Nuclear Shutdown News March 2018 (tags)
The San Onofre nuclear power plant in SoCal shut down in 2012. But it's still causing a lot of trouble.
nuclear Shutdown News 8-17 (tags)
Nuclear Shutdown News August 2017
San Diego based "strike force" Still Heading to Korea (tags)
Tthe US "strike group" led by the the San Diego based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is indeed heading for the Korean Peninsula.
San Diego warships leading charge against North Korea (tags)
US Navy warships based in San Diego are moving towards North Korean waters as tensions rise across the region.
"Santa’s Boot Camp“ at San Diego Kids Film Festival (tags)
Filmmaker Ken Feinberg’s “Santa’s Boot Camp” Screens at the San Diego International Kids Film Festival, Aug 26th-28th 2016
"Santa’s Boot Camp “ at San Diego Kids Film Festival (tags)
Filmmaker Ken Feinberg’s “Santa’s Boot Camp” Screens at the San Diego International Kids Film Festival, Aug 26th-28th 2016
Helpful Weapons to understand our neighbors south of San Diego (tags)
nacla.org can help schools, offices, people of faith and organizers understand the countries and issues south of San Diego. The acronym means North American Congress on Latin America which is a very diverse set of people and places.
San Diego State University defeats BDS (tags)
BDS resolutions continue to fail nationwide on college campuses
Feds report Terrorist Attacks on the U.S. Mexican Border from Galveston to San Diego Immin (tags)
El Paso TX. Ft. Bliss military base that’s charged with the defense of our borders with Mexico is reported to be on alert. ISIS/ISIL and other related Islamic terrorist groups are operating in Mexico and are preparing attacks along the U.S. Mexican border from Galveston Texas to San Diego California.
San Diego May Dai Workers Film Festival (tags)
Workers Film Festival returns to San Diego this May Day weekend at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park! We've got a strong line-up of the most recent international films that connect workers and social justice struggles. Join us Friday May 2nd - Sunday May 4th. We'll also have a labor art exhibit, live music and a pop-up book shop.
Southern California Joins Worldwide Wave Of Action (tags)
San Diego State University Professor Ghassan Zakaria eliminates truth in his classroom (tags)
San Diego State University Professor Ghassan Zakaria eliminates truth in his classroom
Counter-Currents on the Run! (tags)
The Circle Ansuz Bay Area Leidang has been actively pursuing Counter-Currents Publishing for the last several months. We have recently learned they are claiming to have left the Bay Area and have moved to San Diego, CA.
Queer Democrats Celebrate Election Victories at Freedom Awards (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality celebrated recent election victories in San Diego County at their annual Freedom Awards November 17 at 1202 Club in HIllcrest. They also honored retiring State Senator Christine Kehoe, the first open Queer ever elected to office in San Diego County, for her19 years in elective office.
S.A.M.E. Hosts Victory Celebration for Marriage Equality Protesters (tags)
The San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.) held a victory celebration September 21 at the Bamboo Lounge in Hillcrest after San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith dropped all charges against the Equality Nine, protesters who were arrested at the San Diego County Clerk's office August 19, 2010 for showing up to request marriage licenses or support others doing so, including same-sex couples who had appointments. The event featured five of the Equality Nine and also Queer-rights pioneers Leo Laurence and Pat Brown, who led militant Queer-liberation demonstrations in San Francisco months before the Stonewall riots.
“EQUALITY NINE VICTORY CELEBRATION” AT BAMBOO LOUNGE IN HILLCREST SEPTEMBER 21 (tags)
San Diego's Queer community is celebrating the end of the Equality Nine case Friday, September 21, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bamboo Lounge, 1475 University Avenue in Hillcrest. After having criminal charges hanging over their heads for more than two years, the six remaining members of the Equality Nine are finally free thanks to the city dismissing the case in late August.
San Diego City Attorney Drops Charges Against Marriage Activists (tags)
Six members of the Equality Nine, marriage equality activists arrested over two years ago for going to the San Diego County Clerk's office and demanding marriage licenses for same-sex couples, were vindicated August 24 when city attorney Jan Goldsmith filed a motion to dismiss all charges. Originally scheduled for April 30, the scheduled trial had already been delayed until September because the judge in the case found the prosecution had been discriminating against Queer potential jurors and dissolved the jury pool. The Equality Nine regard this as a victory for marriage equality and free speech.
What's Wrong with San Diego's City Finances? (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality heard a presentation July 26 from "Paradise Plundered" author Vladimir Kogan. The book, co-written with professors Steven P. Erie and Scott A. MacKenzie, argues that San Diegans have long wanted their city government to do far more in services than they're willing to pay for in taxes -- and recently they and the politicians seeking to lead the city, most notably Right-wing Queer Mayoral front-runner Carl DeMaio, have been scapegoating city workers and their unions for the city's pension crisis and other financial shortfalls.
Queer Democrats Host Love-Fest for Endorsed Candidates (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality turned their June 28 meeting into a love-fest for their candidates who survived the June 5 primary and moved on to the November 6 general election. In the first test of their new policy against endorsing or rating candidates who aren't 100 percent for marriage equality or reproductive choice, they also refused to consider an endorsement or a rating for socially conservative Democrat Juan Vargas for Congress in the 51st District.
San Diego Queer Groups Fight Proposition B (tags)
Queer organizations in San Diego, including Canvass for a Cause (CFAC) and the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.), are uniting against Proposition B, a "reform" initiative sponsored by openly Gay Right-wing Republican City Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio that would destroy any hope of retirement security for city workers.
Zenger's Newsmagazine Election Endorsements (tags)
Full endorsements for San Diego voters in the June 5 primary election. As in 2010, in virtually every race Zenger's is recommending every Democrat over every Republican, not because the Democrats (with a few exceptions) are that progressive but because the Republicans are so reactionary they want to abolish the social safety net, virtually eliminate civil rights, workers', consumers' and environmental protections, and transform the U.S.as radically as the Nazis transformed Germany in 1933.
San Diego Marriage Equality Trial Delayed (tags)
A funny thing happened to the six remaining defendants in the Equality Nine case — members of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.) who were arrested while demonstrating for marriage equality at the San Diego County Clerk’s office August 19, 2010 — on their way to a trial that was supposed to begin April 30. Judge Joan Weber, discovered that prosecutors had systematically excluded Queers from the jury pool, and she threw out the entire jury pool and decided that the case would have to start over September 18.
Queer Democrats Unanimously Oppose Pension "Reform" (tags)
The hottest issue on the June 5 ballot in San Diego is Proposition B, the public pension "reform" initiative sponsored by openly Queer Right-wing City Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio. It would freeze all city workers' pay for five years and abolish the city's pension system for new hires, replacing it with a 401(k)-style plan. The product of a decade-long propaganda campaign by the radical Right politicians and media, it's expected to pass easily — but the predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality, after hearing a debate on it, unanimously voted to oppose it at their April 26 meeting.
Queer Democrats Endorse Teachers’ Union Leaders for School Boards (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality have become virtually an appendage of the local labor movements in making their 2012 election endorsements. In January they rejected progressive Congressional candidate Lori Saldaña and endorsed her moderate Democratic opponent, Scott Peters, largely on labor's say-so. In February they rated anti-marriage Catholic Juan Vargas and marriage equality defender Denise Moreno Ducheny equally "acceptable" for another Congressional seat. And in March they picked teachers' union leaders for their school board endorsements.
Human Trafficking: The Crime That Dares Not Speak Its Name (tags)
On March 14 the members of Canvass for a Cause, a San Diego-based organization formed to raise money and awareness for marriage equality, heard a chilling presentation by San Diego County Youth Services social worker Michelle Atkins on human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children and young women. She critiqued the myth that so-called "sex work" is ever a legitimate self-actualizing career path and described her own work helping young women who've been kidnapped or lured into selling their bodies for someone else's profit.
"A Hell of a Way to Boil Water": (tags)
Veteran anti-nuclear activist Ace Hoffman came to San Diego from his home in north San Diego County February 20 to talk about the dangers of nuclear power plants in general and two nuclear power plants in particular: the Fukushima Dai-Ichi reactor which melted down after last year's tsunami and the ones at San Onofre in southern California. The event was held in part to promote a march and rally at the San Onofre site March 11, the first-year anniversary of the Fukushima tsunami.
Queer Democrats Split in 51st Congressional District Race (tags)
For the second month in a row, the San Diego Democrats for EqualIty refused to endorse a progressive Latina for Congress. This time they were unable to come to a consensus whether to support Denise Moreno Ducheny or Juan Vargas in the 51st Congressional District, currently represented by mayoral candidate Bob Filner, despite Vargas's opposition to marriage equality and his abandonment of previous support for single-payer health care.
Tweet This At Your Own Risk (tags)
If you're emailing your mom about a freak (and don't spell it phreak, because that's on the list too) ice storm in San Diego that dropped a foot of snow, you'll be on some list somewhere.
Gay Refugees in the U.S.: Becley Aigbuza risk deportation (tags)
Becley Aigbuza, a young Nigerian homosexual who lives in San Diego, risks being deported back to his homeland where he was raped and tortured. EveryOne Group is appealing to the President of the United States, Barack Obama, the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and the Governor of California, Edmund Brown Jr.
San Diegans Rally Against Citizens United Decision (tags)
Though the original location had to be changed when agents of the Department of Homeland Security blocked off the original one, San Diegans nonetheless held a rally January 20 against the Citizens United decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, which opened the floodgates for even more corporate influence over American politics and elections.
Photos of the Occupy San Diego three-month anniversary march January 7 downtown and an interview with Occupy activist and former hunger striker John Kenney on his ideas for the future of the movement.
“The Hard Edge” Comes to San Diego Jan. 26-29 (tags)
The Hard Edge, the four-day series of Leather events and workshops sponsored by Ms. San Diego Leather 2009 Christi Campbell, will take place Thursday, January 26 through Sunday, January 29. Online registrations will be open until Wednesday, January 25 at http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=932418. Registrations can also be made in person at Pleasures & Treasures adult store, 2525 University Avenue in North Park, and at the opening event: an introduction and reception for the presenters Thursday, January 26, 7 to 9 p.m. at 428 Fourth Avenue, suite C, downtown San Diego. Locations for the other events will be given out only after people register.
FABIO A. ROJAS: Immigrant Musician, Producer, Activist in San Diego (tags)
Fabio A. Rojas has certainly packed a lot of living in his 20-something years. At present he’s the owner of Refugio Roots Music, a combination recording studio, performance space and art gallery at 906 21st Street in Golden Hill (it’s a corner building and the entrance is on “E” Street). He’s also recording progressive events for Activist San Diego’s under-construction radio station, KNSJ 89.5 FM in Descanso, and he recently returned from a tour with the popular, long-lived (17 years) Latino rock band the B-Side Players.
Arrested for Voter Registration (tags)
The recent arrest of former Congressional candidate Ray Lutz for attempting to register voters at Occupy San Diego is an indication of how far the class war in the U.S. has extended. It's part of a much more sophisticated series of actions on the part of the corporate Right to make sure that the "wrong" people — those that question the right of the 1 percent to run the country as they please — don't get a chance to vote.
Occupy Activist Recalls Police Brutality, Medical Neglect (tags)
At the annual holiday fundraiser of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.) December 9, activist and police brutality victim Michelle "Jersey" Deutsch recalled not only being Maced by police but being the victim of prejudicial treatment at the hospital once the doctors and nurses treating her learned that she was an Occupy San Diego activist who had been attacked by police at the occupation site.
A commentary on the San Diego Police Foundation and how its existence and activities demonstrate the extent to which the police have become an expeditionary force for the 1 percent and are able to avoid public accountability.
Sean Wherley: Activist Comedian Laughs Out Proud (tags)
Veteran activist and political staffer Sean Wherley found another outlet a year ago when he took up stand-up comedy and started the Laugh Out Proud shows the second Thursday of every month at Martinis Above Fourth in Hillcrest, San Diego. His monthly shows present Queer and Queer-friendly comedians from San Diego and L.A. — and they're funny!
Chaos in San Diego's Medical Marijuana Community (tags)
A report on conflicts within San Diego's medical marijuana community between the grass-roots Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the dispensaries' trade group, Patients' Care Association (PCA) — and conflicts within the PCA between locals and an out-of-town organizer they accuse of trying to take over.
Nico D'Amico-Barbour: Canvass for a Cause Organizer on Marriage Equality, Occupation-print (tags)
Nico D'Amico Barbour, regional director of Canvass for a Cause -- an organization founded in San Diego two years ago to advocate for marriage equality which has since expanded to Los Angeles -- shows an entrepreneurial spirit and an almost born-again commitment to activism that's more commonly associated with the Right than the Left these days.
Queer Democrats Endorse Occupy San Diego (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality (formerly the San Diego Democratic Club) held their first regular meeting since the name change October 27 and overwhelmingly endorsed Occupy San Diego. The strongly worded resolution, based on one passed by the San Diego County Democratic Party, not only supported Occupy's right to protest and camp out in the Civic Center Plaza downtown but also ringingly endorsed the group's challenge to corporate power. The club also endorsed progressive Congressmember Bob Filner for Mayor of San Diego in the 2012 election.
Labor Rallies in Support of Occupy San Diego Oct. 28 (tags)
Despite a pre-dawn police raid on both Occupy San Diego sites — the Civic Center Plaza near City Hall and the Children's Park across from the Convention Center — a rally sponsored by organized labor in support of the occupation went ahead as scheduled October 28. At this time, the occupiers are still there.
The San Diego Mayoral Candidates That Didn't Bark (tags)
When A Better San Diego, a coalition made up largely of labor unions and their affiliates, sponsored a debate among the four leading candidates for Mayor of San Diego in next year's election, only two showed up. The no-shows were City Councilmember Carl DeMaio, whose whole campaign is based on targeting city workers as the source of San Diego's economic woes, and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, both Republicans. A third Republican, Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher, and Democratic Congressmember Bob Filner attended and differed on city workers' pensions, outsourcing city jobs to private companies and many other issues.
Nico D'Amico-Barbour: Canvass for a Cause Organizer on Marriage Equality, Occupation (tags)
Nico D'Amico-Barbour, regional field director for the marriage equality organization Canvass for a Cause, discusses marriage rights, the Occupy movement and other progressive issues in this audio interview, scheduled for print publication in the December 2011 issue of Zenger's Newsmagazine.
Marriage Equality Protesters Have Day in Court Oct. 17 (tags)
The "Equality Nine," marriage equality protesters who were arrested in August 2010 for staging a sit-in at the San Diego County Clerk's office to protest the continuing denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, were back in court October 17. The city attorney, who has refused to drop the charges, has offered them a plea deal, but so far all but two have refused to take it.
Obama’s Justice Department Declares War on Medical Pot (tags)
The federal government recently escalated its war against medical marijuana. In San Diego and other southern California counties, instead of targeting medical marijuana dispensaries themselves, they are threatening the dispensaries' landlords with having their properties seized if they continue to rent to the dispensaries. They are also threatening publications like "Kush" and "Nug" aimed at the market for medical marijuana. This is yet another about-face for the Obama administration from its former assurances that they would leave medical marijuana dispensaries alone if they complied with state law.
Novelist Anne Enright Speaks in San Diego (tags)
Irish novelist Anne Enright came to the San Diego Public Library October 10 to present "The Forgotten Waltz," her first book since her previous novel "The Gathering" won the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2007. Enright talked about the pressures of sudden fame, how she combines writing with being a stay-at-home mom, and the roller-coaster ride of the Irish economy from boom in 2002 to bust in 2007. Though "The Forgotten Waltz" is not literally a political allegory, Enright says she meant it largely as a metaphoric portrayal of Ireland during its boom and bust years.
Queer Democrats Host Incumbent City Councilmembers (tags)
Thanks to a member who asked that all so-called "friendly incumbent" endorsements be pulled for further discussion, the three incumbent San Diego City Councilmembers who attended the September 22 meeting of the predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality (formerly the San Diego Democratic Club) ? Todd Gloria, Marti Emerald and Sherri Lightner ? found themselves on the spot. Instead of just showing up to receive their endorsements and thank the club, they spoke to the group on such controversial issues like the city's budget and pension problems, historical preservation and the influence of wealthy people like Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs on plans for Balboa Park.
Free the Equality Nine! Action Sept. 28 in Downtown San Diego (tags)
Over a year has passed since the ?Equality Nine? ? members and supporters of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.) ? were arrested on August 19, 2010 at the San Diego County Administrative Center. Now the Equality Nine plan to present their petitions to City Attorney Jan Goldsmith at a rally Wednesday, September 28, 4 p.m. outside the City Attorney?s office, 1200 Third Avenue downtown. The next court hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday, October 17 in the San Diego County Courthouse downtown.
Veterans for Peace Solicit Donations for Homeless on 9/11 Anniversary (tags)
Members of the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice and the San Diego Veterans for Peace (SDVFP) staged an alternative commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in Balboa Park, at which SDVFP solicited donations for their "Compassion Campaign." This involves asking people to donate $35 to buy a sleeping bag, poncho and carrying bag for a homeless person. They've already helped out 700 people, many of them veterans, and need your help to do more.
Activists Host "Radio Summer" in San Diego August 29 (tags)
Members of San Diego's activist community gathered together at the Media Arts Center in North Park on August 29 to hear about how low-power FM (LPFM) radio can create new opportunities for progressive media and break the Right-wing stranglehold on the local airwaves. The attendees heard a presentation via Skype from Philadelphia-based Ian Smith of the Prometheus Radio Project, which was instrumental in lobbying Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the LPFM opportunity in the first place, and also heard from representatives of the World Beat Center, Media Rights Coalition and Activist San Diego.
S. Brian Willson Speaks in San Diego (tags)
Because of what he was doing the day he lost his legs ? September 1, 1987, in Concord, California, when he was run over by a train he and his fellow activists were trying to stop before it could deliver arms to Right-wing governments and private armies in Central America ? and his involvement in the Veterans for Peace organization, most people who?ve heard of S. Brian Willson think of him as an anti-war activist. But he?s considerably more than that. At his most recent San Diego appearance September 4 to promote his book, a combination autobiography and work of political philosophy called Blood on the Tracks, Willson presented a far-reaching critique of so-called ?human civilization? and suggested it?s all been downhill since the Neolithic period, when economic scarcity forced humans to live in small communities and share equally with each other.
Media Arts Center Hosts "Radio Summer" August 29 (tags)
The Prometheus Radio Project, a nationwide organization working to broaden the range of community voices available on America's audio airwaves, scored a major victory in July when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally set up a licensing rule for thousands of new low-power FM (LPFM) radio stations, including some in urban areas previously ineligible for these grass-roots local stations. Now Prometheus is promoting a series of events called "Radio Summer" to organize people to obtain these licenses and get their stations on the air. The Media Arts Center of San Diego is hosting a "Radio Summer" event Monday, August 29, 6 to 8 p.m. at their office, 2921 El Cajon Boulevard (near 30th St.) in North Park, with a wide variety of other organizations in coalition. So if you're tired of the San Diego airwaves seeming to be the private preserve of the extreme Right, that's where you need to be next Monday!
Leather History Meeting Relives the Wounds of AIDS (tags)
Though it was billed as a panel on the history of San Diego's Leather community, the San Diego League of Gentlemen meeting July 1 turned into something else: an emotionally intense discussion and reminiscence of the effect AIDS had on the Queer community in general and the Leather community in particular. Themselves touched by the crisis directly ? all the panelists either had AIDS, took care of people who did or were active in the community's response ? they talked about the pain of losing so many friends but also how the community grew and its surviving members became more emotionally committed to each other.
UFCW Local 135 Union Stores Not Facing a Strike (tags)
Facing a strike at the three largest grocery chains in southern California ? Ralph's, Albertson's and Vons ? the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 135 prepared this list of stores in San Diego County which they represent and which will NOT be involved in the likely upcoming strike. Since at this time they have not posted this list on their own Web site, http://www.ufcw135.org, Mark Gabrish Conlan and Zenger's Newsmagazine are making it available as a public service. Please help support this action by reposting this list and spreading it far and wide on the Web, and hopefully this will give the union leadership the message that they need to join the 21st century and promote this list on their own Web site.
Big Brother Is Testing You (tags)
Big Brother is testing you. Big Brother is sending out mobile test vans to certain census tracts in Hillcrest, Normal Heights and other neighborhoods in the 92103 and 92104 Zip codes to knock on people?s doors and present them with a then-and-there demand that they take an HIV antibody test. That?s what Dr. Susan Little of the Antiviral Research Center (ARC) at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center came to the Hillcrest Town Council on May 10, when she spoke at their meeting to announce a new, stunningly intrusive and threatening program called ?Lead the Way? designed essentially to force everyone between the ages of 18 and 64 in the 92103 and 92104 Zip codes ? the parts of San Diego with the greatest concentration of Queer residents ? to take the HIV antibody test and go on immediate ?treatment? with anti-HIV medications if they test ?positive.? What makes this even worse is that Dr. Little has a documented history of breaking the confidentiality of ALL her subjects in a previous HIV antibody testing study!
Over 500 Turn Out for San Diego Slut Walk (tags)
For those who thought the battle over whether women who dress in sexually provocative clothing are thereby giving men the ?right? to rape them was won in the 1970?s, it was a shock last January when a police representative in Toronto, Canada told a class he was lecturing to that ?women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized.? His boorish, sexist remarks had one positive result: they rekindled the feminist movement via a series of ?Slut Walks,? mass demonstrations in which women deliberately dress in so-called ?slut wear? both to communicate a sex-positive message and to make the point that women should be free to dress any way they like and go about wherever they like without inviting men to rape them. The message of the ?Slut Walks?: don?t teach women how to avoid rape: TEACH MEN NOT TO RAPE!
Teen Producers' Project Makes Pro-Immigrant Videos (tags)
In addition to running the popular San Diego Latino Film Festival, the Media Arts Center in North Park also sponsors the Teen Producers? Project, which trains teenage filmmakers to make professional-quality videos. This year?s productions were a series of hard-hitting documentaries on the rights of immigrants that progressive Congressmember Bob Filner offered to take to Washington, D.C. and show to his colleagues.
FilmOut Taps the Magic of Movies for Gays (tags)
There?s a film festival for virtually every racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and lifestyle community, and Queers are no exception. In San Diego, FilmOut runs monthly screenings at the Birch North Park Theatre as well as an annual festival in August featuring Queer-themed movies from around the world.
Activist San Diego Screens Medical Cannabis Film (tags)
A new film, ?Medical Cannabis and Its Impact on Human Health,? exposes the lies about the medical use of marijuana that led the San Diego City Council to enact a virtual ban on medical marijuana dispensaries in the city. Director James Schmachtenberger, who works at a local dispensary, appeared with the film Saturday, April 30 at a showing sponsored by Activist San Diego. The film is a bit dry, and even Schmachtenberger describes it as not especially entertaining, but it lays out the facts about marijuana's medical uses and makes the case for allowing the substance to be used to treat disease and preserve health.
San Diego Queers Split Over City Redistricting (tags)
San Diego?s Queer community has split over their response to the redrawing of district lines for the City Council. On one side are the members of the self-styled ?LGBT Redistricting Task Force,? who are pushing a major redesign of the city?s Queer-influenced District 3, pushing out the people of color and less affluent Queers in City Heights and adding more upscale neighborhoods like Mission Hills and Bankers? Hill to the Hillcrest/North Park core of the district. On the other side are Queer residents of the City Heights community of Azalea Park, who bought there because gentrification had priced them out of Hillcrest and North Park and now find themselves threatened that they will no longer be represented by a Queer Councilmember. The current District 3 is San Diego?s most ethnically diverse; the district proposed by the LGBT Redistricting Task Force and the Hillcrest Town Council will be 70 percent white.
Labor Representatives Under Attack, Seek Queer Democrats’ Help (tags)
Three San Diego union leaders — Central Labor Council CEO/secretary-treasurer Lorena Gonzalez, Municipal Employees’ Association general manager Michael Zucchet, and SEIU Local 221 head Eric Banks — spoke to the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club April 28 on the state of the local labor movement. They focused on the attacks on public workers by the Republican party and the radical Right, which is aimed not only at driving public-sector wages and benefits below those offered by the private sector but also denying the one source of substantial campaign funding available to Democrats and thereby winning elections by eliminating effective competition. They also talked about the Right-wing bias of San Diego’s media and their success in demonizing public workers’ pensions as the source of San Diego’s financial ills.
KURT WENDELBORG: Not Your Typical Mr. San Diego Leather (tags)
Kurt Wendelborg may look like a typical Leather community titleholder — he’s tall, thin, in excellent shape physically and commandingly butch in his overall appearance and demeanor — but he really isn’t. Most of the Mr. San Diego Leather winners have been people who’ve lived in San Diego and been involved in community activities for years; Kurt had lived in San Diego less than a year when he ran for the title and won. Most of the title winners have been “tops,” playing the dominant role in scenes; Kurt not only is a “bottom” but proudly boasted about it from the stage at Rich’s during the March 19 contest. Offstage, Kurt is personable and easygoing but also passionate and dedicated about serving his community and his fellow human beings. He eagerly agreed to a Zenger’s interview and talked about the role of the title contests in the Leather community, his ambitions as a community leader and how he hopes being Mr. San Diego Leather 2011 will help him grow both personally and as a member of the Leather community.
S.A.M.E. Rallies Against Hate Crimes, Bullying (tags)
Drawn by several recent hate assaults on Queer people in the Hillcrest and North Park areas, members and supporters of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (S.A.M.E.) rallied at the North Park Community Park Saturday afternoon, March 26. The rally featured speeches by openly Queer elected officials like Assemblymember Toni Atkins and School Board member Kevin Beiser, as well as ministers and others in support of Queer equality, but the most moving statements came from people who’d been on the receiving end of anti-Queer violence or bullying themselves: S.A.M.E. member René Torres, high school student Maya Conti and North Park resident Jacob Harshbarger, who wasn’t at the rally but sent a statement describing not only the attack against him but the lax response of local police and prosecutors. “I felt that the system that was supposed to be there to protect me was treating me as though it was my fault,” Harshbarger said.
Queer Democrats Oppose Initiative to Add Non-Elected Members to School Board (tags)
Two multimillionaires, Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs and hedge-fund CEO Rod Dammeyer, are sponsoring an initiative called “San Diegans 4 Great Schools” to add four non-elected members to the board of the San Diego Unified School District. The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club debated this initiative March 24 and passed a motion urging voters not to sign to put it on the ballot. Among their concerns were the potential dilution of voter input on the school board, the presence of the president of Roman Catholic Church-owned University of San Diego on the panel of nine people making the appointments, and the ways paid signature gatherers routinely lie about what initiatives will do in order to get people to sign them. The club heard from Scott Himmelmeyer, USD employee and spokesperson for the initiative, as well as current school board president Richard Barrera speaking for and against it, respectively.
Right-Wing Queer Councilmember DeMaio Dominates San Diego Economic Debate (tags)
Openly Queer Right-wing San Diego City Councilmember Carl DeMaio dominated a forum on the city’s budget woes sponsored by the Hillcrest Town Council February 5. Three other panelists spoke ¬— former San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre, who stunned his supporters in the progressive community by joining DeMaio in campaigning against a proposed city sales tax increase last fall; former City Councilmember Michael Zucchet, a lobbyist for the city workers’ main union; and economics professor Alan Gin — but DeMaio and his proposed “Roadmap for Recovery,” a plan to balance the city’s budget by privatizing city jobs, slashing pensions and reducing supposedly “nonessential” city services, was the basis for the discussion and provided the context to which the other three panelists responded.
Curtis Dixon: The Art of the Leather Bootblack (tags)
The Leather community has a lot of folkways non-Leather people are often baffled by, and one of them is the importance of the bootblack. Curtis Dixon has been bootblacking for almost a quarter of a century and has won several major honors in the craft. In this interview, celebrating the upcoming San Diego Leather Pride events in March as well as the California Leather SIR/boy contest in San Diego in May, Curtis talks about what bootblacking means to the Leather community as a whole and its importance to him personally
Lê’s “Gangster” Not Just Another Immigration Memoir (tags)
Lê Thi Diem Thúy was brought to this country from Viet Nam by her father in 1978, when she was six, but her book “The Gangster We Are All Looking For,” honored this year by the San Diego Public Library and PBS as the 2011 “One Book, One San Diego,” isn’t your ordinary immigrant’s memoir. Presented as a novel — which allows Lê to tap her childhood for material without having to be bound by literal truth — “Gangster” is written in an almost poetic prose style, rich in nature imagery, characteristic of many Asian writers who learned English as a second language. Introducing, reading from and commenting on the book at the Public Library downtown on February 2, Lê gave a presentation touching on a lot of the issues raised in her book, including culture clashes, the role of the imagination and language as a force that can tear people apart as much as it can bring them together.
Mera Szendro Bok’s New Media Rights Hosts Drumbeat-San Diego Feb. 5 (tags)
Drumbeat San Diego, part of a nationwide mobilization of independent media activists for skills-building, networking and activism, will be held Saturday, February 5, 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Queen Bee’s Arts and Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio Street in North Park. Zenger’s Newsmagazine recently interviewed Mera Szendro Bok, director of New Media Rights, whose organization is one of the key players building the local event. She talked about Drumbeat, about the media rights landscape in general, and how individuals can fight to keep the Internet free and open and prevent it from becoming yet another transmission belt communicating only the anti-progressive, anti-human “free market” message of all other corporate media.
Darnelle Williams: San Diego Urban Pride Reaches Beyond African-American Queers (tags)
A Zenger’s Newsmagazine interview with Darnelle Williams, activities chair for San Diego Urban Pride. Originally called Ebony Pride and aimed particularly at African-American Queer men and women, the group recently relaunched with a new name and a broader mission including social events and raising money for health and other community issues.
Over 100 San Diegans Demonstrate for Marriage Equality on Eve of Court Hearing (tags)
Over 100 San Diego supporters of marriage equality took to the streets in Hillcrest Saturday, December 4 as part of a statewide mobilization, "Unite to Make It Right," two days before the scheduled Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on the legal challenge to Proposition 8, which banned legal recognition of same-sex marriage in California. The event consisted of two rallies and a march in between, and speakers called for more militant activism and more aggressive challenges aimed at President Obama and other elected officials who have talked the talk of Queer equality but have done little or nothing to bring it about.
San Diego Activists Turn Out to Support Bradley Manning (tags)
San Diego’s progressive community turned out for a downtown rally September 19 in support of Bradley Manning, alleged leaker of the 90,000 pages of documents about the war in Afghanistan and the so-called “Collateral Murder” video of a U.S. attack on civilians in Iraq in 2007, who’s currently being held awaiting trial in an Army brig. Law professor Marjorie Cohn, anti-war veteran Chuck Wynette and other speakers called for Manning to be set free whether he leaked the papers or not.
Over 200 Turn Out for Matthew Shepard Memorial in San Diego (tags)
Over 200 San Diegans marched in Hillcrest October 12, 2010 to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, target of an especially brutal Queer-bashing attack in Wyoming, and to honor the lives lost to Queer-bashing, bullying and teen suicide. The event featured two marches, a preliminary rally outside Obelisk Bookstore (site of a memorial plaque to John Robert Wear, 17-year-old killed in a Queer-related assault in 1991) and a program at San Diego’s LGBT Center that featured speakers including Terry Summers, a personal acquaintance of Matthew Shepard.
Two Openly Gay Councilmembers Debate Sales-Tax Increase (tags)
Rival City Councilmembers Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio — the first two openly Gay men elected to the San Diego City Council — spoke at the Hillcrest Town Council September 14 and debated Proposition D on the November 2 ballot. This would allow the city to raise its sales tax one-half cent for five years to plug the $72 billion hole in its current budget — but only after the city implements 10 “reforms” reducing its pension obligations to workers and making it easier to privatize city jobs. But even in Gloria’s relatively liberal district, the polite but hostile response from the audience made it clear the measure will be a tough sell to city voters.
“House of Numbers” Exposes the Faillings of the“HIV/AIDS” Myth (tags)
Brent Leung’s 2009 AIDS documentary, “House of Numbers," shows both sides of the controversy over whether the so-called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) actually causes AIDS. Leung got interviews with scientists, journalists and other experts on both sides, and showed that even within the HIV/AIDS mainstream the scientists are not anywhere as unified on key questions about AIDS as they pretend to be when they present themselves to the public. The film is available in two versions from Leung’s Web site, http://www.houseofnumbers.com: the basic theatrical version and a deluxe edition containing two discs' worth of additional material, some of which will be shown at the next meeting of H.E.A.L.-San Diego, Wednesday, October 6, 7 p.m. at the Activist Center, 4246 Wightman Street in City Heights. Please call (619) 688-1886 for more information.
Queer Democrats’ Surprising Lieutenant Governor Endorsement (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club made a surprising choice in the June 8 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became a nationwide hero to the Queer community in February 2004 when he unilaterally ordered city officials to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but the club rejected him in favor of Los Angeles City Councilmember Janice Hahn. Members’ concerns about Newsom included his less than progressive stands on economic issues, his notoriously messy personal life, his potentially rocky relationship with presumed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown, and the risks of going into a statewide election with two white men at the top of the ticket against likely Republican nominees Meg Whitman for governor and Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor.
AJLPP SUPPORTS DAY OF ACTION: TO THE STREETS! WALK-OUT! (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) militantly support the state wide-day of action to defend education against drastic budget cuts and attacks against the people. The AJLPP expresses that the California-wide mass action has turned into a nationwide action with other states following the way the people of California are rising up agains the imposition of the corporate lords and greedy bureaucrats like Arnold.
Queer Democrats Split on Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, School Board (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club strongly supported Hector de la Torre for insurance commissioner, Tom Torklason for state superintendent of education and Mona Rios for National City city council — but they were unable to reach consensus on lieutenant governor and attorney general. Faced with two weak Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor — a Los Angeles city councilmember and a state legislator with a long voting record against marriage equality — the club held off in hopes San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will run.
Queer Pride Town-Hall Draws Small Crowd (tags)
In sharp contrast to the earlier meeting in January, a town-hall called by San Diego LGBT Pride February 22 drew only about 50 people and lasted just 45 minutes. Instead of a bitch-fest aimed at getting rid of the Pride board — whose members resigned and were replaced with respected community veterans who'd served on previous Prides — the February 22 meeting offered constructive discussion about the fate of the annual Pride parade and festival, including concerns from politically oriented Queer activists that by abolishing the annual pre-Pride rally, the former board had betrayed the true meaning of Pride.
Humanists Memorialize Giordano Bruno (tags)
The San Diego Humanist Fellowship commemorated the 410th anniversary of the execution of Giordano Bruno at their February 14 meeting. Bruno, a 16th century philosopher, monk and scientific scholar, was killed by the Holy Inquisition for denying the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the virginity of Mary and the dogma that the earth was the center of the universe.
San Diego Common Cause Debates Strong-Mayor Government (tags)
On June 8 voters in San Diego will decide whether to make the city's experiment in a strong-mayor form of government permanent. The ballot measure will also increase the size of the City Council from eight to nine (at a cost of $1 to $1.5 million per year) and increase the threshold for sustaining a mayor's veto of a Council action from five votes to six. San Diego's branch of Common Cause debated the issue February 13 and questioned whether the strong mayor has made local government more or less accountable, and whether the real purpose of strong-mayor is to increase the already massive influence of business and developers over local government.
Town-Hall Meeting Bitterly Critical of Pride Board (tags)
San Diego's annual Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Pride celebrations have been jeopardized by a community controversy over a $5,000 payment authorized by the board to its chair, Dr. Philip Princetta. The board fired Pride's executive director, Ron deHarte, on January 5, one day after he wrote a letter calling the payment "self-dealing" and questioning its legality. Two other Pride staff members resigned in support, and on Sunday, January 10 members of San Diego's Queer and Queer-allied communities had a chance to weigh in on the controversy. With none of the current board members there to hear the community speakers or express their own version of the events, the meeting turned into a series of condemnations of the board members and a vote to ask that deHarte be reinstated — but many people there were frustrated that the structure of the board doesn't give the community any recourse that doesn't also hurt the Pride events themselves.
Sherry Wolf: Lesbian Socialist Activist Speaks in San Diego (tags)
Lesbian socialist Sherry Wolf came to San Diego December 3 to promote her new book, “Sexuality and Socialism.” Wolf offered a provocative critique of much of the Queer community’s orthodoxy, most notably the Queer mainstream’s embrace of the notion that people’s sexual orientation is inbred and genetically determined. She also mused on how and why the Queer movement morphed from a liberation struggle demanding sexual freedom to an elaborate commercial mechanism to promote Queer-owned businesses. Her final conclusion: there can be no true sexual liberation as long as capitalism survives and forces most people to spend their time working at jobs they hate and taking care of families on their own.
Michelle Jackson: Sign-Language Interpreter, First Female San Diego Leatherboys President (tags)
Michelle Jackson knew she was going to be interested in languages from the age of five,when her father took her across the border from San Diego to Tijuana and she heard Spanish for the first time. In college she studied American Sign Language (ASL) and ultimately made her living as an interpreter for the deaf community. It was a job she took to interpret at a San Diego Leatherfest that led her to the Leather/kink/BDSM community — and she's become an energetic activist in it, serving as Ms. San Diego Leather 2005 and recently being elected the first female president of the San Diego Leatherboys.
Queer Democrats Endorse Saldaña, Take No Position on County Term Limits (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club endorsed Assemblymember Lori Saldaña for County Supervisor but failed to take a position on whether to impose term limits on the Board of Supervisors. Supporters of the term-limit initiative, being sponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), said the five Republican incumbents on the board are so entrenched only limiting their future terms will get them out. Opponents said that Democrats have historically opposed term limits and if they supported them for the Republican-dominated Board of Supervisors, they'd be perceived as hypocrites the next time they try to ease-them for the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
A Radical Proposal: Open the U.S.-Mexico Border (tags)
That's what immigrant rights activist David Schmidt called for at a September 21 meeting of Activist San Diego. Originally called to discuss the closure of Friendship Park along the U.S.-Mexico border, the meeting expanded into a consideration of border issues in general. Schmidt and his better-known co-speaker, Enrique Morones of Border Angels and Marcha Migrante, both questioned why under NAFTA and similar “free trade” agreements, capital, commerce and corporations are allowed to move freely across national boundaries — while workers are trapped inside their home countries and routinely exploited for the greater profits of capital. If business is free to locate wherever it wants, workers should be too, they said.
Queer Democrats Celebrate Women’s Equality Day (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club celebrated Women’s Equality Day August 27 with a program featuring the club’s women’s caucus chair Kate Lyon, California NOW president Patty Bellasalma, Congressional candidate Francine Busby and Assemblymember Lori Saldaña discussing the history of feminist activism in the U.S. and the continuing difficulty of electing women to public office. The club members also considered an initiative to impose term limits on the members of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, but decided to delay taking a position on that for a month.
Queer Democrats Endorse Susan Davis for Re-Election to Congress (tags)
Ignoring Congressmember Susan Davis’s often surprisingly conservative record on issues like the war (she voted against the authorization to attack Iraq but has faithfully voted for every supplemental appropriation to fund the U.S.’s wanton aggressions in Iraq and Afghanistan), global trade and health care, the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club endorsed her for re-election seven months before the filing deadline and thereby foreclosed the possibility of considering a progressive primary challenger should one run, as Mike Copass of Progressive Democrats of America did in 2008.
Authorities on both sides of the border detain suspects in regard to the killing of U.S. B (tags)
Whether it was illegal immigrants or drug smugglers is not immediately clear. What is certain is Border Agent Robert Wimer Rosas, was killed in the line of duty by unidentified individuals at 9:15 PM on July 23rd while on duty patrolling the U.S. Mexican border.
Fernando Suárez del Solár Speaks at “Senseless Death” Screening (tags)
In 2003 Jesús Suárez del Solár became one of the first U.S. victims of the current war in Iraq -- and his father, Fernando, expressed his anger and sadness at the loss of his son by joining the San Diego anti-war movement and becoming one of its most powerful activists. On July 8 the San Diego Public Library showed “A Senseless Death,” a 2006 documentary by a French-Canadian filmmaker that told the story of Jesús and other so-called “green-card soldiers,” immigrants (both documented and undocumented) lured into the U.S. military and promised citizenship in return for becoming cannon fodder for U.S. imperalism.
Queer Democrats Endorse Busby for Congress — Barely (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club narrowly endorsed Francine Busby in her fourth attempt to unseat an incumbent Republican Congressmember in San Diego North County's 50th Congressional District. Her supporters promoted her as the most electable candidate because she's built up a large following of volunteers and contributors in the district; her opponents said she'd fudged the question of same-sex marriage equality on the club's questionnaire while her primary opponent, Tracy Emblem, had answered it forthrightly.
Mike Little, San Diego Leatherman, on IML, Community Service (tags)
San Diego Leatherman Mike Little ran for the 2009 International Mr. Leather title in Chicago in May and describes it as one of the most emotionally exhilarating experiences of his life. In this issue for the July 2009 Zenger's Newsmagazine, Little talks about his IML experience, his ideals and goals, and his extensive community service. He also stresses that Leather isn’t just about kink or sex; it’s a 24/7 commitment to goals of trust, honor, service and respect.
PBS Documentary on “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” Airs June 16 (tags)
The PBS documentary “Ask Not,” dealing with the human cost of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy that excludes open Queers from the U.S. military, will be shown nationwide on June 16 and in San Diego June 21 as part of the “Independent Lens” series. The show depicts individuals thrown out of the military under “don't ask, don't tell” and the Queer community's fight-back against the discriminatory policy. In a May 3 preview screening at the San Diego Public Library, activists working against “don't ask, don't tell” discussed why even progressive people who generally oppose America’s wars should be concerned about this issue.
Queer Democrats Debate Proposition 8 Response (tags)
The wounds were still raw from the California Supreme Court decision upholding Proposition 8, the state’s voter-approved ban on marriage for same-sex couples, when the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club met May 28 and debated how the club should respond. The members heard from attorney Charlie Pratt, who had been at the sit-in at the County Administrative Center's marriage license bureau the day before and had been singled out for special harassment by police, and also discussed whether and when the Queer community should mount its own ballot initiative campaign to repeal Proposition 8.
Over 4,000 Rally in San Diego Against Prop. 8 Decision (tags)
Over 4,000 people attended a march and rally in San Diego on May 26 denouncing the California Supreme Court's decision upholding Proposition 8, the initiative banning same-sex marriage in California, while simultaneously keeping in force the estimated 18.000 marriages between same-sex couples during the 4 1/2 months the court's previous ruling allowing them was in effect. The mood of the action was a combination of sorrow, hope and determination to put the issue before California voters again and campaign at the ballot box for the repeal of Proposition 8.
Americans executed in Mexico (tags)
A local San Diego station reported that Mexican authorities believe that the victims were set-up. One of the victims allegedly received a letter from a woman in prison, directing them to a party in the neighborhood where they were found.
Obama's Medical Marijuana Rhetoric Better Than His Actions (tags)
Despite the much-ballyhooed announcements from the Obama administration that they're going to stop prosecuting medical marijuana patients and providers as long as they abide by the laws of their states, little has changed, attorney Gerald Singleton and activist Dion Markgraaf told Activist San Diego at a meeting April 20. Patients and providers are still being raided, and the Justice Department disappointed medical marijuana advocates by recommending a five-year prison sentence for former Morro Bay dispensary operator Charles Lynch despite the request by the judge in the case for some legal ground to be more lenient.
Local San Diego Activists Defend Friendship Park (tags)
Since 1971, the Monument Mesa at Friendship Park on the U.S.-Mexico border has been an informal gathering place where people kept from physically coming together by the border fence could nonetheless reach out and pass each other greetings, kisses, presents and food. No longer: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, seemingly determined to wipe out any sign that the people of the U.S. and Mexico should actually regard each other with anything other than wary hostility, have put the mesa straight in the cross-hairs of the triple border fence. Local activists Christian Ramirez and John Fanestil addressed a San Diego audience April 17 to tell what they're doing to try to save Friendship Park.
Queer Democrats Hear from Labor on Employee Free Choice Act (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club heard from Carlos Marquez, chair of the local chapter of Pride @ Work, at its regular meeting April 23. He presented a campaign called http://www.SharedAgenda.org, aimed at building grassroots support for two proposed pieces of federal legislation: the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which will make it easier for workers to form unions; and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which will ban discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Canadian MP Speaks Out for U.S. War Resister (tags)
Activist San Diego put together an impressive list of speakers for its March 16 meeting on the fate of U.S. war resister Robin Long — including Olivia Chow, a member of the Canadian Parliament who helped lead an unsuccessful struggle to persuade her country’s government to grant Long political asylum instead of returning him to the U.S. — but the most powerful voice of all came from someone who wasn’t there: Robin Long himself, via a letter from jail read aloud at the meeting.
San Diego Activists Show Pro-Palestinian Film "Occupation 101" (tags)
Activist San Diego showed the movie "Occupation 101," a documentary denouncing the Israeli occupation of Palestine, February 16. Leading a discussion after the film, Edgar Hopida, public relations director for the San Diego chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and filmmaker and public-access cable show producer Ed Sweed mostly talked about the American corporate media's near-total pro-Israel bias and ways to use nontraditional media to get alternative perspectives to the American people.
Audience Packs Library for Medical Marijuana Film (tags)
For many of the 300 people who packed the San Diego Public Library screening of "Waiting to Inhale," Jed Riffe's film on the medical marijuana issue, it's not just a movie but something they're living. The film begins with a raid on a medical marijuana growers' collective, and at least two members of the audience talked about having gone through similar raids from San Diego County law enforcement just days earlier. The audience was highly partisan but the film itself was surprisingly fair-minded and even-handed in its approach to the issue.
Liberal Prof Confronts Socialist Audience (tags)
Grossmont College economics professor Shahrokh Shahrokhi was invited to speak at the January 12 meeting of Activist San Diego, but though he attacked "market fundamentalism" and called for more government regulation of the economy,,public equity purchases iin the major financial firms and an extensive stimulus plan, many in the audience didn't think his proposals went far enough. They also bristled at his contention that homebuyers who took out mortgages beyond their means were partly responsible for the current economic crisis.
Mary-Guadalupe Day ! Celebrate Dec.12 downtown (tags)
Red Suited fat guys are not all that this season represents. In the land of deserts and conquerors, another honored person still exists, called Senora or Virgen, but always Guadalupe [ with familiarity and maternal warmth in her projected image]
San Diego’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (tags)
San Diego hosted its seventh Transgender Day of Remembrance November 20. The event, begun in San Francisco in 1998, honors the people murdered throughout the year because of their actual or perceived Transgender status. A wide range of Queer community activists participated in the march and program. (Program duration: 27 min.)
Elections Expert Speaks at Activist San Diego (tags)
Elections expert Sal Magallanez spoke to Activist San Diego Monday, October 13 as part of a presentation that also included a documentary film, "Hacking Democracy," about Seattle activist Bev Harris and her exposés of the ease with which computer-counted elections can be rigged. Magallanez, an official elections observer for the Democratic Party, noted how the San Diego County Registrar of Voters — hired by an all-Republican County Board of Supervisors — has made suspicious policy decisions that may help Republicans in this year's and future elections.
Stephen Whitburn: Progressive San Diego City Council Candidate (tags)
Zenger’s-endorsed District 3 City Council candidate STEPHEN WHITBURN is the real deal: an experienced journalist and progressive who’s seen more of the world than San Diego and knows from government in other cities what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be fooled by an opponent who offers nothing but charm, geography and experience at taking orders.
Progressive San Diego Council Candidate Takes On Developer (tags)
Progressive San Diego City Council candidate Stephen Whitburn held a press conference September 7 to protest a new development proposal for the Hillcrest area that would erect two high-rise towers in a small-scale, intimate neighborhood, adding to traffic congestion and destroying the community's atmosphere. Developer Bruce Lightenberger, also interviewed, said he couldn't care less; he claims that as long as it meets existing zoning, he has an absolute right to build his project and neither the city nor the community can stop him.
San Diego City Council Candidates Debate (tags)
San Diego City Council candidates Stephen Whitburn and Todd Gloria debated at the Hillcrest Town Council September 9. Both are openly Gay men and the debate was held in the center of San Diego's Queer community, but the candidates are otherwise quite different. Gloria emphasized his roots in San Diego and his extensive experience working as a staff member for elected officials, while Whitburn criticized Gloria's support from developers and said his own experience in journalism and the nonprofit sector would make him a better Councilmember.
Handicapped Senior Citizen Bicycles Cross-Country … on Oxygen (tags)
Mark Junge of Cheyenne has white hair, but on August 12 he appeared as fit as a teenager in San Diego’s Embarcadero Park behind the Convention Center with his specially equipped $6,000 bicycle. Junge had just completed a 650-mile ride from San Francisco to the Tijuana border, clocking nearly 7,200 miles on four, long-distance trips in four years despite needing oxygen, which he gets from a specially built piece of equipment.
HRC Head Does Damage Control on Transgender Rights (tags)
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign — America's largest Queer-rights organization — came to San Diego July 24 to organize support for his group's campaign against Proposition 8, which would reverse the California Supreme Court's decision allowing same-sex couples to marry. But most of his 10-minute speech was damage control to repair HRC's relations with the Transgender community, strained by the group's decision last October to support a federal Queer-rights bill that doesn't protect Transgender people.
Veteran Journalist Robert Scheer Speaks in San Diego (tags)
Veteran progressive journalist Robert Scheer spoke in San Diego July 26 and 28 to promote his new book "The Pornography of Power," an exposé of the military-industrial complex and its continuing power to shape American economic and foreign policy and saddle us not only with weapons we don't need but also the irresistible temptation to use them.
Queer Democrats Endorse Aguirre for San Diego City Attorney (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club, which had endorsed moderate Democrat Scott Peters over progressive incumbent Mike Aguirre for city attorney in the primary campaign, reversed itself and voted to endorse Aguirre over Republican Jan Goldsmith at its June 26 meeting — but not before an intense debate in which the club president threatened to eject two members to keep the meeting orderly.
View Videos: Expose' of adding TOXIC Fluoride to LA/San Diego Drinking/Tap Waters (tags)
The Southern California Municipal Water District, after just 12 Directors voted 'YES!' last October 2007 [e.g. without Public Ballot Vote] to add toxic Silicofluoride to most of L.A./San Diego Drinking/Tap Waters faces LEGAL CHALLENGES. Videos following LINKS put MWD on NOTICE:
San Diego Bisexuals Host Sexuality Conference (tags)
The Bisexual Forum of San Diego hosted a conference on sexuality May 27 centered around whether, as society has grown more accepting of alternative sexualities, young Queer people today are less obsessed with coming out and being "visible" as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender than their predecessors. The conference opened with a brief videotape filmed especially for it by author/activist Gore Vidal.
Mexican drug cartels infiltrating colleges and high school campuses in America (tags)
One of the main suspects in this international drug investigation is Omar Castaneda, a gang member from Pomona with ties to the Mexican Tijuana drug cartels, officials said
Zenger's Newsmagazine Election Endorsements (tags)
Zenger's Newsmagazine endorses in local, state and federal offices in the June 3 primary, including "revolutionary" candidate Eric Bidwell for Mayor and incumbent Mike Aguirre for City Attorney.
San Diego Queer Democrats Endorse Morrow for Mayor (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club endorsed former City Councilmember Floyd Morrow for Mayor at thier April 24 meeting — but Morrow was upstaged by City Councilmember and former mayoral candidate Donna Frye, who brought a volunteer in a fox costume to dramatize her contention that Proposition "C," a ballot proposal to allow the mayor to appoint the city's auditor, is "putting the fox in charge of the henhouse."
San Diego Earth Day Hosts Local Candidates (tags)
Though poorly attended, the candidates' debates at San Diego's Earth Day in Balboa Park April 20 offered useful insights into how the aspirants for mayor, third district city councilmember and city attorney might use their jobs to help protect the city's environment — or not.
“¡Aguirre Si, Labor No!” (tags)
Zenger's Newsmagazine announces its endorsement of progressive Democrat Mike Aguirre for re-election as San Diego city attorney, despite the opposition of reactionary city employee unions more concerned with preserving the pensions of current city workers than protecting the salaries and benefits of future ones.
San Diego Queer Democrats Reject Progressive City Attorney (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club supported the city's corrupt political establishment and its handmaidens in organized labor and refused to support progressive Democrat Mike Aguirre for re-election as city attorney. Instead they endorsed moderate Democrat City Councilemmber Scott Peters even though Peters voted to renew the Boy Scouts of America's sweetheart lease on city land in 2001 and refused to commit to backing Aguirre in a general election against a Republican.
Mike Copass: Progressive Democrat Takes On Pro-War Incumbent (tags)
Though San Diego Congressmember Susan Davis voted against the original authorization for the war in Iraq, since then she's been a faithful supporter of funding the war and last year crossed party lines to vote for the open-ended, three-year commitment to the occupation pushed by the Bush administration. Mike Copass, scientist and legal consultant, is mounting a grass-roots primary campaign against her with the support of Progressive Democrats of America, who helped Donna Edwards mount a similar challenge in Maryland to a pro-war Democrat.
"Father of Gay Leather" Makes Rare Public Appearance (tags)
Larry Townsend, author of "The Leatherman's Handbook" and many other pioneering works about Gay Leather sexuality, made a rare public appearance March 13 in San Diego to honor outgoing Mr. San Diego Leather, Lee Butler. He talked about the ways the Leather community has evolved in his nearly five decades in it, and particularly the responsibility of older Leathermen to steer young people away from drugs and STD's.
Queer Democrats Hold Love-Fest for School Board Candidates (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club overwhelmingly endorsed three candidates in local school board races in a love-fest meeting February 28 that contrasted dramatically with their previous one on January, a knock-down, drag-out debate between incumbent city attorney Mike Aguirre and two of his challengers (one of whom has since left the race). They also rated openly Gay Republican Carl DeMaio "unacceptable" as a candidate for the San Diego City Council.
Over 50 Attend Progressive Community Summit (tags)
Over 50 people attended a progressive community "Mega Summit" in San Diego February 17. Organized by the San Diego County Community Coalition and San Diegans for 9/11 Truth, the event brought together representatives from various local groups ranging from anti-war and anti-drug war groups to insurgent candidates for elective office and urban landscape activists.
47 Rats Liberated from Scripps Hospital, San Diego (tags)
47 Rats Liberated from Scripps Hospital, San Diego
San Diego's Controversial City Attorney 'Speaks (tags)
To his supporters, San Diego city attorney Mike Aguirre is an activist and truth-teller who'sone of the few local elected officials dealing seriously with the city's budget crises. To his opponents, ranging from the Right-wing San Diego Union-Tribune to the city employee unions, he's a loud-mouthed obstructionist who's dividing the city and costing it money. The controversy was on display January 24, when Aguirre and two of his election oppoennts debated at the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club.
San Diego Hosts Alternative King Day Event (tags)
Though only 30 people attended San Diego's alternative Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative cvelebration January 21, it represented an important challenge to the way King's "official" celebrations have been co-opted by his enemies: the police, the military and the poltiical establishment.
In one of the company's most bizarre recent actions, on December 1 Blackwater paratroopers staged a dramatic aerial landing, complete with Blackwater flags and parachutes--not in Baghdad or Kabul but in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium during the halftime show at the San Diego State/BYU football game. The location was interesting, given that Blackwater is fighting fierce local opposition to its attempt to open a new camp--Blackwater West--on 824 acres in the small rural community of Potrero, just outside San Diego.
Queer Democrats Fail to Endorse for President (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club failed to endorse a candidate for President after a contentious meeting November 29. On the first ballot, Hillary Clinton received eight votes, John Edwards seven, Barack Obama three, Dennis Kucinich two and 14 club members voted against making an endorsement at all. The club also voted to oppose statewide Proposition 91 on the February ballot, which would block legislators from using gas tax money to balance the state budget.
White Supremacist Lou Dobbs Confronted At UC San Diego (tags)
Report from Lou Dobbs protest at UC San Diego
Blackwater ‘Fire Relief’ a PR Campaign to Win Hearts and Minds, Timed Influence Voters (tags)
s Blackwater ‘Fire Relief’ Part of Larger PR Campaign to Win Hearts and Minds and Timed to Influence Local Voters? Potrero Residents/Fire Victims Speak-Out in Wake of Up Coming Recall Election - Referendum Could Put End to Blackwater West Project– Deadline to Mail Ballots to Voters in Just Two Weeks Conflict of Interest Questions Raised as Mercenary VP Allowed Through Sheriff’s Blockade With Supplies While Community-Based Relief Efforts for Potrero and Immigrant Residents of Surrounding Area Were Thwarted or Delayed
Immigrants Neglected and Abused During San Diego Wildfires (tags)
It is important that people know that the government’s response to this has not been as benevolent as the news media has made it out to be. For immigrant families, this is in no way an ‘anti-Katrina.’ Immigrants in San Diego county are being neglected by emergency evacuators, put in danger by their employers, treated rudely by authorities and volunteers, refused aid at evacuation sites, and racially profiled by police and deported by the Border Patrol.
Blackwater moving to San Diego (tags)
sound familiar?
Money for Firefighting & Prevention; Not for War (tags)
The World Socialist Website has 2 excllent articles providing the details of the Southern California fire crisis and their relation to the neglect of our domestic needs in favor of war profiteering.
Queer Democrats Endorse Block, Pettis for Assembly (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club endorsed Marty Block, San Diego Community College board member, over more grass-roots candidates Arlie Ricasa and Auday Arabo for an open Assembly seat at its September 27 meeting. The club also endorsed openly Gay candidate Greg Pettis for another Assembly seat in Palm Springs and Riverside County.
Prominent Environmental Leader Goes To Trial in Free Speech Case (tags)
Rodney Coronado, well-known environmental, animal rights and Native American activist is facing charges brought by government prosecutors related to a public speech
Protest Against Pete Wilson Statue (tags)
A united coalition of San Diego and Los Angeles activists protested the dedication of a statue honoring ex-governor and supporter of Proposition 187, Pete Wilson.
Audio of Webster Tarpley speech in San Diego (tags)
This is an mp3 recording of Webster Griffin Tarpley speaking in San Diego on July 8, 2007 on the transforming political landscape in America. He stressed the importance of inserting 9/11 Truth into the 2008 presidential campaign with grassroots media activism, known as "Truths Squads". He also articulated how 9/11 truth can be the fulcrum point for pushing the tide in a positive direction.
Blackwater Mercenaries on the USA-Mexico Border (tags)
very scary
Diego Luna: Chivas for Chávez (tags)
Last night, Diego Luna celebrated the premiere of his directorial debut “Chávez” at the Tribeca Film Festival by toasting with a glass of Chivas Regal.
San Diego Citizen's Grand Jury to Investigate 9/11/01 April 14, SDSU (tags)
A Citizens’ Grand Jury to Investigate Crimes Relating to the Events of September 11th, 2001 A common-law grand jury of 23 citizens impaneled to review evidence at San Diego State University Aztec Center, Council Chambers Saturday, April 14, 2007
USS Nimitz, other warships leave San Diego for the Persian Gulf (tags)
USS Nimitz, other warships leave San Diego for the Persian Gulf
Group Presses Charges Again San Diego Minuteman (tags)
An immigrant human rights group is pressing charges against a San Diego minuteman, NBC 7/39 reported.
Police Raid Home Of Former Minutemen Spokeswoman (tags)
SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police raided the home Thursday of the former spokeswoman for the San Diego Minutemen movement.
Photos of Mex Consul in SD at Oaxaca Vigil (tags)
Sunday Evening, October 29, 2006 Luis Cabrera, Mexican Consul in San Diego came to the vigil. His displeasure with the protestors in defense of the people of Oaxaca was apparent. He kept pacing around, talking on his cell phone and conferring with police. At one point he turned to a protestor who was doing nothing except standing there and said in Spanish: "Can you get the fuck out?" To which the anglo protestor answered in Spanish: "Can you get out of Oaxaca?" The vigil in front of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego on India Street calls for an IMMEDIATE STOP to Mexico's State repression, violence and assasinations in Oaxaca. Luis Cabrera, consul de México en San Diego vino a la vigilia. Su desagrado con los manifestantes en defensa del pueblo Oaxaqueño era evidente. Se la pasó caminando de un lado para otro, hablando por su teléfono celular y con la policía. A un manifestante que no estaba haciendo nada excepto estar presente el consul volteó y le dijo: "Puedes dejar de joder?" A lo cual el mismo manifestante anglo le contestó con acento pero bastante buen español: "Puedes dejar de Oaxaca?" ¡OAXAQUEÑOS NO ESTAN SOLOS!
Filipino Workers reject US navy offer, insist justice be done first (tags)
The Coalition in Defense of Immigrant Rights (CDIR), in support of the Filipino wokrers demands and just struggle, printed this news that appeared both in the Balita Weekend , a Filipino American news weekly in Southern California and in the Filipino Channel North American that featured the discrimination of Filipino civilian workers at the US navy facility here in San Diego. The Workers flatly rejected an offer by their manager to take them back in, saying it sweeps off their complaints against repeated abuse and discrimination and demands for better working conditions, and releases the US Navy from any responsibility in their dismissal.
TIAMO....LIFE IS GOOD Tiamo will be performing at Borders in San Diego's downtown gaslamp district on Friday, July 7 @ 8 PM. Admission is FREE. You can also catch Tiamo live on Saturday, July 8 @ 8 PM at the Carlsbad Borders. Gaslamp Borders is located at 668 6th Ave. San Diego, CA 92101. 619-702-4200. Carlsbad Borders is located at 1905 Calle Barcelona Carlsbad, CA 92009. 760-479-0242.
Spread the Word, Que Corre la Voz (tags)
SPREAD DA' WORD!!!" Youth & Student Conference 2006 SATURDAY, JUNE 10th 10am-5:30pm (registration begins @ 9am) ****this is a FREE event****
Trafficking in Children Across the U.S.-Mexico Border (tags)
Human Trafficking is a clandestine, transnational crime. The U.S. State Department estimates that each year up to 800,000 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked across world borders.
Interview with Free Radio San Diego's DJ Bijou.
Post on Sundays protest in San Diego on April 9th, 2006
TODAY's BUSH ALERT: Roads in the area of 405 Fwy & Sunset Blvd. Closed 4 -8 p.m (tags)
Bush Visits Southland Today, Thursday October 20 Roads in the area of the San Diego (405) Freeway and Sunset Boulevard To Be Closed From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Otra Cuba es posible: Respuesta a Diego Farpón (tags)
* El Movimiento Libertario Cubano responde al intento de justificar al régimen castrista en base a una fraudulenta interpretación de autores y propuestas anarquistas.
Diverse Anti-Racist Coalition Confronts, Disrupts the MinuteMen in California (tags)
The California MinuteMen started their operations in Campo, California, one hour east of San Diego on July 16th. They were confronted, disrupted and chased away by a diverse coalition of organizations from San Diego, Los Angeles, Mexico, Portland and many other cities. The Anti-MinuteMen, No Border Camp continues and actions will continue day and night until the MinuteMen leave Campo. On Sunday night the corporate media reported that the MinuteMen had given up after only one day, but later corrected that statement. On Wednesday, the 2nd Virtual Sit-In against the MinuteMen begins. [Read more, complete action summary]
Reports: 150 March in Support of Human Rights | Snipers at campo protest | Physical Borders, psychological divisions | LA indymedia - Report from Campo - Anti-MM action | Minutemen Leave After Clash With Protesters | Original Campo sdimc feature
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Audio: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Sonic Attacks Disrupt Border Vigilante Patrol
Video: 1 | 2 | Minutemen Threaten to Shoot Protesters
Minutemen Countered in Fallbrook (tags)
Fallbrook, Near San Diego Counters Minutement Protest in inspiring action.
Amy Goodman Speaking in San Diego Nov. 5th (tags)
On November 5, 2004, San Diego will welcome acclaimed independent journalist Amy Goodman as she speaks on "Media and Activism in Times of War." Goodman, the celebrated host of Pacifica Network's "Democracy Now!," a nationally-broadcast daily independent radio program, will include San Diego on her tour promoting her book "The Exception to the Rulers." Known for her fearless and spirited approach to truly independent reporting, Goodman embodies the challenges and commitment of a truly unembedded journalist.
CA Official says state was forced to certify voting machines (tags)
Wednesday, March 17, 2004 Official says state was forced to certify voting machines By Gig Conaughton, North County Times, 03/17/04 Yesterday San Diego County's Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on the widespread March 2 voting problems. The supervisors heard testimony from dozens of citizens, both critical and supportive of the county's new paperless, electronic Diebold voting system. Assistant Secretary of State Marc Carrel and Diebold Election Systems' CEO Bob Urosevich.
come say no
Sherman Austin Benefit Show this Friday Aug 29! (tags)
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FRI AUG 29 - SHERMAN AUSTIN BENEFIT SHOW W/ ZACK DE LA ROCHA!! (tags)
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Sherman Austin Benefit show w/ Guest Zack De La Rocha Fri Aug 29 @ Che Cafe (tags)
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Sherman Austin Benefit show w/ Zack De La Rocha FRI. AUG 29 @ Che Cafe! (tags)
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ELF Action in San Diego (tags)
If you build it, we will burn it
AIDS Activist Dr. Boyd Graves Arrested In His Own Yard! (tags)
Activist Graves arrested on Independence Day SAN DIEGO - Human rights activist Boyd E. Graves was arrested in front of his San Diego home early Friday morning on charges of disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct.
THIS FRIDAY - JAVIER PÉREZ & SHERMAN AUSTIN BENEFIT SHOW @ CHÉ CAFÉ (tags)
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FURIOSITY OF RESISTANCE! (tags)
FURIOSITY OF RESISTANCE! JUNE 27, 2003 Che Café in San Diego Benefit Show for Javier Pérez and Sherman Austin.
FURIOSITY OF RESISTANCE - HIP HIP/HARDCORE SHOW JUNE 27 4 RAISETHEFIST & JAIVER PEREZ (tags)
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FURIOSITY OF RESISTANCE - HIP HIP/HARDCORE SHOW JUNE 27 4 RAISETHEFIST & JAIVER PEREZ (tags)
Hey assholes cops just try and shut this show down mother fuckers!
SUPPORT JAVIER PEREZ & SHERMAN AUSTIN / RAISETHEFIST! June 20 and June 27 (tags)
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FURIOSITY OF RESISTANCE - HIP HIP/HARDCORE SHOW JUNE 27 4 RAISETHEFIST & JAIVER PEREZ (tags)
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pbnberkeley new notice - 12/24/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global peace and working class solidarity and NO WAR ON IRAQ!
pbnberkeley news notice - 12/22/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global peace and working class solidarity and NO WAR ON IRAQ!
pbnberkeley news notice - 12/21/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global and working class solidarity and NO WAR ON IRAQ!
pbnberkeley news notice - 12/12/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global peace and working class solidarity and NO WAR!
pbnberkeley news notice - 12/10/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global peace and working class solidarity and NO WAR!
pbnberkeley news notice - 11/30/02 (tags)
Publishing, republishing and compiling community news and event information promoting global peace and working class solidarity!
STOP THE MILITARIZATION OF THE MEXICO-US BORDER (tags)
current measures in the Homeland Security Act will make construction of the triple fence between San Diego and Tijuana a priority.
Two revolutionary artists, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera at a theatre near you (tags)
Two revolutionary artists, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera at a theatre near you
350 Rally & March for Peace in San Diego communtiy of Ocean Beach (tags)
350 people gather to support peace and oppose a military invasion of Iraq.
Call for Humanitarian Aid for Tijuana's Cerro Maravilla Community (tags)
A call for humanitarian aid for a community in Tijuana that has had its homes bulldozed by the city government.
The Poisoning of Barrio Logan (tags)
kkkkkkk
Nakba Commemeration, May 19 2002 (tags)
In San Diego 100 people gather for vigil and march.
Border Patrol In San Diego Calif. Attack Human Rights (tags)
In San Diego Ca. the United States Border Patrol is Attacking the Civil Rights of People. See a video shot by Benjamin Prado. 12:24 Edited by Jim Carter
Martin Luther King Jr. March in San Diego Ca. (tags)
On January 19th there was a March in San Diego to celibrate the life and teachings of Martin. The representatives of the armed wing of the state seemed to dominate the first part of the event but later real people were allowed to march. Including a contingent (approx 120) people marching for Peace and Justice. March On!!!!!!!!!!!1
Jerry Butkiewicz at San Diego Anti-Fast Track Rally, 10/22/01 (tags)
Jerry Butkiewicz, secretary-treasurer of the San Diego/Imperial Counties Central Labor Council, speaks at the October 22 anti-fast track rally the Labor Council organized in San Diego. The "José Kahn" referred to in the sign behind him is the owner of New Frontiers Trading Co., which abandoned six tons of toxic lead waste at its Metales y Derivados plant in Tijuana in 1994 and has done nothing to clean it up since.
SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE STUDENT REMEMBERED (tags)
An October 25th, 2001 Rally and Demonstration in National City organized by the American Friends Service Committee, Raza Rights Coalition and San Diego State University MeChA questioned the latest police shooting and death of 19 year old Southwestern College Student Emmanuel Sotelo.
San Diego’s A-List Queers Greet Former Ambassador Hormel (tags)
Over 100 movers and shakers of the San Diego Queer community turned out Wednesday evening, October 17 for a reception honoring James C. Hormel, whose appointment as ambassador to Luxembourg by former President Clinton made him the U.S.'s first openly Queer ambassador. The program also honored the late Queer activist Herb King and celebrated the signing into law of California's domestic partner rights bill, AB 25.
"Film School Confidential" Rocks! (tags)
Fifteen films by San Diego college and high-school students were shown at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts October 19-21 as part of a program called “Film School Confidential.” Their technical and dramatic qualities were generally excellent, and in addition to the films themselves a seminar discussed ways of getting student and amateur films shot, finished, shown and ultimately distributed commercially.
San Diego Leatherpeople, Police Meet to Discuss “Leather and the Law” (tags)
The San Diego Gay Leathermen Only (GLO) organization met October 1 with representatives of the San Diego Police Department — vice squad head Lt. Chris Ball and Lesbian/Gay community liaison Mark Dallezotte — and attorney Andy Zmurkiewicz, who successfully defended the "San Diego Six" in 2000. The issues discussed included the distinction between "public" and "private" places to have sex (the issue at the heart of the Six case) and whether leatherpeople run the risk of being arrested and charged with domestic violence for having consensual sadomasochistic sex.
Scott, Student Alliance for Equality (SAFE) Co-Founder (tags)
Scott, a young Gay man who co-founded San Diego County's Student Alliance for Equality (SAFE) and was cited as a role model by fellow SAFE activist Amy Frye and educator Ernie McCray at the August 19 San Diego Scouting for All rally, participated in the post-rally leafleting on the Balboa Park esplanade.
Openly Gay San Diego Eagle Scout Joshua Rapp and Friend (tags)
Openly Gay Eagle Scout Joshua Rapp (right) poses with a friend at the San Diego Scouting for All rally August 19, 2001 in Balboa Park.
San Diego Scouting for All Rally Photos (tags)
Photos of the San Diego Scouting for All Rally August 19, 2001 in Balboa Park. Group shot: L to r: educator Ernie McCray, student activist Amy Frye, San Diego P-FLAG chair Dolores Lesnick, San Diego Scouting for All chair Howard Menzer, former Boy Scout National Youth Leader Jim Gieson, attorney M. E. Stephens, Gay Eagle Scout Joshua Rapp and former Eagle Scout Mick Rabin.
Full Transcript/San Diego Scouting for All, Aug. 19, 2001 (tags)
Full transcript of the San Diego Scouting for All rally August 19, at which over 125 local activists came together outside the Boy Scouts of America campground in Balboa Park and demanded an end to city support of the anti-Queer, anti-atheist Boy Scouts. The city leases the Scouts 18.5 acres of parkland for a nominal $1 per year.
San Diego Redistricting Process Limps to a Close (text) (tags)
San Diego's Redistricting Commission finally approved a map for new City Council districts August 22 — but only because Commission chair Ralph Pesqueira reluctantly broke a deadlock and cast a deciding fifth vote for a plan that puts the Sea World amusement park in environmentalist Councilmember Donna Frye's district.
Transcript of July 27 Demo in San Diego to Support Pelican Bay Prisoners (tags)
Complete transcript of the speeches given at the July 27 rally at the San Diego Federal Building to support the ongoing protests of prisoners at the Pelican Bay and Corcoran State Prisons over assignment to the Special Housing Unit (SHU) in inhuman conditions. Please see, "San Diego Police Attempt to Stop Demonstration Supporting Prison Hunger Strike," posted below, for more information on this action.
San Diego Police Attempt To Stop Demonstration Supporting Prison Hunger Strike (tags)
SAN DIEGO- On Friday, July 27, 2001, despite efforts by Federal Guards to prevent them from going forward with a scheduled demonstration, over 40 people demonstrated in front of the Federal Court Building in downtown San Diego.
Police Line Up for Congratulations at San Diego City Council (tags)
On Monday, July 23 the San Diego City Council voted unanimously to commend the San Diego Police Department, County Sheriff's Department, Highway Patrol, Harbor Police and FBI for a job well done in creating a police-state atmosphere in San Diego during the biotech convention June 24-27, keeping down the number of protesters and profiling people based on their clothing choices and anti-corporate T-shirts. Picture shows a line of some of the police officers who attended the meeting to receive this honor.
San Diego City Council Endorses Police Actions at BIO 2001 (tags)
Full text of the resolution passed by the San Diego City Council unanimously July 23 honoring the various police jurisdictions and city agencies for keeping the number of anti-biotech protesters low and maintaining order during the BIO 2001 convention June 24-27. [Posted by Mark Gabrish Conlan of Zenger's Newsmagazine, who transcribed it from his tape of the City Council meeting.]
Voting Rights Consultant Can't Solve San Diego Redistricting (tags)
San Diego's Redistricting Commission hoped a report from voting rights consultant Bruce Cain would give them a definitive answer on whether the federal Voting Rights Act required them to put all of the City Heights neighborhood, many of whose residents are people of color, in a single City Council district even if this means breaking up the concentration of Queer voters in the current District 3. But Cain's report was inconclusive.
San Diego City Council Puts Beach Drinking Ban on Ballot (tags)
The San Diego City Council on July 23 responded to a public referendum petition to put its controversial ban on drinking on city beaches to a public vote. Opponents of the ban focused on the $180,000 it would cost to add the issue to the March 5, 2002 election. Supporters said that's a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of additional police to patrol the beaches and prevent alcohol-related crime.
San Diego's Medical Marijuana Task Force Meets July 20 (tags)
San Diego's Medical Marijuana Task Force, formed to advise the City Council on how to implement Proposition 215, had its second meeting July 20 — but the panel has to deal with the long-standing distrust of the city and the police by medical-marijuana activists. A controversial arrest and handcuffing of a woman in her 60's and her seizure-prone son was discussed.
Biojustice Protesters Rally In Front of S.D. Courthouse July 16 (tags)
Over 30 people rallied at the San Diego County Courthouse to protest the police treatment of actual or suspected Biojustice protest participants during the biotech industry's annual convention June 24-27. Many participants told their own stories of being arrested and hassled by police, including an L.A. woman's account of sexual harassment in the San Diego County Jail.
Union Workers and Supporters Rally at San Diego Union Tribune (tags)
300 plus people gathered in front of the San Diego Union Tribune to rally in support of Union Workers who have been involved in a nine-year struggle with the paper for a decent contract. the paper has responded with dirty tactics and typical union busting techniques.
Michael Shames, UCAN Director, Speaks on Energy to S.D. Green Party (tags)
Michael Shames, executive director of the San Diego Utility Consumers' Action Network (UCAN), spoke to the San Diego Green Party July 15. He supported an energy future based on efficiency and renewable sources but opposed a public takeover of the existing generating and distributing lines, both because it would be too expensive and because in an energy system based on renewables most of these facilities would become obsolete anyway.
Queers, People of Color Clash Over San Diego City Council Redistricting (tags)
The independent commission redrawing San Diego's City Council districts is considering two maps — one which keeps the city's Queer vote concentrated in one district, one which splits it in order to create a district that might elect a third person of color to the Council. The controversy highlights differences of interest between Queers and people of color, between working-class and poor people and small business owners, and between minorities that are recognized in federal civil rights law and ones that aren't.
BoiJustice vs. Bio 2001 (tags)
BioJustice/BioDevestation 2001 a success in drawing attention to outrage over unregulated, untested science at biotechnology-industry conference in San Diego.
Peacefully Protesting BIO? Expect Harassment (tags)
With the teach-in placid, the march pacific and no one wreaking any havoc, the San Diego Police Department have resorted to petty persecution.
BioDevistation 2001 vs. Bio 2001 - San Diego (tags)
San Diego BioDevistation 2001 a success in spite of overwhelming police intimidation and harassment.
Zulma Aguiar holds down the San Diego IMC (tags)
Zulma Aguiar, recent graduate of UCSD Communication Department answers the phone at the dispatch desk at the San Diego IMC.
Two Arrested at San Diego Biodevastation Teach-in (tags)
Two young men were arrested in a parking lot near the BioDevastation Teach-In at the Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park. Police Office Boyd Long said that the two had written SMASH THE ______.
Great music at Beyond Biodevastation teach-in (tags)
3 bands confirmed for Beyond Biodevastation teach-in, along with speakers Jim Hightower, Vandana Shiva and many others.
San Diego Indepent Media Center Activist/Biotech Movie Screenings 17 June!! (tags)
The San Diego Independent Media Center (SDIMC) will be screening three activist films, A Storm From The Mountain: The Zapatistas Take Mexico City, Risky Business: A Look at Biotechnology, and PRAHA 2000-Samurai Beat...
San Diego Police, Officials, Businesses Prepare for BIO 2001 Protests (tags)
San Diego police, city officials, biotech industry representatives and business owners met June 7 to plan for the expected protests during the BIO 2001 convention, June 24-27 in San Diego. Police said they would uphold the rights of individuals who want to protest lawfully but would arrest and prosecute anyone who destroyed property or threatened violence against people, and warned they might shut down legal demonstrations as well if the events got out of hand.
President Bush @ Camp Pendleton!! Alert!! (tags)
President Bush will be touring Camp Pendleton in San Diego on 29 May.
Demonstration in front of San Diego School Board (tags)
Please join us in demonstrating our "Loss of Confidence" in the San Diego Unified School District Administration. The board's pattern of poor decision-making is costly and jeopardizing our children's education and safety. Do we really want education blackouts as well?
UCSD students at FTAA Protest (bilingüe) (tags)
Foto de estudiantes de la Universidad de California en San Diego (localizado en La Jolla), demostrando solidaridad y protestan contra el ALCA tambien.... Picture of University of California, San Diego (in La Jolla) students protesting against the FTAA in San Diego, and showing their solidarity in protest against the FTAA
NIKE FACTORY SD-FTAA protest (tags)
picture of the cops protecting the Nike Factory outlet store in the San Ysidro Border in San Diego, California, foto de los policias de San Diego protegiendo a su adorada Tienda de Nike en la frontera de San Ysidro en San Diego, California
San Diego High School Principal Removed (tags)
San Diego High School Principal abruptly removed 6 weeks before graduation. Parents, students and community members outraged at another "behind the scenes" unilateral decision and complete disregard for students. Top 2 Vice Principals will also be gone by June 30th.
Toxic Dump Protest in San Diego (tags)
Local citizens marched to a toxic dump site where SeaWorld propses to expand their theme park. The protest was organized by Ocean Beach Grassroots Organization (OBGO) to raise awareness of it's dangers. The SDPD stopped traffic at busy intersections helping the march cross. SeaWorld had no comment on today's rally, but they will have to respond in their Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for their expansion. OBGO's response to the draft EIR raised many questions SeaWorld is required by law to answer in the Final EIR.
Black Bloc incite the San Diego Police at the FTAA Protest (tags)
The San Diego Police for no apparent reason decided to march along the adjacent fence along Highway 5 right before the Tijuana Border crossing, before stopping in front of the Black Bloc. The Black Bloc responded by first throwing flowers and then stones at the police. The police responded by brandishing tear gas guns, yet luckily never fired them.
**Comandante Uno, Dora Maria Tellez en San Diego (tags)
Dora Maria Tellez, mejor conocida como "Comandante Uno" durante la revolucion Sandinista, habla en San Diego sobre la migracion de nicaraguenses y otros latinos hacia EEUU.
San Diego/Tijuana FTAA Protest, April 21, 2001 (tags)
Despite uncharacteristic, heavy rains in Tijuana and San Diego there was a large showing at the bi-national protest against the FTAA. Youth activists, union leaders, environmentalists among others gathered together at Larson Park within sight of the demilitarized zone of the U.S. – Mexican Border.
Barrio Logan victim of corporations (tags)
For years Barrio Logan has been subject to hazardous waste and toxic substances from industries in close proximity. Organizers are hoping to remove environmental hazards and make Chicano park extend to San Diego Bay.In order to elimate environmental racism, San Diego needs the kind of regulations that FTAA considers "against free trade."
FTAA Demo, Larsen Park, San Diego 21 April 2001 (tags)
FTAA Demo, Larsen Park, San Diego 21 April 2001
Int'l Socialist Organization, FTAA Demo, Larsen Park , San Diego, 21 April 2001 (tags)
Int'l Socialist Organization, FTAA Demo, Larsen Park , San Diego, 21 April 2001
San Diego IMC prepares for FTAA protest (tags)
The San Diego Independent Media Center was established last week in preparation for Border Solidarity Protests
Schedule of FTAA Events in the Tijuana/ San Diego Area, April 16-23 (tags)
April 16-23 Schedule of FTAA Events in the Tijuana/ San Diego Area
April 16-23 Schedule of FTAA Events in the Tijuana/ San Diego Area (tags)
April 16-23 Schedule of FTAA Events in the Tijuana/ San Diego Area