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, said there ought to be more disclosure on how and why the reserves are being s...
San Diego Politico - 10:11 a.m.
The Budget-Busting Peripheral Canal and the Three Big Lies by Dan Bacher The proposal to build a peripheral canal around the California Delta, overwhelmingly defeated by the voters in 1982, has been resurrected many times since then by politicians trying to curry favor with corporate agribusiness. In June 2007 Governor Schwarzenegger unveiled a new water bond proposal for a peripheral cana...
Sacramento For Democracy - 10:11 a.m.
The neighborhood was full of fireworks this weekend..including last night. This didn't sit well with the felines of course. Sweety, aka Faceplant, still won't come out from under the bed after a really huge kablooey last night about 1am. Today's news will be full of Obama and the Russians today. Really, did he have to take that trip now? Isn't there more pressing biz at home dude? Sometimes...
My Right to be Left - 10:11 a.m.
When Rick Sanchez isn't posting banal tweets about his birthday or chowing down with his family he is providing careful insight into the story selection process of cable network news. Man, I really hope this Twitter thing is just a......
Agitprop - 10:09 a.m.
By Dan Bacher Proposed government boondoggle would be 500 to 700 feet wide, with 1,300 foot right-of-way Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Dianne Feinstein, corporate agribusiness and other supporters of the peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have carefully avoided discussing what an actual canal would look like, as......
California Progress Report - 6:09 a.m. - 2 clicks 
In a letter dated July 1, 2009, the city received a sustainability proposal from the Wildhorse Ranch developer and the project’s energy conservation consultants that will put the city of Davis back on the map in terms of environmental sustainability and innovative developments. The proposed Wildhorse Ranch development would achieve a 90% reduction in green house gas (GHG) emissions. A typical ...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - 5:45 a.m.
By Byron Williams Bernard Madoff stood in front of the judge just before receiving his sentence of 150 years for conducting the largest Ponzi scheme in history and read a personal statement. As he concluded, Madoff reportedly turned to the courtroom crowd, and said, "I am sorry," adding: "I know......
California Progress Report - 5:43 a.m. - 3 clicks
By David Dayen d-day I'm sure many political observers will laud this New York Times magazine article on California's crisis and the men and women who seek to solve it, but I found it oddly pedestrian. The profiles of the candidates reveal little of substance, and aside from displaying......
California Progress Report - 5:43 a.m. - 2 clicks
Sarah Palin said she had a “higher calling” that required her to resign 17 months before her term ended as governor of Alaska, and not to seek a second term. I have no idea where this “higher calling” came from, but I suspect it could only have come from two sources. The first one is God. [...]...
The Democratic Daily - 4:21 a.m. - 3 clicks
Unbelievable . That's the word that Roger Federer used over and over again in his on-court interview with Sue Barker of the BBC moments after he had won his 6th Wimbledon singles title in 7 years, and record 15th major overall to seal his place in history as the greatest tennis player of his generation, possibly of all time. He used the word "unbelievable" to describe the play of his o...
The Mad Professah Lectures - 12:36 a.m.
Sixty two years ago, a couple -- not so young -- brought home a baby. They look a little bemused by what they had wrought -- at least my father does. Mother's delight was less ambiguous. They remained bemused for the rest of their lives, but never doubted I was a good, even wonderful, addition to the world. Naturally, I came to believe that the world itself is good and wonderful. Love makes ...
Happening-Here - 12:35 a.m.
Things in Iran are still very tense. A stalemate has developed between the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the reformist opposition movement, led by Mir Hossein Mousavi. A top editor of a government-aligned newspaper called Mousavi a foreign agent, ratcheting up the rhetoric in the stand-off that has enveloped this country ever since the disputed presidential election on June 12. However, ...
OB Rag - Sun 9:50 p.m.
Editor: The situation in the Honduran crisis took a dramatic and deadly turn today, July 5th. Two supporters of deposed President Manuel Zelaya were killed in clashes with police at the capital's airport. Thousands of his supporters had marched on the airport in anticipation of his return there today. But Zelaya's jet was blocked from landing, and the plane flew to El Salvador. Here is the most...
OB Rag - Sun 8:46 p.m.
Joe Biden on “This Week” today: “The truth is, we and everyone else misread the economy.” Biden acknowledged administration officials were too optimistic earlier this year when they predicted the unemployment rate would peak at 8 percent as part of their effort to sell the stimulus package. The national unemployment rate has ballooned to 9.5 percent [...]...
The Democratic Daily - Sun 6:42 p.m.
The score in the Men's Final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick is currently 5-7 7-6(6) 7-6(5) 3-6 10-10. Federer has beaten Roddick 18 times of the 20 matches they have played. Federer is playing for his 15th career major (most ever) while Roddick is playing for his second major and first Wimbledon title. Federer is in his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final, having won 5 of them, losing...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sun 1:10 p.m.
Fireworks at the end of the OB Pier are always good for a huge crowd. The beach, the pier, the surrounding blocks, the overlooking hilltops, and the cliffs are packed. It seems like the whole world comes to OB for the fireworks every 4th. And why not? They're great! To capture this part of the end of the world, Jeff Stone took these last night up at the top end of Del Monte Avenue. Some peopl...
OB Rag - Sun 1:10 p.m. - 2 clicks
Editor: The following was sent to us unsolicited by Larry Kosta about his friend and OB Rag blogger Dave Gilbert. We knew Dave walked dogs for part of his living - the other part is as a musician - but had no idea of the depth of his love for our four-legged canine friends. by Larry Kosta, Jr. When I got to know Dave Gilbert a little better, I asked him what he did. He told me he was a dog walk...
OB Rag - Sun 1:10 p.m.
Who are the watchdogs who have published the recent San Diego Union-Tribune series on the topic of City worker pay? The series and the links to individual employee names and compensation are published under the rubric of "Watchdog report." The names of U-T staff writer Eleanor Yang Su, and staff data specialist Agustín Armendariz are the attributed authors, but a web search provided some insight ...
OB Rag - Sun 1:10 p.m. - 2 clicks
There are times when society gives me reason to pause and reflect. This is one of those times. Who would tell a 17-18 year old female that is about 75-100 lbs overweight that she looked good in a tube top? Is it just me or is that explosion of flesh coming from beneath the tube top in very poor taste and just downright nasty? I have always said people should be either comfortable or creative. B...
My Right to be Left - Sun 1:09 p.m.
by Rafael while CHSRA continues to face widely publicized opposition in the SF peninsula , there is active competition for the alignment that the phase 2 spur from LA Union Station to San Diego will follow. We already discussed the ROW issues in an earlier post . The Riverside Press-Enterprise explains that the City of Riverside is competing with the much smaller City of Corona for a sta...
California High Speed Rail Blog - Sun 1:09 p.m. - 2 clicks
I would be remiss if I did not comment on the extraordinary chain of events that occurred on a Friday before the Fourth of July weekend when Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin who has made a career our of being a maverick and unpredictable, took that to another level by announcing she would resign by August. Naturally this has touched off speculation ranging from her trying to avoid some sort of scan...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - Sun 6:50 a.m.
By Mary Lyon Happy Independence Day, on the eve of which we’ve been reminded that we are FAR from declaring our national independence from the Sarah Palin addiction. After watching her rambling, disjointed “W-T-F Moment” as she announced she’s not only not running for reelection as Alaska’s governor but......
California Progress Report - Sun 6:49 a.m.
Until July 18, I'll be working my butt off at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, trying to move us closer to full inclusion of all baptized people, including LGBT people, in all the life of the Church. This time is what we political junkies call "campaign mode" -- the crazy, exhausting 18 hour days of frenetic activity that sometimes win changes we seek and sometimes lead only to dee...
Happening-Here - Sun 12:49 a.m.
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Ed's Opinion - Sat 9:26 p.m.
Declare a Democratic Worldview by John Hank Edson This Fourth of July, let’s give America the birthday present she cannot do without. Let’s give the people back their Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence sets forth a worldview that, back in the 18th century, served as the foundation of our new nation. This foundation was composed of [...]...
The Democratic Daily - Sat 9:26 p.m.
Hours after playing each other for the fourth time in the Wimbledon singles final (Serena winning for the third time this year), Venus and Serena Williams won the Wimbledon doubles title by defeating Rennae Stubbs and Samantha Stosur 7-6(4) 6-4 . UPDATE 4:47PM PDT This is the fourth Wimbledon doubles title for the Williams sisters. They also won the doubles in 2000, 2002 and 2008....
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 9:26 p.m.
The Seaweed Rebellion North Coast Enviros Battle Schwarzenegger and Big Green Over MLPA by Dan Bacher A group of 70 people, including environmentalists, seaweed harvesters, recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, abalone divers, and Native Americans, gathered at the city hall in Point Arena on Saturday, June 13 to begin the “Seaweed Rebellion” to halt or at least slow down the corr...
Sacramento For Democracy - Sat 9:25 p.m. - 8 clicks
There are, of course, more than a few things to celebrate this 4th of July, but since everyone is already focusing on all that, perhaps I’ll lend my small … Source: www.kabobfest.com ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Sat 12:22 p.m.
Most locals know about the famous OB Marshmallow Fight that happens after the fireworks each July 4th right at the beach. Two great throngs gather and begin pelting each other with the mushy white gobs. This goes on, with each side advancing or retreating until enough people tire and the event melts away like the last fireworks. After a couple pitches onto the beach, the typical marshmallow, unl...
OB Rag - Sat 12:21 p.m.
by Frank Gormlie Always intrigued about the origin of words and idioms, I found interesting the history of Ocean Beach street names. I'd been on the Ocean Beach Planning Board for several years, and was its chair for one year. Since the seventies I had been active in land use issues, anti-gentrification efforts here in OB, and generally in the local movement to make urban planning more democrat...
OB Rag - Sat 12:21 p.m.
Yes, I did the unthinkable..I changed my template. All the prior comments are gone..zip! Ah..no big deal right? Please bear with me as I fix this sucker up..going to move some things to the other pages..so this page will load faster as some folks say it takes fucking forever to load. Happy Fourth of July!!! Enjoy yourselves but don't drive tanked out of your ever-lovin mind ok? ;) ...
My Right to be Left - Sat 12:21 p.m.
OCEAN BEACH, CA. There are secret caves along the cliffs in Ocean Beach. It just so happens that the stretch of cliffs next to the boulevard of the same name, from Point Loma Boulevard south to Ladera Street, contain an array of beautiful, hidden and fairly inaccessible caves. Only during real low tides are some of them reachable. But these hidden geological grottoes and cuts in the sandstone cl...
OB Rag - Sat 11:10 a.m.
THE JETTY IS STOPPED There was definitely turmoil in OB the summer of 1970. For a number of weeks during those hot days, OB residents used a combination of direct action and legal moves to battle efforts by the Army Corps of Engineers and the City to construct a jetty parallel to the southern edge of the San Diego River channel — next to what is now Dog Beach. Many locals viewed the jetty as a pr...
OB Rag - Sat 10:26 a.m. - 7 clicks
Serena Williams beat Venus Williams 7-6(3) 6-2 to win her 3rd Wimbledon title, her first here since 2003, and 11th major title overall. Serena is now the reigning champion of Wimbledon, Australian and U.S. Open major titles. ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 9:43 a.m. - 2 clicks
This day of celebration of historic U.S. freedoms, the New York Time email news summary includes this item: Top Reformers Admitted Plot, Iran Declares By MICHAEL SLACKMAN The Iranian government has made it a practice to publicize confessions from political prisoners, often subject to sleep deprivation, solitary confinement and torture, rights groups say. My emphasis, obviously. Do t...
Happening-Here - Sat 8:43 a.m.
The patriotic angel in the previous post seemed to me "camp," a tongue in cheek display. This one spotted yesterday seemed more serious. Can anyone enlighten me about this (unfamiliar to me) cultural iconography? ...
Happening-Here - Sat 8:18 a.m.
People need to understand that in Republican circles, resigning as Governor does not harm Sarah Palin's career. Being a Governor is just ... governing ... and Republicans don't do that. In fact,... ...
Seeing the Forest - Sat 7:22 a.m. - 4 clicks
I wanted to wait until UC Davis sent me Chancellor Katehi's response before I opined in this matter. Perhaps she would have the one explanation that made sense of this entire thing. But her response is more of the same: denial or responsibility even as the evidence begins to mount that castes doubt on her claims. Here is her full statement, you can decide yourself based on the evidence if it i...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - Sat 6:01 a.m.
Kevin Lynn Call me a cynic, but I am deeply skeptical of the rhetoric I hear coming out of the Obama administration regarding healthcare reform. I am concerned at the pace with which a plan was adopted, the apparent lack of curiosity when it came to evaluating and embedding best......
California Progress Report - Sat 6:00 a.m.
Venus Williams USA (3) v. Serena Williams USA (2). The 2009 Wimbledon Women's Final is set, and for the fourth time this decade, it will feature Venus and Serena Williams playing each other. Venus will be appearing in the final for the eighth time, having won 5-times (losing twice to Serena in 2002 and 2003) including the last two years in 2007 and 2008 . So far I have correc...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Sat 1:02 a.m.
A democracy, theoretically at least, would build schools to fit children, not the other way around. We would not bend and break children until they fit as cogs in a mindlessly menacing machine, automatons without the ability to think clearly or feel deeply. We would resist—because we do not want the… Source: blogs.ssrc.org ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Sat 12:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
It's just not fair to say we don't celebrate patriotism in San Francisco. Check out this display! San Francisco writer Tamim Ansary explains what it means to him to be an American in West of Kabul, East of New York. Growing up bicultural is like straddling a crack in the earth. If the cultures are far apart -- like those of Afghanistan and America -- one feels an urge to get e...
Happening-Here - Sat 12:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
As Greg Grandin described the situation on Democracy Now!: “The Honduran military is effectively a subsidiary of the United States government… if any Latin American country is fully owned by the United States, it’s Honduras… So if the U.S. is opposed to this coup going forward, it won’t go forward.” Read Geo’s article about the coup [...]...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Fri 9:31 p.m.
Part one is here. As I said in my last post, it matters whether the occasions on which Obama is disappointing many of his supporters are happening because we are being betrayed (he was fooling us for electoral purposes) or he is failing to be able to do what he would prefer (delivering what we want is not within the power of the President). Betrayal actually is the easier lapse to remedy:...
Happening-Here - Fri 9:29 p.m.
Sarah Palin announced today that she was not running for re-election and stepping down from her office as Governor by the end of the month: The top speculation is that Palin is resigning so that she can focus solely on running for the Republican nomination in 2012. But there’s plenty of other speculation too. The full text [...]...
The Democratic Daily - Fri 5:45 p.m.
Hi everyone. It is Chris and I met you guys at a meeting a couple of months ago. I have already purchased the new domain name but have been unable to contact anyone affiliated with the club. If anyone would like to contact me I would be happy to begin working on the website as [...]...
Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club - Fri 3:23 p.m.
The Strange Ingredients in Fireworks By LiveScience Staff posted: 02 July 2009 04:41 pm ET Fireworks for the 4th of July are all about light, color and sound. But inside, there are some bizarre ingredients, from aluminum to Vaseline and even the stuff of rat poison. An ancient mix of black powder, essentially gunpowder little changed from its invention in China a millennia ago, get...
Sacramento For Democracy - Fri 3:23 p.m.
Well, this is a shocker! Like everything else she says..her decision makes no sense to me. From AP: "Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," Palin said in a statement released by her office. "It is m...
My Right to be Left - Fri 3:22 p.m.
Seems like an appropriate time, what with the state handing out IOUs, to add our own. The Capital Notes Podcast is AWOL this week, but will be back next Friday. Which means, barring any budget news this weekend, check back here for postings and more after the Independence Day holiday. Do like [...]...
Capital Notes - Fri 3:22 p.m.
That's one way to look at the news that the California High Speed Rail Authority board has a new chair and vice-chair, and they're both from Anaheim. According to the press release : Earlier in the meeting, the Board elected Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle to be its chairman, replacing Judge Quentin L. Kopp who had served two terms as chairman. Former California Assemblymember Tom Umberg was elected...
California High Speed Rail Blog - Fri 3:22 p.m. - 4 clicks
Hmmm, on the Friday before July 4th, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin announces that she will not complete her first term as Governor of Alaska, because she will be resigning her office effective July 25th, 2009. Critics are not impressed . ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Fri 1:51 p.m. - 2 clicks
Originally posted June 19, 2008 Last Saturday, June 14, 2008, the San Diego Union-Tribune ran two articles about Ocean Beach by Joe Tash, a freelance writer - the first on the town itself ("Seaside Village stays true to its activist past" - which can be found in the link inside...), and the second about OB's early developers. That got me remembering that the original OB Rag did a series about the...
OB Rag - Fri 12:59 p.m. - 5 clicks
Last weekend several of Amador Democrats took a raft trip down the Mokelumne River. Joining us was Dr. Ami Bera, 3rd Congressional District candidate. What a great time, and what a great cause. The trip was a benefit for the Foothill Conservancy and their effort to have the to have the Mokelumne River designated a [...]...
California Notes - Fri 11:23 a.m. - 6 clicks
Gather 'round chil'ren and let mama Dusty tell you a story.. The last week has been spent trying to capture a Persian cat that had taken up residence under our RV. I am not a fan of Persians. They are too hairy for me and their little pushed in faces are fugly. The temperature has hit triple digits every day over the last 5 days. At night, it got down to 80..oh joy. Now, if you put on a big heav...
My Right to be Left - Fri 7:17 a.m.
July 1, 2009 Howard Posner, Chair and SMUD Board Members 6201 S St. Sacramento, CA 95817 Re: Status TANC Powerline Project Dear Board Members, The 30 June TANC/Navigant presentation before the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, and the Board’s reaction, indicates a significant likelihood that the transmission line project needs to be rethought or withdrawn entirely. The meeting d...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - Fri 6:59 a.m. - 4 clicks
by Ana Acton Executive Director FREED Center for Independent Living June 22, 2009, marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Olmstead decision. In its 1999 ruling, the high court affirmed the right of individuals with disabilities to live in their community of choice, and rejected the state......
California Progress Report - Fri 6:59 a.m. - 2 clicks
by Natasha Minsker ACLU of Northern California Last week, Californians had their first opportunity to speak out about the state’s execution procedures at an official state hearing. Thousands made their voices heard and their message was clear: it is time for California to replace its costly and broken death penalty......
California Progress Report - Fri 6:59 a.m. - 4 clicks
By Dan Aiello California Progress Report Amidst the public budget hearings and closed door sessions last week the California Health Policy Forum highlighted the Department of Health and Human Services' continuing work on the plan to end California’s epidemic obesity. Key among the presented issues: How to fund future efforts......
California Progress Report - Fri 6:59 a.m. - 2 clicks
by Jack O’Connell Superintendent of Public Instruction California's voters – both those who voted and especially those who did not – made their voices heard in the May 19 special election on Propositions 1A-1F. But many politicians in Sacramento mistakenly seem convinced that the election results were a clear call......
California Progress Report - Fri 6:59 a.m. - 4 clicks
The Vanguard has learned from sources close to the situation that a deal is close that would bring a Grocery Store to West Lake after the shopping center has been absent a grocer for over three years since Food Fair closed in May of 2006. The Vanguard had previously reported the deal between the Delanos Grocery Store Chain and the owners of Westlake to be dead after the owners pulled their fina...
The People's Vanguard of Davis - Fri 6:04 a.m. - 5 clicks
The Wimbledon Men's semifinals are set: Andy Roddick USA (6) versus Andy Murray GBR (3) Tommy Haas GER (24) versus Roger Federer SUI (2) Federer should win in 3 sets. Andy Murray will have a much harder time but he will come through in either 4 or 5 sets. ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Fri 12:57 a.m.
A lot of us are not sure what we think of President Obama's leadership, six months into his Presidency. I didn't leap into the 100 days assessment fray -- the evaluating of the new administration on very little evidence back in April -- because I wasn't sure what I thought. On many important issues, the Obama administration was not doing all I hoped for. But why the repeated shortfalls? T...
Happening-Here - Fri 12:44 a.m.
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has come out in support of the military coup in Honduras, chastising President Obama in a statement for what he calls “a slap in the face to the people” of that country. Democratically elected presidents that the American foreign policy establishment doesn’t like are transformed into dictators. Same in South America, [...]...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Fri 12:20 a.m.
SLOTERVAART, Netherlands (AFP) — A harassed gay minority in a conservative suburb in otherwise tolerant Amsterdam has found a guardian angel in the local Muslim mayor. Source: www.google.com ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Fri 12:20 a.m.
Housing Minister Ariel Atias on Thursday warned against the spread of Arab population into various parts of Israel, saying that preventing this phenomenon was no less than a national responsibility. Source: www.haaretz.com ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Fri 12:20 a.m.
Any attempt to construct a narrative around all the former Goldmanites in influential positions quickly becomes an absurd and pointless exercise, like trying to make a list of everything. What you need to know is the big picture: If America is circling the drain, Goldman Sachs has found a way to be … Source: www.rollingstone.com ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Fri 12:20 a.m.
It was a busy second day of the new fiscal year at the printing facility tucked inside a quiet business park in a shaded east Sacramento neighborhood. But unlike most days, they weren't printing thousands of checks paid by the state of California. This time, they were printing documents that aren't worth anything. [...]...
Capital Notes - Fri 12:19 a.m. - 4 clicks
Published on Sunday, June 7, 2009 by The Denver Post Debunking Canadian Health Care Myths by Rhonda Hackett As a Canadian living in the United States for the past 17 years, I am frequently asked by Americans and Canadians alike to declare one health care system as the better one. Often I'll avoid answering, regardless of the questioner's nationality. To choose one or the other system usu...
Sacramento For Democracy - Thu 7:58 p.m. - 2 clicks
This is friggin outrageous. The Washington Post is fast becoming yellow journalism, plain and simple. From Politico via TruthOut : Washington Post Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Katharine Weymouth said today she was cancelling plans for an exclusive "salon" at her home where, for as much as $250,000 , the Post offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfro...
My Right to be Left - Thu 7:58 p.m.
Yes, darn those “elected leaders” and their “whims”. Fortunately Honduras has finally imposed the fuck out of democracy on its people, military style! In the capital, civil liberties have been officially suspended, reporters have been detained and beaten, news outlets shut down, and at least one Cat… Source: www.borev.net ...
yaman's amateur ramblings - Thu 7:36 p.m.
By Rebecca Bowe The saga of one of the biggest development battles in San Francisco took an unexpected turn today when Gap, Inc. founder and billionaire Don Fisher announced that he would back off from his plans for a private art museum in the Presidio. The proposed 100,000 square foot museum sparked widespread public outrage, with critics charging that it was an inappropriate location that ...
SFBG Politics Blog - Thu 6:25 p.m. - 5 clicks
Statement of Kevin Keenan, Executive Director, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties Regarding Sheriff’s Department Handling of Cardiff House Party for Congressional Candidate Francine Busby On Friday, June 26, 2009, according to press reports and witness statements , a San Diego County Sheriff ’s deputy, responding to a noise complaint, entered the home of Shari Barman...
San Diego Politico - Thu 6:25 p.m. - 7 clicks
Solar energy has been in the spotlight a lot lately and its future looks bright - take this story in today's Sacramento Bee, for instance, which reports that the state's solar power industry is rebounding : The source of the sunny news is the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which just issued its first annual program assessment of the California Solar Initiative (CSI) to the state ...
California League of Conservation Voters - Thu 4:04 p.m. - 10 clicks
Photo by Steve Rhodes. California may be going broke -- and a lot of good people are fighting to save the valuable functions of government from Republicans who refuse to tax themselves, ever, for anything but prisons. But amidst it all, several friends of mine were part of overwhelming a committee the other day on another important topic: the death penalty. The LA Times captures the ...
Happening-Here - Thu 3:13 p.m. - 4 clicks
By Marke B. Joe Holladay, beaten June 29, in New York. Image via Towleroad Well, I guess it wouldn't be the 40th anniversary of Stonewall if a few "fagits" (sic) didn't get their heads bashed for daring to be all gay about it, right? Some sad reports coming in on the tinsel-footed heels of this week's celebrations (see below). My thoughts -- beyond the usual initial rage and helpl...
SFBG Politics Blog - Thu 2:51 p.m.
By Steven T. Jones Progressives aren’t feeling much joy over the city budget deal that was cut yesterday between Mayor Gavin Newsom and Sups. David Chiu and John Avalos (respectively the board president and chair of the Budget Committee), and that’s not just because it gave the gubernatorial candidate the chance to shamelessly crow, “The contrast is stark, isn't it? In Sacramento, it's a s...
SFBG Politics Blog - Thu 2:21 p.m. - 5 clicks
5-time (and current ) Wimbledon champion World #3 Venus Williams routed World #1 Dinara Safina 6-1 6-0 in well under and hour to reach the Wimbledon final for the third consecutive year (and the eighth of her career). This followed an epic three-hour slugfest between 10-time major (and reigning Australian and US Open ) champion Serena Williams and World #4 Elena Deme...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 1:44 p.m.
Text and video by Sarah Phelan Protestors chant "Don't cap it, just clean it" after four people chain themselves to a giant stop work order at Hunters Point Shipyard, demanding that the Navy remove a radiologically impacted dump at the former naval station. ...
SFBG Politics Blog - Thu 1:44 p.m.
Text and video by Sarah Phelan 83 year-old Minerva Dunn demands a total and unrestricted cleanup of Hunters Point Shipyard, not a cap, shortly before police use bull cutters to remove her from a giant stop-work order that she and other activists have chained themselves to, in an effort to blockade the former naval station''s main entrance in San Francisco. ...
SFBG Politics Blog - Thu 1:44 p.m. - 3 clicks
This image is about to get a makeover: That's the map of the USDOT HSR corridors. One corridor that's not there is Los Angeles to Las Vegas. That is changing today : The U.S. Transportation secretary will announce today the designation of a federal high-speed-rail corridor between Las Vegas and Southern California, a major assist that enables the long-imagined train route to compete for $8 ...
California High Speed Rail Blog - Thu 1:25 p.m. - 14 clicks
A good read: Debt is capitalism’s dirty little secret Summary: Lightly-regulated capitalism pushes all the gains to a very few at the top. "So why has there been no revolution? Because there was a... ...
Seeing the Forest - Thu 12:25 p.m. - 6 clicks
One proposal from Governor Schwarzenegger to find money to close the budget gap is deeper cuts to education. The Governor proposes suspension of California’s minimum funding guarantee for schools, Proposition 98. Below are reactions from the current State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and from one of the people who hopes to replace him. From SPI [...]...
California Notes - Thu 12:24 p.m. - 18 clicks
By Randy Bayne You gotta love Noreen Evans, Chair of the Budget Conference Committee. While Governor Schwarzenegger has been lying to the people of California, Evans has consistently held the line – along with Senate President Darrell Steinberg and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass – honestly seeking the best possible resolution to the budget crisis. Make [...]...
California Notes - Thu 12:24 p.m. - 24 clicks
This is not good news . Twenty-six heterosexual supremacist organizations have banded together to form a coalition called the Freedom Federation. The group's members are : The Freedom Federation is a new and unique federation of some of the largest multi-ethnic and transgenerational faith-based organizations in the country committed to plan, strategize, and work together on common interests with...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 9:06 a.m. - 3 clicks
by Doug Moore Executive Director United Domestic Workers of America Doug Moore, executive director, UDW Homecare Providers Union issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s Budget proposals: It is unfortunate that the governor continues to use thousands of dedicated homecare providers and the people they serve as scapegoats......
California Progress Report - Thu 7:07 a.m. - 4 clicks
by David M. Greenwald Editor California Progress Report An Op-Ed by the San Jose Mercury news on Wednesday blasted Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger for needlessly pushing the state over the edge. Today, Controller John Chiang will begin handing out IOUs to state workers and to vendors of the state. As Controller......
California Progress Report - Thu 7:07 a.m. - 10 clicks
By Cynthia Craft Health Access California As July 1st hits, a budget fix for California is apparently nowhere in sight. So how is this year different from years past? Besides the alarming $24 billion hole in California's budget, we seem to have a different Governor. As recently as 2007-08, Gov.......
California Progress Report - Thu 7:07 a.m. - 9 clicks
In the wake of the Governor’s failure to sign a budget that would make the state solvent in terms of cash flow, the Governor has made a number of proposals to find money. One of these proposals is to suspend Proposition 98, the minimum funding law designed to provide funding......
California Progress Report - Thu 6:41 a.m.
By Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), Chair of the Budget Conference Committee (Originally posted on Evans’ budget blog at http://californiabudget.blogspot.com/) Today, the governor held a press conference that reminded me of the phrase “everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not his own facts.” As was expected, the governor......
California Progress Report - Thu 6:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
Chris Hedges:The ability of the corporate state to pacify the country by extending credit and providing cheap manufactured goods to the masses is gone. The pernicious idea that democracy lies in the choice between competing brands and the freedom to......
Agitprop - Thu 6:41 a.m.
Last weeks Cambria Community Services District meeting was relatively short, but a lot was packed into it. The Board took action on several items that could change the face of the CCSD and the community. And two of the newly elected directors began to show some signs of fulfilling their campaign promise of fiscal responsibility. [...]...
About Cambria - Thu 4:02 a.m.
Tens of millions of gay men in India are no longer presumed to be criminals . IN A major relief to the gay and homosexual community, the Delhi High Court on Thursday (July2), said that consensual sex between two adults is legal and cannot be punished. The verdict of the Delhi High court also decriminalised homosexuality by striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court, h...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Thu 1:28 a.m.
There's no doubt that in the political campaign world, Facebook is the Bright Shiny Thing everyone's got their eyes on, especially since a first-term Senator from Illinois won the presidency last year. But all this activity triggers a question that doesn't have an easy answer: How many campaigns are actually using Facebook effectively, and how many are just wasting their time? Case Study: T...
Greg Dewar's Disinfo Rehab - Wed 7:50 p.m. - 4 clicks
For many years the world has suffered under a “free trade” regime that eliminates good paying jobs in every country, sending the work to countries that keep wages low and restrict workers' ability to... ...
Seeing the Forest - Wed 6:16 p.m. - 7 clicks
The July meeting of the California High Speed Rail Authority board is tomorrow morning at 10 AM in Sacramento at the city council chambers. You can find the meeting materials here . The meeting will be streamed live at this link (kudos to the Authority for putting that together!). The agenda includes a discussion of project phasing, an update on HSR stimulus funding and pending legislation in ...
California High Speed Rail Blog - Wed 6:15 p.m. - 5 clicks
Peripheral Canal: Panama Canal North? Proposed government boondoggle would be 500 to 700 feet wide, with 1,300 foot right-of-way by Dan Bacher Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Dianne Feinstein, corporate agribusiness and other supporters of the peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have carefully avoided discussing what an actual canal would look like, as ...
Sacramento For Democracy - Wed 4:48 p.m. - 8 clicks
Since becoming an almost international incident , the stolenization of our beloved Guardian van has finally, breathlessly come to an end. It was found by the SFPD this morning on the 100 block of 25th Ave in the Richmond. It was merely stripped of its ignition. Thanks to all who kept an eye out! Now we can go back to delivering fresh brownies to all! UPDATE: According the Scav...
SFBG Politics Blog - Wed 3:39 p.m. - 4 clicks
The battle over California's gaping budget hole is probably going to get more intense before it ends... as just about everyone thinks someone else is to blame. Actually, the title of the posting isn't quite true (though an homage to a great song); it appears the state budget gap grew overnight to $25.3 billion, after a [...]...
Capital Notes - Wed 3:38 p.m. - 5 clicks
The LA Times and Next 10 have each come out with an application to let you balance California's budget. If you've ever wondered what's really in it, and what the process is like, this is your chance. You've got a $24 billion deficit. Do you resolve it by cutting programs or raising taxes? And how much of each? The programs are great, but even if you figure out a budget you're satisfied with, they ...
California League of Conservation Voters - Wed 3:38 p.m. - 6 clicks
Wal-Mart, America’s largest private employer has flipped their position on healthcare for employees and has come out saying that “it supports requiring employers to provide health insurance to workers.” The support of Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, could give momentum to one of the most-contentious aspects of legislation taking shape in Congress to fix the...
The Democratic Daily - Wed 3:01 p.m. - 3 clicks
By Steven T. Jones It’s fitting that the just-posted New York Times Magazine profile on how colorfully fucked-up California is right now leads with our own Mayor Gavin Newsom, both with his words and image. The most telling paragraph is the second one, describing Newsom’s initial confusion over an emergency call button on his desk: “Newsom says he has not had occasion to press the but...
SFBG Politics Blog - Wed 2:24 p.m. - 9 clicks
Intrepid gay reporter Rex Wockner is reporting that the New Delhi High Court will issue a ruling on the fate of India's sodomy law at 10:30am Thursday July 2nd, local time. Keep your fingers crossed. As Rex puts it, "India is the world second-most-populous nation: 17.22% of all humans live there. That's 1,165,760,000 people. You should care about them and this." Agreed. ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 2:16 p.m. - 2 clicks
While the Assembly debates budget fixes, and Governor Schwarzenegger continues to sit idly by watching California drown in the bathtub, inside the capitol, outside public employees and their supporters are rallying to try and convince the Governor and Republicans to be responsible. ...
California Notes - Wed 2:15 p.m. - 16 clicks
That’s the question Lt. Governor John Garamendi posed to President Obama during the President’s online health care town hall. Here is the whole question. “Mr. President, I’m Lt. Governor John Garamendi from California. Thank you so very much for your leadership on this crucial issue for America. Mr. President, we actually solved this problem 41 years [...]...
California Notes - Wed 2:15 p.m. - 4 clicks
My cousin, Karen Bentley, plays violin and piano simultaneously in Dan Tepfer’s Solo Blues for Violin and Piano. Filmed in Shoal Creek, Alabama on June 16, 2009. ...
California Notes - Wed 10:28 a.m.
Remember Ward Churchill? The marginalized and discredited college professor, who when asked what it would take to motivate people to stand up in protest of the Iraq war, replied: I don’t have a ready answer for that. One of the......
Agitprop - Wed 10:28 a.m.
Al Franken was officially declared the winner of the November 2008 Minnesota Senate race on Tuesday by 312 votes, after that state's supreme court unanimously rejected Norm Coleman's lawsuit. The win means that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will now have the votes of 60 people caucusing with the Democrats, although this includes two independents ( Joe Lieberman of Connectic...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 8:16 a.m.
Succinctly ... The free market for health care is one in which sick people die ... James Kwak The Baseline Scenario The debate in Washington is about how many of their fellow citizens have to die because our Congresscritters are bought and paid for by the "free market." While playing this YouTube, you may see an ad at the bottom of the frame. That ad may even be selling ...
Happening-Here - Wed 8:16 a.m.
Almost two decades ago Jarrett and I were involved in an organization called North East Lesbian Gay Bisexual Students Association and he let me sleep on his Harvard dorm floor with like three other guys. Nice to see him at work now as the youngest executive director of a national LGBT organization, following a notable career as a State Senator in Massachusetts. ...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Wed 7:56 a.m.
By Dan Aiello California Progress Report A protest by approximately 250 Medi-Cal enrollees and healthcare providers Tuesday, one of four demonstrations to besiege the state capitol steps, marked the death knell for the first eight Medi-Cal services slated for elimination, even as legislators struggle to reconcile new budget woes.......
California Progress Report - Wed 6:04 a.m. - 9 clicks
It was an unusual ending to a long day, the final day of the 2008-2009 fiscal year. But there was no surprise ending: the conventional wisdom won out, as the state slipped into the new budget year with no solutions in place to a deficit that could be as large as $24 billion. The final [...]...
Capital Notes - Wed 2:48 a.m. - 5 clicks
Here is what I suspect. It's obvious that Republicans are shutting the state down on purpose. I suspect they have a plan ready, and will launch a full-scale "shock doctrine" "solution" to the... ...
Seeing the Forest - Wed 12:04 a.m. - 10 clicks
On a day when some Iraqis are celebrating "National Sovereignty," the least antiwar folks in this country can do is wish them well -- and remain vigilant in combatting our empire builders' intent to hang on in that unfortunate country. I'm of the hopeful sort who thinks that U.S. exhaustion and over-extension promise that Iraqis can slough us off if they choose. But despite today's festivities...
Happening-Here - Tue 11:25 p.m.
A Few Thoughts on the Coup in Honduras It is impossible to imagine that the US was not aware that the coup was in the works. At minimum, the US could have flexed its tremendous economic muscle before the coup and told the military coup plotters to stand down. By Jeremy Scahill There is a lot of great analysis circulating on the military coup against Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. I do n...
Sacramento For Democracy - Tue 11:01 p.m. - 6 clicks
Time’s come for Sanford to resign… How long will it take for Sanford to step down now that he’s revealed there were others? He’s gettings calls all the way around the conservative realm to walk (or fly) away. Apparently Mark Sanford was really getting around. UPDATE: The State has more on the calls for Sanford to resign. ...
The Democratic Daily - Tue 9:44 p.m.
Text by Rachel Buhner and Sarah Phelan Photos by Sarah Phelan Protesters block the main entrance to the shipyard with a giant stop work order A sizeable crowd gathered outside the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard’s main entrance Tuesday to protest Bayview Hunters Point residents and environmental advocates ongoing concerns with Lennar’s plans to develop 770 acres at the shipyard and C...
SFBG Politics Blog - Tue 8:20 p.m. - 2 clicks
Oh, geez. How is it even possible that the John Edwards scandal could get worse? Well, it seems Andrew Young has sold his tell all book proposal to a publisher. Should I hold out any hope at all that the sex tape thing is not true? Lordy. ...
Nite Swimming - Tue 8:20 p.m. - 4 clicks
Read Marcy Winograd's great blog post on Single Payer health care. The insurance companies are fighting for their lives - they are cornered and therefore the most dangerous. They (and their cronies) are trying to paint Single Payer advocates (i.e. most Americans!) as some kind of marginal, fringe loonies. And the concept of the 'public/private partnership' is a recipe for failure. There ar...
Last Left Before Hooterville - Tue 6:51 p.m.
6'10" Ivo Karlovic of Croatia After going four out of four with my predictions for the Wimbledon women's quarterfinals , I will try my hand at predicting Wednesday's Men's Quarterfinals Lleyton Hewitt AUS v Andy Roddick USA (6) Andy Murray GBR (3) v Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP Tommy Haas GER (24) v Novak Djokovic SRB (4) Ivo Karlovic CRO (22) v Roge...
The Mad Professah Lectures - Tue 6:46 p.m.
Text By Sarah Phelan Serpentinite rock with veins of naturally occurring asbestos Henry Alvarez, executive director of the San Francisco Housing Authority, acknowledges that a judge tossed out the unlawful detainer suit that the SFHA brought against the Nation of Islam’s Center for Self Improvement in the Bayview and its leader Minister Christopher Muhammad. “But the court left ro...
SFBG Politics Blog - Tue 6:46 p.m. - 5 clicks
This post originally appeared at Speak Out California. A recent large headline in the San Jose Mercury News got me thinking. The headline was, "A dire warning from the Governor". (Online... ...
Seeing the Forest - Tue 4:51 p.m. - 11 clicks
Oh my. The day has finally arrived in which, from this day henceforth, Bill O'Reilly will be forced to utter three of the sweetest words in the English language: "Senator Al Franken"! Mmmmm-mm-mmm-mmm, good! Of course, BlueGal tweets : " Limbaugh says Franken election just like Ahmadinejad's. There are no words." ...
Last Left Before Hooterville - Tue 4:50 p.m. - 2 clicks
