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SeaWorld to End Orca Shows—But Not Captivity of ‘Incredible Creatures’

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Animal rights activists say move is motivated by mounting protests as well as tanking profits

By Deirdre Fulton / Common Dreams

Facing mounting protests and plummeting profits, SeaWorld intends to phase out its infamous killer whale show at its San Diego park next year.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, which broke the news after seeing a SeaWorld document posted online in advance of a corporate webcast, the decision is “part of a comprehensive strategy unveiled Monday to re-position the embattled company amid persistent criticisms of how it treats its orcas.”

The Union-Tribune further reports that in the show’s place will be a new orca “experience” debuting in 2017, described as “informative” and designed to take place in a more natural setting that would carry a “conservation message inspiring people to act.”   [Read more…]

Fighting for More than $15

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Teachers, Students, and Community Fight for $15 and More
3:00 Rally and March on Tuesday November 10th at City College near Park and B

For progressives it is the worst of times and the best of times.  As I noted on Labor Day, the American labor movement faces an existential crisis in the form of a looming Supreme Court decision that may essentially make the whole country “right to work” as the trend toward greater income inequality continues unabated.  

Our sitting Democratic President has made pushing a terrible neoliberal trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership, one of his legacy items, and the news on climate change seems to get worse by the day as our leaders bicker over half measures.     [Read more…]

Public Prayer Challenges Carlsbad Council’s Credibility

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Carlsbad Leaders Hear from Referendum Winners

“Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we’re off to a good start,” said Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, after Councilmember Mark Packard’s opening prayer spurred murmurs from the audience, one member declaring, “Separation of church and state, Dr. Packard!” That led to Dr. Packard’s stern reproach from the dais, “Do not take offense when none is intended.”

The closing words of Packard’s prayer, “We pray for these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” were what stoked up the crowd. Mayor Hall, realizing his rosy greeting was premature, wisely called for a ten-minute break.

Twenty Carlsbad residents lined up to speak about the city council’s receipt of the report by the San Diego County Registrar of Voters of a sufficient number of signatures on the referendum to overturn the Carlsbad city council’s August 25 approval of the 85/15 Agua Hedionda South Shore Specific Plan for 85% Open Space and 15% Retail Initiative.   [Read more…]

Tuesday Fight for $15 Protests in San Diego Part of Nationwide Strategy

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Fast food restaurants in 270 cities nationwide will see strikes and picket lines next Tuesday as organizers with the Fight for $15 seek to widen the impact of the movement to include influencing the 2016 general election. These rallies will include a protest by several thousand workers at the Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee.

In San Diego, media have already been alerted to strike activity at a McDonalds location on Park Boulevard starting at 7am. Other fast food locations will be targeted throughout the day.

Twin rallies at City College (3pm) and the Front Street State Building (4pm) will feed into a citywide mass rally at San Diego City Hall at 5pm. California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and Assemblymember Shirley Weber will be among the featured speakers at that event.   [Read more…]

Colorado’s Legalization of Marijuana Is a Huge Success

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Pot taxes to fund school construction and substance-abuse programs

By Walter Einenkel / Daily Kos

Colorado voters agreed on how to spend $66 million of the revenue generated by the legal sale of marijuana.

The measure sends the first $40 million to school construction and $12 million designated for youth and substance-abuse programs. The remaining $14.1 million goes to discretionary accounts controlled by lawmakers.The ballot question was the third time in four years that voters considered how to spend pot taxes, after approving Amendment 64 in 2012 to legalize marijuana and Proposition AA in 2013 to levy sales and excises taxes. In both prior ballot questions, voters sanctioned sending $40 million toward school construction.

The vote was important because otherwise, those revenues would have been redistributed to citizens at about $12 to $16 per person—not as meaningful as spending it on education and drug prevention.   [Read more…]

The End of the Keystone XL Pipeline (We Hope)

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A major defeat for proponents of dirty energy is in the works, as news reports indicate the Obama administration is set to block the permits needed for the Keystone XL pipeline. Construction of the project has been a political hot potato, with supporters using big-money lobbying and opponents focused on a grass-roots activist campaign.

In 2008 the Canadian company TransCanada applied for approval of a transnational pipeline designed to carry 830,000 barrels of petroleum per day from the tar sands of Alberta province to oil refineries and ports on the Gulf Coast.

Proponents point to estimates of a $3.4 billion dollar contribution to the economy and say it will create jobs. Environmental groups have opposed the project because it would provide a conduit for marketing petroleum extracted from tar sands using methods requiring far more energy and water than conventional drilling.   [Read more…]

Don’t Let Them Blind You With Their Science

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By  / OtherWords

When I first began researching agriculture, I had no idea how organic farming worked. I saw it as a somewhat backward yet non-toxic and desirable way to grow food.

Organic farmers didn’t use fertilizer, I figured, so maybe the plants would be smaller. And they didn’t use pesticides, so I’d have to settle for some damage to my food — and I’d pay more for the privilege.

As for the people who thought organic agriculture produced better, healthier food than conventional farming, I figured they were nuts. That sounded like magical thinking to me. Did organic farmers grow food using fairies and rainbows?   [Read more…]

The Fall of the Haggen Grocery Chain: A 21st Century Morality Story

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The collapse of the Haggen grocery store chain just over month ago was a sad moment for neighborhoods and thousands of employees throughout California. More than two dozen stores in the San Diego region will soon be (or already are) closing, leaving some vacant properties behind and about a thousand employees wondering about paychecks as the holidays approach.

Now, thanks to reporting by the Seattle Times, we know the inside scoop on how this deal came down, and it ain’t pretty. Private equity investors flipped the real estate for cash, handed operations to an overwhelmed management team and will see their risks marginalized by the bankruptcy courts.

It’s all legal; another example of greed run amok. They win, we lose. And we’re supposed to accept this as the “natural order” of things in a market economy.   [Read more…]

Not-So-Presidential Politics and Football Fantasies Ruled the Night

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By Doug Porter

What a night.

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz was busy calling out Democrats as Bolsheviks and Mensheviks during the Republican debate, which was about as out of control as any debate, ever.

Chargers fans called out NFL executives on a listening tour of cities threatened with franchise relocation. Attorney Mark Fabiani, representing the team’s owners was roundly booed, hissed and even warned about walking around unaccompanied.

It was a two-fer evening of bullshit, featuring occasional factual-sounding words laced with hyperbole and ignorance. Metaphors counted. Reality didn’t. Let’s wander together through today’s punditry for selected insights on what transpired…   [Read more…]

L.A. Developer Awakens North County’s Sleeping Village by the Sea

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Lessons Learned by Rick Caruso, Elected Officials and Carlsbad Voters

By Richard Riehl / The Riehl World

Signatures have been validated on a referendum overturning Carlsbad’s city council approval of a shopping center on the shore of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. It’s time to reflect on lessons learned from the developer’s failed attempt to bypass city voters, the normal review and approval process, and the California Environmental Quality Act.

When L.A. developer Rick Caruso approached city officials three years ago, they urged him to build community support for his plan. They must have assured him 48 acres of land adjacent to the pristine lagoon would be the perfect place for a shopping center.   [Read more…]

Marijuana, Tax Measures Vying for California 2016 Ballot

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By Doug Porter

As we come down the stretch into the final year before the 2016 general election, there are competing interests backing ballot measures seeking to legalize recreational marijuana use and increase taxes on upper-income earners in California.

The downside in this situation is the possibility of enough confused voters rejecting the choices on the ballot on both issues. And you can bank on opponents of legalization and tax increases will do their best to sow doubt and confusion.

Divisions in the pro-pot camp led to the defeat of Proposition 19 in 2010, despite not having a competing measure on the ballot and polling showing voters favoring legalized marijuana.  Advocates for tax increases in 2012 were divided between competing propositions, but a unified effort on the part of organized labor gave Proposition 30 the votes needed to win.   [Read more…]

Gretchen Newsom is Running for Mayor. It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy.

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By Doug Porter

Gretchen Newsom announced her intention to run for Mayor of San Diego during the Sixth Biennial County Democratic Convention on Saturday, October 24th. She’s got a tough road in front of her.

Incumbent Kevin Faulconer is a public relations machine. He gets out of bed in the morning, and a press release crediting him with saving the world overnight (hey, the sun rose!) gets emailed. He’s got no major scandals swirling around him, is considered to be a rising star in the GOP, and has a proven ability to sidestep controversy.

Challenger Gretchen Newsom is not well known outside activist circles. She was among those considered as the interim replacement for Faulconer’s city council seat, is President of the Ocean Beach town Council, and works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  Today I’ll take a look at what else there is to know about the candidate, her values and the implications of her candidacy.   [Read more…]

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