Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Check it out. They're hitting up stores along Crenshaw. Their message is hitting wage theft. Wage theft encompasses a lot, but probably the biggie for fast food is when workers aren't given breaks or work off the clock, and management are lax about it. You're entitled to a break every four hours, and a lunch within any 8 hour period. Also, working off the clock is illegal, especially at the low wages they get paid.

Will the SEIU be able to pull off organizing victories for fast food workers?

Full story: Fight for $15 in LA by johnk

On Thursday, May 15th, three dozen people rallied in 102 degree heat outside the FCC field office in Cerritos, CA to #OccupyTheFCC in favor of net neutrality. Protesters waved signs bearing messages such as "FCC -- Don't Nix Net Neutrality," Don't Neuter the Net," and "Neutralize the Threat, Not the Net."

This Southern California FCC field office is located in unmarked suite 660 of a large industrial park also housing a for-profit college. Despite chants of "Hey, FCC? Come out! We've got some stuff to talk about!" no employees appeared to address the assembled citizens.

If the FCC approves paid Internet "fast lanes," websites that pay hefty fees will be easier for the average consumer to access. On the flip side, small businesses, start-ups, and anyone who can not afford the large fees will have their Internet traffic sent to the "slow lane." #SaveTheInternet refers to the campaign to keep the Internet free from discrimination and defend the principle of net neutrality.

Or, in the words of Thursday's rally, "Google fast, my blog slow? To that I say: no, no, NO!"

Full story and photos: Los Angeles Joins Nationwide #WaveOfAction Occupation of FCC Offices to #SaveTheInternet by Los Angeles People's Media

Huntington Beach: The sacred site of Bolsa Chica (aka: Puvungna East)--or rather, what's left of it--is again in serious jeopardy. The 9,000+ year-old burial site will be the subject of a hearing on January 8, 2014. A developer is seeking to have it rezoned from Open Space to low-density Residential.

Bolsa Chica is known for, among other things, its ancient cogged stones (found nowhere else in the world except Chile). The area has already been developed extensively, with 174+ ancestors and thousands of ceremonial objects and other items removed.

The Coastal Commission hearing will be in San Diego at 9am; however, free bus rides from Huntington Beach will be provided to those who RSVP. Supporters are also encouraged to write to the Coastal Commission.

Further details: Rezoning of the Ridge in Huntington Beach by Johnk

This video describes the site and its history (though a bit dated in some ways): The Bolsa Chica Project

See the Bolsa Chica Land Trust for more historic and environmental information.

Update: From the Bolsa Chica Land Trust: SAVE THE DATE: Very possible Coastal Commission hearing June 11th -- 13th at HB City Hall concerning Ridge LCPA. We need your help and support in this very pressing issue! If you can attend in person, write in, or even just share this with your friends to get the word out, that would be great! We will continue to post more information as it becomes available.

Another update: From the Bolsa Chica Land Trust The city (at the applicant's request) withdrew the application meaning that whatever happens on The Ridge or Goodell sites in the future will have to be reapproved by the city - this now gives us a chance to work with the landowners to purchase these sites and save them - still a long ways to go but today we can declare VICTORY!

On the first Saturday of May, people gather in over 400 cities worldwide to celebrate cannabis hemp. The 16th annual Los Angeles Global Cannabis March (also known as the Million Marijuana March) marched at high noon along Crenshaw Boulevard to Leimert Park on Saturday, May 3, 2013.

Volunteers from The HumanSolution, NORML Women's Alliance, and Orange County NORML formed a contingent to honor cannabis prisoners of war (POWs) serving time behind bars for a plant. As the march traveled along Crenshaw Boulevard, 3-foot tall signs bearing the pictures of marijuana POWs caught the attention of passerby and traffic.

. . . Hemptivist Dr. Mesmer carried a "Phytoremediate Fukushima" sign in the march. Phytoremediation is the process of using plants to clean a toxic environment. Large scale hemp planting has the potential to reduce air pollution and scrub toxic substances from the soil.

. . . Medical marijuana pioneer Richard Eastman greeted the march at Leimert Park. Speeches in the park celebrated California's status as the first state in the nation to allow medical marijuana...

Full report and photos: Global Cannabis March Los Angeles Represents Drug War Prisoners Serving Life Sentences by Lex Libreman

LOS ANGELES, CA – In solidarity with workers of the world, Los Angelenos took to the streets on Thursday, May 1, 2014, to demand human rights for the global 99%. In addition to permitted marches scheduled by 501(c) charities and labor unions, autonomous grassroots protests sprouted up throughout downtown L.A. . . . Outside Wells Fargo and Bank of America, outraged citizens protested bank crimes, fraud-closures, and ongoing corruption of the big banks.

. . . As the sun peaked in the afternoon, the dancing continued down the block to join the Southern California Immigrants Rights Coalition (SCIC) march at Olympic & Broadway. En route, the human wave of action paused at the Los Angeles office of the Federal Reserve Bank for a stimulating teach-in. Chants of "Stop the deportation NOW!" and "Fund Jobs, Not War!" filled the air as the May First March traveled up Broadway. A large red banner reading "Alta a las Redadas / Stop the Raids!" spanned the street.

Another march for labor and immigrant rights was held in the early morning from Chinatown to the Federal Detention Center. Billed as "Mayday 4 All," the morning march included thousands of supporters from organized labor. Handmade signs at #Mayday4All read "End Wage Slavery" and "We the People Demand Real Democracy."

Articles and pictures: May Day 2014: Los Angeles Takes the Streets for a Global Spring by Jessica Lux | MayDay4All Coalition May Day March 2014 by johnk | Occupy Fights Foreclosures and Dance Against Banks protest Wells Fargo and Bank of America by Los Angeles People's Media