San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Calls For Senators Feinstein and Harris to Reject Trump’s Climate Denier Cabinet

by

By David Harris / SanDiego350

Two weeks ago, a sign-wielding crowd of 150 people gathered together in front of the downtown Federal Building to deliver an urgent message to California’s two Senators: reject four nominations made by President Trump to key cabinet-level level posts. Why? Because all four of these men deny the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change.

At the peaceful but spirited rally, speakers Diane Takvorian of the Environmental Health Coalition and newly elected Councilmember Georgette Gomez called upon Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris to reject Trump’s nominees. “I know how much California has done and plans to do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” stated Takvorian, “and I know Senators Feinstein and Harris support this progress. That’s why it’s now so critical for them to take a vocal, principled stand and oppose these climate denying nominees who value corporate profits over our communities.”   [Read more…]

Women’s March in Washington D.C. — This is how day #2 of the resistance went

by

The Women’s March may have been the largest day of protest in US history with an estimated 3.3 million to 4.6 million marchers. One in every 100 Americans marched. In Washington D.C. alone an estimated 575,000 people attended.

Organizers of this grassroots movement put together the march in only ten weeks. How did they do it? Mostly through communication on social media.

The grassroots march in Washington D.C. lacked a few elements most of us have become accustomed to. A flurry of advertisements from corporations were markedly absent. The number of food trucks and vendors selling trinkets were somewhat minimal. Large television monitors had been set up all along Independence Avenue for us to hear the speeches, music and poetry. At times, the monitors froze. At times the loud speakers stopped working for a few moments. Nobody cared that the technology didn’t work exactly or perfectly — that’s not why we were here.   [Read more…]

ACLU of CA Statement of Trump Administration’s Discriminatory Executive Orders

by

Edward Sifuentes / ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties

“We can ensure that in California, our state and local agencies serve all Californians by passing SB 54 (the California Values Act) — making certain that our local institutions will not be conscripted into the deportation dragnet and that our schools, our hospitals, and our courthouses are safe spaces for everyone in every community,” added Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties.

“Muslim Americans are our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. They are us. We must stand together and pass SB 31 (the California Religious Freedom Act) to ensure that California does not participate in any way in a registry targeting Muslims,” concluded Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California.   [Read more…]

Janet and George Gastil: San Diego Locals Contributing to our Communities

by

In her 80 years, Janet Gastil has worn many hats and is a true renaissance woman. She has been a wife and mother, teacher, musician, realtor, and politician to name the most important ones…

Janet Manly Gastil was born in 1936 in Long Island, but moved to San Diego in 1946 when she was ten years old. Like her mother, Gastil suffered from asthma, so going west improved their health. Both of her parents were attorneys and active in social causes which helped to shape their only child.

A student prodigy, Gastil received her BA in English from SDSU [back then known as San Diego State College] at 19. She was awarded a Woodrow Wilson fellowship to Duke University where she got her MA at 20.   [Read more…]

Campaign Against Labor Leader for Sexual Harassment Charges Heats Up – Protest to Call for Mickey Kasparian’s Resignation – Wed., Jan. 25th

by

By Staff / The OB Rag

The campaign against San Diego labor leader Mickey Kasparian is heating up, as a protest calling for his resignation as head of the local labor council is being held today, Wednesday, Jan. 25th at 6pm outside a labor delegates meeting.

Three women have filed gender discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuits against Kasparian, the president of UFCW Local 135, who also sits as the President of the Labor Council.

Sandy Naranjo filed a gender discrimination lawsuit after being unjustly fired. Retired co-worker Isabel Vasquez filed a sexual harassment claim alleging sexual misconduct. And current UFCW employee Anabel Arauz filed a retaliation/discrimination claim against the union, Kasparian and secretary-treasurer (and current San Diego Unified School Board President) Richard Barrera.

Supporters of the three women are holding the demonstration today. They will be holding signs in support of Sandy, Isabel & Anabel and will be calling on San Diego Labor Council Delegates to show public support for these women and to demand the resignation of Mickey Kasparian.   [Read more…]

Pipelines, Propaganda, and Even More Protests

by

Indigenous Tribes, Environmentalists, and Scientists Feel Trump’s Wrath

The number one selling book on Amazon earlier this week was George Orwell’s ‘1984’ the classic story of a world of government surveillance, propaganda and “newspeak.” In the book, the “Ministry of Truth” actually delivers lies.

I suspect this uptick in sales (and the announcement of additional printing by Penguin Books) comes from the realization by Americans that lying is officially part of the new administration’s program.

Now it’s time to acknowledge ‘alternative facts’ are just one part of what’s going on. The tactics of this administration also include chaos, as proven by the rapid-fire attacks on institutions, humans, and the planet over the past couple of days.   [Read more…]

Repeal and (Don’t) Replace

by

“Repeal and Replace” Just a Slogan

Republicans were fine with the way it was for the health care system before Obamacare went into effect. So why not just go back to the good old days when a pre-existing condition was enough to let an insurance company reject you from coverage? The good old days when price gouging by insurance companies was the order of the day. The good old days when pharmaceutical corporations could charge whatever they want for life saving drugs. Oh, that part is still true under Obamacare.

The “Repeal and Replace” mantra was always nothing more than a slogan. Republicans have had 8 years to suggest a different system or enhancements to the one currently in effect.   [Read more…]

Southwestern College Students Struggle With Homelessness

by

By Cristofer Garcia / The Southwestern College Sun

Georgia really wanted to earn a good grade in a class she loved. So she turned on the overhead light and spread her books across the dashboard of her car. It was cold, her mother was asleep and they were parked near the Chula Vista Marina. Georgia was homeless, but loved being a college student.

Georgia (a pseudonym) is a 19-year-old nursing student and one of the 32 percent of California college students experiencing housing insecurity. A recent study by the College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL), a research lab under the Interwork Institute at San Diego State University, found that homeless students across California are silently facing a grim struggle to survive.

Southwestern College is no stranger to the problem.   [Read more…]

Building Trades Allow Themselves to Be Played Like Fools

by

By Erik Loomis / Lawyers, Guns & Money

Emperor Tangerine invited the building trade union leaders in for a meeting yesterday and boy were they excited.

At a meeting with the leaders of several construction and building trade unions, President Trump reiterated on Monday his interest in directing hundreds of billions of dollars to infrastructure investments, some of it from the federal government, union officials said.

“That was the impression I was taken away with,” said Sean McGarvey, the president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, an umbrella group, on a call with reporters after the meeting. “That the American citizenry and the American Treasury will be invested in building public infrastructure.”

Mr. McGarvey added that Mr. Trump clearly felt that much of the money should come from the private sector and that some of the investments could take the form of public-private partnerships, an idea the president floated as a candidate.

  [Read more…]

ACLU Announces First Legal Action On Trump Conflicts Of Interest

by

By ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties

The American Civil Liberties Union has taken legal action seeking documents on conflicts of interest and violations of the Constitution and federal law posed by President Trump’s and his family’s business interests. The organization also released a Seven-Point Plan laying out how it intends to challenge other Trump policies and protect the Constitution.

The efforts are made possible by the organization’s new Constitution Defense Fund, which was established following the election.

The first legal action is a Freedom of Information Act request asking several government agencies to turn over all documents relating to President Trump’s actual or potential conflicts of interest to his business and family connections.   [Read more…]

A Deplorable Deplorable: Rep. Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services

by

Hillary Clinton jumped the gun when she called out Donald Trump’s more extreme supporters as ‘deplorables.’ Now I am having trouble finding a better word to describe the new President’s cabinet choices.

As I’m writing this, Georgia Congressman Tom Price is appearing before the Senate Finance Committee, which in theory is vetting him over whether he’s qualified to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Despite criticism from Democrats based on a bipartisan memo to lawmakers by Senate Finance Committee staff disclosing even more red flags concerning the congressman’s tax returns and financial disclosure statements, Price will ultimately be confirmed.   [Read more…]

Early Speculation on County Supervisor Races

by

While it seems the dust is just beginning to settle on last November’s election, it is a perfect time to begin to look at the 2018/2020 County Supervisor elections and take a look at the players we either know or have heard will be making a run.

The last election put Kristin Gaspar into office in the Third District, replacing incumbent Dave Roberts. This put the composition of the Board back to “all Republican.” This could be disastrous moving forward, especially in the land use arena. Projects like Merriam Mountain, Lilac Hills Ranch, Safari Highlands Ranch and others in the North County could be given the green light by an all Republican, pro-development Board.   [Read more…]

©2010-2017 SanDiegoFreePress.org

Code is Poetry