Joe Buscano Homeless ballot proposition is unfair to poor people.
Tax Reform in the US: Trump's Attack on America (tags)
The tax reform of the Republicans is a blow against the welfare state and was prepared in the 1970s. The tax reform is profitable for Donald Trump but could cost the Republicans a re-election. $5 trillion goes to households with more than a million dollars income.
Voters Rally Against Proposition 1 Outside the Beverly Hills Mansion of Water Barons (tags)
Press conference to launch the Los Angeles campaign to vote no on Proposition 1 held outside the home of the billionaire agribusiness tycoons who would benefit from the “water bond.” #NoOnProp1
It's almost hidden on the ballot, but it's worth considering. It's a flawed proposition, and probably "toothless", but worth voting for.
Proposition 8, DoMA and the Supreme Court (tags)
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage passed by California voters in November 2008, and also the provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA) that defines marriage under federal law as only between one man and one woman. But the current Right-wing Court is likely to uphold Prop. 8 as constitutional and leave the battle for marriage equality to state-by-state political and social campaigns.
A Pretty Good Election, but the Right Still Rules (tags)
The November 6, 2012 election turned out fairly well for progressives — from Barack Obama retaining the presidency to a true Left-wing Democrat like Bob Filner winning for Mayor of San Diego — but the Right is still strong. The issue agendas and terms of discussion continue to be dictated by an increasingly militant Right wing and America's pathetic, ill-organized remnant of a Left no longer has the power to put pressure on the political system for progressive reforms the way it did in the 1890's, 1930's and 1960's.
Los Angeles Press Conference for "No On Proposition 35" (tags)
Sexual service providers abhor and resist trafficking of all kinds, and support appropriate legislation that would effectively help eliminate it – laws that do not inappropriately mis-characterizing other activities as trafficking. Simple human decency demands this; moreover, it is in sex workers’ self-interest to eliminate sex trafficking, since they are trafficking’s likeliest victims. The sexual services extended community has long provided support to trafficking victims and will continue to do so. Sadly, Proposition 35, as written, would increase the risks to trafficked people and wrongly expand the definition of trafficking to include many entirely consensual adult sexual activities. If Proposition 35 passes, anyone receiving financial support from normal, consensual prostitution among adults could be prosecuted as a human trafficker; this includes a sex worker’s children, parents, spouse, domestic partner, roommate, landlord, or others. And if convicted they would be forced to register as a sex offender for life!
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.
Queer Democrats Make Defeating Prop. 32 a Priority (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democrats for Equality voted August 23 to make defeating Proposition 32 a priority race in the November 6 election. Proposition 32 is an effort to destroy the ability of organized labor to raise money for political campaigns, and it's being sold deceptively as a campaign finance reform measure even though its principal sponsors are multi-million dollar donors to Republican candidates and super-PAC's. On the eve of Women's Equality Day, the club also heard from professors Dr. Sue Gonda and Carla Kirkwood on the history of women's struggles for equality and their links to the Queer rights movement.
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.
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.
Where's OUR Religious Liberty? (tags)
The recent controversy over whether institutions owned by the Roman Catholic Church should be required to include birth control coverage in the health insurance they offer employees, the attempt in Virginia to require women seeking abortions to submit to medical rape, and the radical Right's reaction to the 9th Circuit appeals court ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional raises the question: why does it seem as if only bigoted Right-wing churches have "religious liberty" in this country? Why are America's officially tolerated spiritual belief systems seemingly limited to those of the Roman Catholics, Mormons and Southern Baptist Convention?
Two Hard Cases, Two Bad Laws (tags)
The November 14 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of so-called "Obamacare" and the November 17 decision of the California Supreme Court that the proponents of Proposition 8 have legal standing to appeal it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court are both disasters for the progressive community. But they also highlight the conflict between general principles of justice progressives should support and tactical positions in specific cases that may work to our short-term advantage but cause us problems later on.
Anti-labor SF Voters Support Republican-endorsed Mayor Lee’s Pension Destruction (tags)
Elections simply confirm the class struggle that has preceded them and it is clear from the San Francisco election results for November 8, 2011 that the needs and interests of the workingclass are held in total contempt with the electorate’s support of Proposition C, one of 2 anti-city worker pension destruction propositions placed on the ballot by Democrats.
The Long and Winding Road of Marriage Equality Litigation (tags)
Seeking social change through litigation is not for the faint-hearted ? or the impatient. At the July 28 meeting of the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club, attorney Jason Molnar of the Southern Poverty Law Center talked about the history of marriage equality litigation and brought two flow charts showing the twisted route it's already taken through the courts ? and it's likely to get even more twisted before the U.S. Supreme Court rules one way or the other.
Back to the Ballot - Queer Activists Debate Whether to Seek Repeal of Prop. 8 (tags)
With the court challenge to Proposition 8, California?s voter-approved ban on legal recognition of same-sex marriages, mired in potential legal wrangling that could take years to resolve, Equality California (EQCA) revived their plans to take the issue back to voters and seek an initiative to repeal Prop. 8. But the 70 or so activists at the EQCA town-hall meeting in San Diego June 3 split over whether that?s a good strategy ? or whether EQCA, primarily a lobbying organization, is the right group to run such a campaign.
Three-Judge Appeals Court Panel Hears Prop. 8 Challenge (tags)
A quick overview of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, based exclusively on what I saw and heard during the C-SPAN telecast of the hearing and written without reference to any legal “experts” or political pundits.
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.
BTL:Environmental Coalition Beats Back Oil Company Referendum to Overturn California Globa (tags)
BETWEEN THE LINES - A four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcast Award for Best Feature in the non-commercial category, this syndicated, half-hour program provides a platform for individuals and spokespersons from progressive organizations generally ignored or marginalized by the mainstream media. Between the Lines covers a wide range of political, economic and social topics.
Liberation News California Voter Recommendations (tags)
"We have enough wealth to provide quality housing, health care and education to everyone in California. Most of us care about each other and want to protect our environment. But we are governed by people who want tax breaks and maximum profits for big business." Marsha Feinland, Peace and Freedom Party Candidate for Senate
November 2 Election: Any Democrat Over Any Republican! (tags)
This is not the year for American Leftists, progressives and liberals not to vote — or to cast protest votes for alternative parties. The extremely Right-wing Tea Party has virtually taken over the Republican Party and, if not stopped, has a good chance of winning control of the country in 2012 and instituting policies that will result in a full-blown depression, a corporate dictatorship and, ultimately, the end of the human race through unchecked global warming. We MUST vote to elect EVERY Democrat on the ballot in 2010 and 2012 — AND we must mount a massive direct-action movement to put pressure on the Democrats to govern progressively.
Aguirre, Frye Debate San Diego's Prop. D at Queer Democratic Club (tags)
The campaign over Proposition D — an attempt to raise the sales tax in San Diego one-half cent to avoid draconian cuts in police, fire and other city services — has made strange bedfellows. Former city attorney Mike Aguirre, an otherwise progressive Democrat, has made common cause with Right-wing talk radio hosts and anti-tax zealots in opposing the measure. He and progressive City Councilmember Donna Frye debated Prop. D at the September 23 meeting of the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club — which overwhelmingly voted to endorse the measure.
A Different Kind of Tea: Some Tea Partiers May Support Pot Legalization (tags)
Proposition 19, which would legalize and tax marijuana in California, may have some unexpected supporters in the conservative tea party movement, reports Leo E. Laurence, associate editor of Zenger’s magazine and a former deputy sheriff who's campaigning for the measure as a member of the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (L.E.A.P.).
Jerry Brown's first time as governor (tags)
Jerry Brown's first time as governor and the taxpayer revolt
Special 4:20 Cafe on La Onda Bajita: Vote Yes on Prop 19! (tags)
During a special edition of La Onda Bajita on KPFA, the radio crew and Omar Figueroa, a constitutional & criminal defense lawyer based in Sebastopol, CA, discuss why you should vote yes on proposition 19.
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.
“Equality Nine” Marriage Rights Demonstrators to be Arraigned Sept. 30 (tags)
The “Equality Nine” — Michael Anderson, Brian Baumgardner, Sean Bohac, Felicity Bradley, Kelsey Hoffman, Mike Kennedy, Zakiya Khabir, Chuck Stemke, and Cecile Veillard — are activists with the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (SAME) who were arrested at a sit-in outside the San Diego County Clerk's office August 19. They're scheduled for arraignment at the San Diego County Courthouse, 220 West Broadway downtown, Thursday, September 30, and they want supporters to come to the plaza outside the courthouse at noon that day to show support.
Marijuana Initiative Could Generate $1.4 Billion (tags)
Proposition 19, the initiative on the November 2 ballot to decriminalize possession of marijuana in California, could bring $1.4 billion or more annually to California's parched coffers — but in advocating for the measure as part of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (L.E.A.P.), Zenger's Newsmagazine associate editor Leo E. Laurence has found some politicians and law enforcement personnel eagerly embracing the idea, while others figuratively and sometimes literally run away from any hint of endorsing the measure.
Zenger’s Newsmagazine Editorial on Proposition 8 Decision (tags)
Written before the most recent development in the federal case challenging Proposition 8 — the good-news, bad-news decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to delay same-sex marriages in California until at least December, but also to consider the all-important issue of whether the supporters of Proposition 8 even have legal standing to appeal — this editorial from the summer 2010 print edition of Zenger's Newsmagazine shows what a roller-coaster this issue has been and how the Queer community needs to be militant and ready for a long-term battle for full equality before the law, including marriage rights.
Court ruling online: Gay & Interracial Marriage Issues the Same (tags)
The Court ruling at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cand/09cv2292/files/09cv2292-ORDER.pdf is a history lesson that makes it clear that the fight over gay marriage is the same as the fight over interracial marriage and that religion has no place in our secular Constitution. In 1948, California legalized interracial marriage; in 1967 the US Supreme Court legalized interracial marriage. The hysteria over children and preserving marriage was the same for interracial marriage as it is for gay marriage. The backers of Proposition 8 are clearly religious idiots trying to turn back the clock of history. Judge Walker's stay of his own ruling pending appeal should be lifted immediately so gay marriages can proceed in California immediately.
Queer Democrats Back State Party on Redistricting (tags)
Choosing the interests of party over voters, the predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club overwhelmingly voted at their July 22 meeting to support the state Democratic Party's attempt to destroy the legislative redistricting commission before it even has a chance to meet, and return to the old, corrupt system under which legislators get to draw their own district lines, thereby preserving incumbents and eliminating any real competition for legislative seats.
Democrat Boxer Opposes Prop 19; P&F Feinland Supports Prop 19 (tags)
Democrats Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Attorney General and candidate for Governor Jerry Brown and Democrat Obama's drug czar Gil Kerlikowski oppose Proposition 19 while all Peace & Freedom Party and its candidate for US Senate Marsha Feinland and Green Party candidates support Prop 19 which ends the prohibition on marijuana, thus ending the police state and its prison-concentration camp system. Are you still registered Democrat?
‘8: The Mormon Proposition”: Two Movies in One (tags)
Director Reed Cowan’s film “8: The Mormon Proposition” is really two movies in one. It’s an exposé of the Mormon church’s role in passing California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8, at the polls in November 2008 and also a stunning tale of how a church that has institutionalized anti-Queer bigotry wreaks its vengeance against hapless Queer youth from Mormon families who, as part of their belief system, feel duty-bound to drive out their Queer kids and abandon them to homelessness, drug use, prostitution or suicide.
Why Prop. 14 is so darn bad (tags)
Vote no on Prop. 14
Prop 14 Bait and Switch (tags)
Arguments against Proposition 14 on California's June 8th primary ballot
Yes on Proposition 15 Benefit Show! June 1st at the EchoLA! Feature DJ Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns, White Apple Tree and Buddy Akai.
June 8 Cal election: Yes on 15; No on the Rest (tags)
The California June 8 primary is less than a month away and absentee voting has started. There are some very serious state propositions to vote on: Yes on 15 and No on the Rest, especially No on 14, 16 and 17. Leonard Martin for School Superintendent. You do not have to vote on everything, but please vote.
Queer Democrats Oppose Strong-Mayor Proposition (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club overwhelmingly opposed continuing San Diego's experiment with strong-mayor government. At their April 22 meeting they voted to oppose Proposition D on the June 8 ballot, which would make strong-mayor permanent, add a ninth seat to the City Councll and raise the threshold to override a mayoral veto of a Council action from a simple majority to two-thirds. City Councilmember Donna Frye led the debate against strong-mayor; having served under both strong-mayor and San Diego's previous city-manager system, she said it's been harder for her as a Councilmember to hold the mayor accountable and get information she needs to make responsible decisions, to the point where she's had to sue the city, or threaten to, to get needed data from the mayor's office.
Governor Candidate Stewart Alexander: Proposition 14 is a trick on voters (tags)
Alexander has express outrage with the entire proposition. In particular, one provision in the proposition “Provides that only the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the primary will appear on the general election ballot regardless of party preference.” Alexander says “This provision may limit voter choices to one party in a general election.”
Imperial County Enters Court Case Against Marriage Equality (tags)
The Board of Supervisors of Imperial County voted 3-2 last December to intervene in the federal court case challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which defines marriage in California as between one man and one woman. According to marriage equality activist Fernando Lopez, Jr., the board's attempt to intervene in support of Prop. 8 — which the court neither accepted nor denied before the case began — was significant because, by involving a government body in the case on the side of Prop. 8, it would allow the Prop. 8 supporters to appeal a ruling against them even if the state of California chose not to.
Queer Democrats Can’t Agree on Marriage Strategy (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club discussed whether to seek the repeal of Proposition 8 in 2010 or 2012 at its regular meeting September 24 — and turned out to be as divided on that topic as the rest of California’s Queer community. The two major statewide Queer organizations, Equality California and the Courage Campaign, have taken totally different tacks on the issue. The Courage Campaign not only favors 2010 but is already organizing for the earlier date, while Equality California’s leaders are convinced that 2010 is premature. Both the club’s invited panelists and its own members differed widely on whether to go in 2010 or 2012, and both proposals for the club to take action on the issue were voted down by wide margins.
Marriage Equality Follies (tags)
The split between California's two leading statewide Queer equality groups, the Courage Campaign and Equality California, over whether to seek the repeal of the anti-marriage Proposition 8 in 2010 or 2012 is criminally stupid and a disaster for the Queer community. The Courage Campaign is energetically moving to create “facts on the ground” to force the rest of the community to join it in a premature push for a 2010 ballot initiative that will almost certainly lose. A later initiative would give the community more time to organize and build support — but a unified effort for 2010 would be better than a continued division that might produce not one, but two, losing initiative campaigns.
Stewart Alexander: Same-Sex Marriage Rights Can’t Wait (tags)
The leadership within the Peace and Freedom Party wants a measure to support same-sex marriage on the ballot in 2010. Kevin Akin says, “The fight for human rights is back on the ballot for 2010, and if it fails, then 2012.”
Does California Need a Constitutional Convention? (tags)
Does California need a constitutional convention? The question is being raised by a number of organizations, including the Bay Area Council — a group of business leaders based in the San Francisco Bay Area — and the California chapters of the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and the Mexican-American Political Association, all of whom sent representatives to an August 1 meeting that attracted an overflow crowd to the Mission Valley library. The push for a convention is driven largely by the state's inability to govern itself effectively, hamstrung by the current constitution's 2/3 vote requirement to pass a budget or raise taxes, Proposition 13, legislative term limits, legislative "safe seats" and initiatives that have put all but 7 percent of the budget outside the control of the political process.
SAME Meeting Challenges Queer Establishment, Democratic Party (tags)
The San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (SAME) hosted a meeting at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center June 23 that was billed as a response to Proposition 8 and a discussion of the future of marriage equality in California — but it also turned into a radical response to the Queer establishment in general and the Courage Campaign in particular. Lesbian activist Robin Tyler, who was one of the lead plaintiffs in the suit that briefly won marriage rights for same-sex couples in California, criticized the strategies and tactics of the Courage Campaign and denounced the Democratic party as having screwed over Queer people for 35 to 40 years, She called for the Queer community to cut ties with the Democrats once and for all.
Don’t Rush Back to the Ballot on Marriage (tags)
The Queer community in California is asking itself the wrong question in the current debate over whether to try to repeal Proposition 8 at the ballot box in 2010 or 2012. Either date is too early, Mark Gabrish Conlan argues in this editorial from the July 2009 Zenger’s Newsmagazine. Rather than launch a premature initiative drive we will likely lose, organizing around this issue needs to occur outside the electoral process and take the form of nonviolent direct action and public education efforts to convince a majority of Californians that denying legal marriage to same-sex couples is an intolerable form of discrimination.
One and One-Half Class Citizen (tags)
The California Supreme Court decision on May 26 upholding the validity of Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage voters approved in last November’s election, but also ruling that the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages in California between June 15 and November 4, 2008 were still legal, left the same-sex couples who got married in time (including this author) in an anomalous position. We can’t really call ourselves second-class citizens because our marriages are still in force, but we can’t call ourselves first-class citizens either because other couples with love and mutual commitment equal to our own can no longer follow suit. In a sense, the voters and the courts have granted us “special rights” we neither wanted nor expected.
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 70 Activists Stage Marriage Equality Sit-in at S.D. County Clerk’s Office (tags)
Over 70 marriage equality activists occupied the office of the San Diego County Clerk Wednesday, May 27 as a protest against the California Supreme Court’s ruling that Proposition 8, which restricts marriage in California to one man and one woman, is constitutional. Michael Anderson and Brian Baumgardner led the action by demanding a marriage license, and other Queer couples followed suit. The event ended peacefully, with no arrests, when the crowd dispersed an hour after the official closing time of the building.
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.
Inland Empire Resists Supreme Court's legitimization of Discrimination (tags)
In response to the California State Supreme Court's hate crime of a ruling upholding proposition 8, the homophobic proposition that repealed the right to same sex marriage, the community of the Inland Empire joined together to demonstrate our resistance to the decision with a boisterous rally.
Prop 8 Challenge Legal Team to Hold Press Conference Following Supreme Court Ruling (tags)
(Los Angeles, May 22, 2008) — The California Supreme Court has announced that it will rule Tuesday, May 26, 2009, on whether Proposition 8, passed by a slim majority of voters on November 4 and eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry, was a valid amendment to the California Constitution.
EPCC COMMENDS CALIFORNIA VOTERS FOR REJECTING ANTI-PEOPLE BUDGET MEASUREs (tags)
The Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) highly commends and congratulates the California voters for rejecting a package of budget-balancing measures that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said were needed to keep a $15 billion deficit from widening to $21 billion. Only the proposal to limit lawmaker pay passed. Five of the propositions failed with 64 percent of the votes counted, according to California’s elections office. Despite threats from lawmakers and fear mongering that the crisis would aggravate because of the a record $42 billion budget gap, the people voted against the measures. The losing proposals would have capped spending and
Socialist Stewart Alexander on California Props, VOTE NO! (tags)
Propositions 1A through 1E, on the May 19, 2009 ballot, is a recipe for higher taxes and cuts in services statewide. Proposition 1F was placed on the ballot to make voters feel empowered in dealing with a State Legislature that moves from one budget crisis to another. The bottom line for Proposition 1F, it will accomplish absolutely nothing.
Yes on 1A Through 1F May 19 (tags)
California's latest state budget deal requires passage of Propositions 1A through 1F on the May 19 special-election ballot. Though the measures have flaws, progressives need to unite behind them because their defeat will be a tremendous political victory for the anti-government, anti-human radical Right and will require even more desperate cutbacks in state education, health care and social service funding than their passage.
San Diego Hosts Meeting on Same-Sex Marriage Equality (tags)
The San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center hosted a town-hall meeting April 2 to discuss the future of marriage equality in the wake of the upcoming California Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in the state. Speakers included Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, other professionals and grass-roots activists like Fernando Lopez, whose group is organizing people to go talk to individuals one-on-one to make them aware of how Queer people suffer from not having access to civil marriage.
Assemblymember Marty Block Defends Prop. 8 Stance to Queer Democrats (tags)
Assemblymember Marty Block appeared before the San Diego Democratic Club March 26 to explain why he voted against a legislative resolution instructing the California Supreme Court to invalidate Proposition 8, the initiative passed by voters last November to restrict marriage in California to opposite-sex couples. Block said that, as a former judge, he didn't think it was appropriate for the legislature to tell a court what to do about a pending case, whether it's the Right telling judges to uphold restrictions on abortion or progressives telling the court to preserve same-sex marriage equality.
Queer Democrats Oppose Flagship Budget Compromise Proposition (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club voted overwhelmingly on March 26 to oppose Proposition 1A, centerpiece of the budget reform compromise adopted by the California legislature last January. Though 1A would extend the state's temporary tax increases from two years to four, club members decided that the price -- notably vastly increased veto powers for the governor, new corporate tax breaks and a "rainy-day fund" that could lead to cutbacks in major state programs -- wasn't worth it. The club also opposed Proposition 1D, suppported 1B, 1E and 1F, and took no position on 1C.
Commentary: State Supreme Court Hears Prop. 8 Cases (tags)
Not everything that is unjust is therefore unconstitutional. That's the lesson the progressive community should learn from the California Supreme Court's oral hearings on Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage recently approved by a narrow majority of California voters. Instead of relying on the courts to secure our rights, we should be doing education, direct action and other tactics to win majority support for equality.
Over 500 Turn Out for Marriage Equality Demonstration (tags)
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and his Lesbian daughter Lisa (pictured) led off the San Diego installment of "March Forth on March Fourth," a series of rallies and demonstrations held statewide on the eve of the California Supreme Court's oral hearings on the legal challenges to Proposition 8. Mayor Sanders endorsed same-sex marriage equality last year after deciding he couldn't tell his daughter that her relationship was less important than his.
San Diego ACLU Addresses Repressive Ballot Initiatives (tags)
The San Diego chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) held its annual membership meeting February 13 and gave over the program to Delores Jacobs of the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center and Vince Hall of Planned Parenthood to discuss the long-term implications of Propositions 4 and 8 on last year's ballot. The measures attacked women's reproductive choice and Queer rights, respectively, and Jacobs and Hall noted that the radical Right uses proposals like these not only to gain membership and contributions but to drain the coffers of progressive organizations so they have less money to provide services to women and Queers.
Photos from The Post Proposition 8 Demonstrations (tags)
Photo Collection from The Los Angeles Anti Prop 8 Protests
Pat Boone and Proposition 8 (tags)
1950's wimp-rocker Pat Boone recently published an article on the Right-wing Web site World News Daily comparing demonstrators protesting the passage of Proposition 8, which elimnated the right of same-sex couples to marry, with the terrorists who attacked hotels and religious centers in Mumbai, India. To this author, it's appropriate that Pat Boone should be expressing such bigotry and prejudice because he began his career taking advantage of bigotry and prejudice by ripping off great rock songs by African-American artists and having bigger hits with them than their creators did.
“No on 8” Actions, Discussions Continue (tags)
The fight against the anti-marriage Proposition 8 has lasted quite a bit longer than the election, in which the same-sex marriage ban passed by a five-point margin. Queer and allied activists are still holding demonstrations against the initiative and meeting to discuss where the fight will go next. But their discussions are stronger on building communications strategies than actually plotting a course to reverse the ballot measure.
Proposition 8 Rallies Energize Queer Community (tags)
Rejecting the "safe" namby-pamby campaign against Proposition 8 that kept Queer people in the closet and lost anyway, young Gay activists are mobilizing on the Internet and holding mass rallies and marches to offer militant resistance to the anti-marriage initiative. Leo E. Laurence, who started the first Gay-liberation group in San Francisco in January 1969 (five months before Stonewall), finds these new activists reminiscent of himself and his colleagues in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
Massive Movement Erupts in Opposition to Proposition 8 (tags)
Ex-slave and Abolitionist Fredrick Douglas famously observed that power cedes nothing without struggle. The history of civil rights movements in this country also demonstrate that even the most fundamental democratic gains are temporary at best without vigilant struggle that can potentially challenge the power of the rulers against the ruled. Nothing has ever been gained and secured by simply relying on the institutions of the state and its politicians. Any implementation of progressive measures on their part has only been the product of independent mass mobilizations that have kept their forces in the streets until the sought after gains were won. We have again been reminded of this by the recent passage of Proposition 8 in California, a bigoted mean-spirited ballot measure aimed at denying gays and lesbians the fundamental democratic right to marry whom they wish. Last June, after decades of constant organizing, educating, and protesting on the part of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people and their supporters, the California Supreme Court was compelled to legalize same sex marriages. The purpose of Proposition 8 was to overturn this gain, leaving 18,000 same sex marriages performed in California since June in question. However, social movements aren't like films that can be run backwards and then replayed in the exact same way. The narrow victory of Proposition 8 (52% against, 48% opposed) has resulted in the opposite of its intended effect. It has re-energized the struggle for LGBT rights to a major degree, so that many are calling this movement “Stonewall II” after that inaugural rebellious act of the modern U.S. gay rights movement fighting for their rights in 1969.
Massive Movement Erupts to Overturn Proposition 8 (tags)
March on Sacramento! Demand that Marriage Licenses Continue to Be Issued in All Counties in California! Demand the Immediate Overturn of Prop. 8!
Right to Marry rally Nov 8 - audio montage (tags)
Five minute audio montage - sounds from the Nov 8 rally in Los Angeles against prop 8 and for the rights of all to marry (4.6 MB)
Anti-Proposition 8 Protests in San Diego (tags)
The statewide wave of protests against the passage of anti-Queer, anti-marriage, anti-family Proposition 8 hit San Diego November 7 and 8 with a nighttime rally in Balboa Park November 7 and a march from Hillcrest to North Park, through San Diego's most Queer neighborhoods, the next day.
Defeat Right-Wing Ballot Measures (tags)
No on California Propositions 4, 6, 8, and 9! In tomorrow's Nov. 4 election, a number State and Local ballot propositions will be voted on by the public. Many of the propositions have been sponsored by right-wing interests in order to push a racist, bigoted agenda that aims to do away with hard-won rights.
MP3 audio: No on 8 rally Downtown LA (tags)
LOS ANGELES, November 2, 2008 –In less than two days California voters will vote on a proposed amendment to the constitution of the sate of California that would deny same sex couple the right to marry. Those in support of civil rights for all people are urging voters to vote NO on 8.
Marriage: Some Good News, More Bad News (tags)
The October 10 Connecticut Supreme Court decision endorsing marriage equality for same-sex couples was good news, but it was far overshadowed by the devastating new poll results on Proposition 8, which seeks to overturn the similar ruling last May by the California Supreme Court. Not only has Yes on 8 taken the lead, but they've done so by organizing younger voters — whom marriage equality supporters had assumed would be a bulwark of their coalitiion.
California Proposition 7: Redefining Renewable Energy to Concentrate Power (tags)
The control of scarce resources is a time-tested method of concentrating wealth and power. Although renewable energy resources are not scarce, the paradigm shift in public understanding about the fundamental differences between renewables and fossil fuels is only beginning. By subsidizing the building massive permanent infrastructure to control the collection and distribution of renewable energy, Proposition 7 will starve investment in distributed renewables needed to democratize the energy economy. Meanwhile, that centralized, permanent infrastructure will provide profit centers for a few corporations at the expense of everyone else.
San Diego Queer Democrats Endorse Beach Booze Ban (tags)
The predominantly Queer San Diego Democratic Club voted September 25 to endorse Proposition 4 on the November 4 ballot in the city of San Diego, which would make the temporary ban on alcohol consumption at city beaches permanent. Opponents have argued that the ban is an attack on individual freedom, but the club rejected that argument and instead supported beach-area residents who say the ban has improved their quality of life.
Chris Bricker: Organizing for Prop. 7 (tags)
San Diego activist Chris Bricker organizes for Proposition 7, on the ballot this November 4, to force utilities to purchase 50 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025. He talks about the reasons he signed on the campaign — and why utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison are pumping millions of dollars into phony "grass-roots" campaigns to defeat it.
6/6 Los Angeles Teachers Strike; General Strike Needed (tags)
Los Angeles teachers are finally striking for the first hour of today's school day against the budget cuts to education; the rest of labor needs to join them in a statewide general strike not only against budget cuts but also against the refusal of the state legislature to raise the income taxes on the rich, the 5% that makes over $200,000 a year, including the millionaires and billionaires who live in California.
PROP 98 TO ABOLISH RENT CONTROL CRUSHED (tags)
he people of California has spoken, They resoundingly rejected a state ballot measure that would have phased out rent control and barred government agencies from taking homes, businesses and farms for private development. The Echo Park Community Coaliton (EPCC) and the Justice for Filipino American Veterans(JFAV) is exceedingly happy about the result of the voting.". Arturo P. Garcia. EPCC and JFAV coordinator 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."
Tenants Together Files Lawsuit to Ensure Prop 98 Ballot Title & Summary Reflect Attack on (tags)
"The overwhelming majority of funding behind Prop. 98 comes from landlords. The only reason they're funding this measure is to abolish rent control and other renter protections," said Dean Preston, Executive Director of Tenants Together. "Even the proponents' own ballot arguments list rent control as a principle provision of the initiative. We're simply asking that the title reflect the primary provisions so voters can make an informed decision."
Zenger's Newsmagazine endorses Dennis Kucinich for President (as we did in 2004) over the so-called 'top-tier" Democrats, each of whom has serious liabilities but all of whom would make a better President than any of the Republican candidates. This editorial from the January 2008 Zenger's also contains recommendations on the seven state propositions on the February 5, 2008 ballot.
Presidential Candidate Supports MAPP, Universal Health Care (tags)
Presidential hopeful Stewart A. Alexander and the Peace and Freedom Party firmly support the use of medical marijuana and support decriminalizing drugs. Alexander wants to use California Proposition 215 and SB 420 as guidelines for federal legislation that will benefit over 30 million Americans and will reverse 70 years of corrupt laws that have only benefited the greedy capitalist.
REFLECTIONS ON MEMORIAL DAY (tags)
COMMENTARY
Arizona to implement full tobacco tax hike despite ballot error (tags)
The state plans to implement a voter-approved tobacco tax increase at the 80 cents per pack of cigarettes, even though erroneous ballot wording indicated the increase would only be less than a penny a pack.
Elections Are Over, Gas Prices Are Up (tags)
The 2006 Election results have been posted within the past few days and gasoline prices have already begun to show increases throughout the entire State of California and in some areas prices have increased 10 to 15 cents. Alexander says, “The greatest challenge Americans are facing to stop rising gasoline prices is not being organized to demand lower prices at the pumps. It is unfortunate that America’s one party system is keeping the nation divided on this front to protect the oil giants.”
Liberation News Voter Recommendations (tags)
While the system is stacked against working people and the poor through rampant electoral fraud and the corrupt corporate buying and selling of candidates to the American people, Liberation News suggests people vote as one part of a broader struggle for change.
LA Greens Endorsements for Nov. 7 Ballot (tags)
The Los Angeles Greens endorsed Proposition 89 (Clean Money) and Proposition 87 (Oil Tax to Fund Alternative Energy) . Here is the full list of our recommendations for November 7, 2006:
Measure H is Not a Magic Bullet (tags)
If I could wave my magic wand, Proposition H—the billion-dollar “affordable” housing bond measure--would disappear from the November 7th stage, and the Prop H supporters would be revealed as illusionists.
Top 10 Corporate Spenders On 2006 Initiatives Give $134 Mil. (tags)
Corporations Give 61% of Total Initiative Funding, Outspend Unions 12 To 1 Prop. 89 Will Level the Playing Field
Sergeant Dan Masters and his partner Robert Pargmann are against Prop 107 (tags)
Sometimes cops are actually on your side. In this case Sergeant Dan Masters and his partner Robert Pargmann are against Prop 107 which is a homophobic proposition which will make homosexuals 4th class citizens in Arizona.
Momentum Grows for Proposition 89 (tags)
During the most expensive election in California history, momentum is growing for "clean money" elections.
Chevron Fights Proposition 89 (tags)
Big Oil has begun funding the effort to prevent public financing of political campaigns in California.
Alexander: Lower Gasoline Prices, Still No Bargains (tags)
Within the past two months gasoline prices have been on a steady decline; in some areas of Southern California prices have dipped below $2.60 per gallon. Stewart Alexander, with the Peace and Freedom Party, admits the lower prices are good for consumers; however he says, “It is not good enough; we need to have gasoline prices below $2.25 per gallon to benefit commuters and truck drivers, and Proposition 87 is not the answer.”
California Propositions: Billions For Special Interest (tags)
When Governor Schwarzenegger ran for office in 2003 he promised to work for the people of California and not for the special interest, now in 2006 Arnold Schwarzenegger has become the champion of special interest groups. The 2006 bond and tax package, presented by the governor and the state legislature, is the worst package ever offered to California voters in the state’s history.
Lt. Gov. Candidate Wants to Economize Gasoline (tags)
The crusader against rising gasoline prices, Stewart A. Alexander, is opposed to a California proposition on the State’s November ballot, to tax gasoline, because he believes it will not prevent gasoline price gouging at the pumps. Instead Alexander is proposing to introduce a program that he has identified as the, Friendly Petroleum Producers Program, to help provide relief at the pumps for consumers and the trucking industry.
Yes on Prop 89 Gains Good Goverment Supporters (tags)
California's clean elections initiative is gaining support from key good goverment organizations working to clean up state politics.
HOW THE MEDIA USES BLACKS TO CHASTISE BLACKS: Regarding Cynthia McKinney – by ISHMAEL REED (tags)
African-Americans have a number of individuals who are willing to serve as mind doubles. Some are supported by right wing think tanks... Michelle McQueen Martin, who was assigned to beat up on Ms. Mckinney by the producers of" Nightline," spent half the interview on Ms. McKinney's hair even though Ms. McKinney has been outspoken on a number of serious issues. Can you imagine Ms. Martin conducting an interview with Trent Lott, the last person on the planet to use Wild Root Cream Oil, or Joe Biden, and spending half the time on his hair? If "Nightline's" Martin had subjected a white male congressman to this kind of hostile sarcastic interview, sarcastic not only in words but in body language, to which she subjected Cynthia McKinney, Martin would have gotten the same treatment from her bosses that Connie Chung received when she interviewed Newt Gingrich's mom, who denounced Hillary Clinton as "a bitch". ...assigned to a Saturday morning show on MSNBC. Network oblivion.
ActionLA Advice to November 8 California Election (tags)
ActionLA Advice to November 8 California Election
Proposition 73 would set up "hit list" of California judges (tags)
Proposition 73 sets up a mechanism to target California judges who support privacy rights.
JUST SAY NO TO DEATH BY BALLOT:A.D.PARTY'S SCIENTIFIC BALLOT ANALYSIS (tags)
STOP CALIFORNIANS' DEATHS AND DEBTS, BEFORE THEY OCCUR (BY BALLOT): GET ACCOUNTABILITY AND AVAILABLE-TRAINING FOR ALL STATE BALLOT ADMINISTRATORS, BEFORE THESE ASSAULTS (AND WORSE) HAPPEN AGAIN, REGARDING BALLOTS (AND BEFORE MORE CONTRIBUTIONS ARE STOLEN).....[TAKE-BACK YOUR GOVERNMENT, BEFORE IT'S DYSFUNCTION TAKES MORE PEOPLES' LIVES]
The Endless Cycle of Stupidity (California Style) (tags)
How does a state with the sixth-largest economy in the world go 9 billion in debt? The short answer is "Democrats."
Liberation News Voter Recommendations (tags)
No to corporate politics!
October Surprise and Senate Office Closings (tags)
The long awaited October Surprise is clearly on the horizon. Multimillionaire Senator Mark Dayton, Democrat, Minnesota, of the Target Corporation family, the 2d largest retailer in the US, closed his Washington office until after 11/2, and they all have received "hair-curling" briefings about alleged terrorist attacks pending in Wash, D.C.
Vote Yes on Proposition O.
Vote NO on 69! - Protect your DNA (tags)
Proposition 69 Expands California’s Convicted Felon DNA Database To Include Innocent People
10/4/04 Voting Starts in California (tags)
Vote by mail, also known as absentee voting, starts on October 4, 2004 in California. As always, the big issues on the ballot are the propositions and are the reason why every who can should vote in every election. Are you registered? Have you received your 2 voter handbooks? Have you signed up to be a permanent absentee voter so you vote in every election?
CA Green Party Facing Potential Disaster on November 2nd - Urgent Help Needed (tags)
Given our limited resources, probably the smartest action we can take to defeat Prop. 62 will be to mount a huge letters-to-the-editor campaign. If we can get four to seven 'No on 62' letters published in most every newspaper in the state, then we just might be able to defeat 62.
An upbeat and well-attended public forum to spur grassroots fundraising and organizing against Proposition 54 was held a few hours ago at a church in the Wilshire district. This posting provides access to audio and pictures from the event.
Bustamante finds a very slimy way to bypass campaign finance laws (tags)
It looks like Cruz "Joe Lieberman for President" Bustamante has found a very slimy way to use the millions of dollars in dirty money he's been raking in from the casino interests here in California.
Prop 54 Voter Info Forced to Revise and Be More Accurate (tags)
CONNERLY SUFFERS DOUBLE DEFEAT IN COURT TODAY
Proposition 54 forum at Unitarian Church in Anaheim on 8/30/03 (tags)
Vote "NO" on Proposition 54
With a $38 billion state deficit, California is labeled the nation's basket case. The election to recall the governor will be held this fall. It will determine if Bush and his gang will gain control of the state.
Arnold -You've got some 'splain'in to do! (tags)
Arnold, before you get the keys to the gov'na's office, California voters of color and progressive Anglos may want an explaination of your alleged association with a group called "US English".
Proposition 54 forum at Unitarian Church in Anaheim on 8/30/03 (tags)
Come to this forum to learn more about the reasons why thousands of doctors, educators, lawyers, and community activists agree that Proposition 54 is bad for California!
*
Vote "NO" on Proposition 54 (tags)
Since Proposition 54's passage will make it much more difficult to fight and attack all forms of racism, segregation, and discrimination in general, I think we should call it for what it truly is: the Institutionalized Racism Protection Act of 2003.
Mobilizing human shields to go to Iraq.
2/12 Pot Club Raid v. Cal County Votes for Medical Marijuana (tags)
Talk about going against the tide of history: George War Bush's drug policy has sunk to the depths of the absurd in the raids on the pot clubs of California on Lincoln's Birthday, February 12, 2002, when state offices were closed and when Bush's "drug war" lackey, Asa Hutchinson showed up to speak at the San Francisco business organization meeting of the Commonwealth Club. His only friends in California are Democrats Gov. Gray Davis and Senator Dianne Feinstein, who opposed Proposition 215.