San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Democrats Vote for Change in ADEM Elections As Labor Council Infighting Continues

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You wouldn’t know from reading today’s newspapers, but there were elections in California over the weekend. And, although the results aren’t finalized yet, it’s obvious something significant is going on in the state’s Democratic party.

Although these changes (in the short term) amount to little more than a sea of new faces at the state Democratic Party convention, the significance of record turnouts, competing slates of candidates, and the openly stated desire for progressive ideals all should give us optimism for a new era in politics in the Golden State.

Locally, controversies arose in Oceanside and Chula Vista. The North County event seems to have been procedural; the South County occurrence reflects a deep division among organized labor groups threatening the unity Democrats will need in opposing the actions of the incoming administration.   [Read more…]

On the Topic of the GOP and Ethics

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It makes perfect sense to me that the House Republicans tried to secretly curtail the powers of the Office of Congressional Ethics because, if you have no ethics, you damn sure don’t want some nosy person poking around documenting it.

And these GOP characters are as to ethical behavior as a sea turtle is to Death Valley. They’ve demonstrated for decades, which anyone can google, that they are not, by any means, on speaking terms with anything anywhere near synonymous with “ethics.” They are, in a word, ethic-less, if you will.

And their leader – The Donald – twittered some jive that supposedly caused these alleged “representatives” to back away from their devious deportment.   [Read more…]

25 Smears, Hoaxes, Grifts and Whoppers on Climate and the Environment in the Obama Era

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By Peter Dykstra / Environmental Health News

As the curtain comes down on Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House, most Americans seemed convinced of one of two things: We’re either about to Make America Great Again®, or we’re about to hurtle into an uncertain epoch that I like to call the Idiocene.

But before we turn the page on this administration let’s take a look back at the tall tales, regrettable pronouncements, farces and scams on climate and the environment during the Obama years. Anti-regulatory zealots led the pack, but President Obama contributed a few of his own – starting on his first full day in office.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: Jan 1-7

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This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles, commentaries, columns, toons, and other work by San Diego Free Press regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors, and sourced writers on: accused sexual harasser Mickey Kasparian, the Russians, K-Faulc for governor (funny!), the spineless AARP, restaurant surcharges, action for the homeless, SD’s housing crunch, the war on the poor, another deadly year at Sunset Cliffs, and lots of other grassroots news & progressive views from San Diego’s friendly, neighborhood, all volunteer, slightly funky, community news site.   [Read more…]

Geo-Poetic Spaces: Sunset

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Sun kneads into earth
fires up the clay oven
bakes tomorrow’s bread
  [Read more…]

‘IN THE VA VA VOOM ROOM’ Captures Diversity, Complexity and Transformation

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By Yuko Kurahashi

Michael Mizerany presents the second installment of his cabaret series IN THE VA VA VOOM ROOM, “a contemporary burlesque,” at Diversionary Theatre through this weekend only. For the first installment presented in January 2016 was described by critics “fun” and “titillating.” Both words are easily applied to this year’s installment.

Award-winning dancer and choreographer, Mizerany performed with San Diego’s Malashock Dance and served as associate artistic director until 2013. Currently Mizerany is the artistic director for Compulsion Dance & Theater. He has presented a number of works at Diversionary Theatre, including [manhandled], Man Clan, Hot Guys Dancing, and A New Brain.

This second installment of IN THE VA VA VOOM ROOM proves Mizerany and his collaborators’ excellence in choreography, dramatization, theatricalization and dancing. Different types of dance—many of them using Horton Technique—include contemporary, modern, heel, pole, erotic, and stripping, choreographed by Andrew Holmes, Caryn Ipapo-Glass, Zaquia Mahler Salinas, Cara Steen, and Michael Mizerany.   [Read more…]

San Diego Activism Abounds in January

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ML King Day Events, Inauguration Protests, Progressive Slates Vie for Democratic Party Power, and More…

There are now seven events being planned in response to the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump as President. the All People’s Celebration with featured speaker Rev.  Dr. William J. Barber as the keynote speaker along with a separately organized protest march will mark Martin Luther King Day, and Democrats throughout the State of California are participating in mini-elections for party leadership posts.

Activism abounds in San Diego if you know where to look for it. I’ve been posting this progressive activism calendar on Fridays now for more than six months and every week I learn about new groups.   [Read more…]

Councilman Alvarez: “I am disgusted by the allegations” About Sexual Harassment by Labor Leader

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Respected Latinas Step Forward with Shocking Claims Against Former Boss Mickey Kasparian

On December 17, 2016 NBC 7 San Diego broke the news that former UFCW Local 135 organizer Sandy Naranjo had filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against UFCW President Mickey Kasparian.

A few days later on December 21 NBC 7 San Diego came out with another story on Kasparian. This time it was regarding allegations of sexual harassment filed by former employee Isabel Vasquez. Vasquez’s complaint was full of lurid details.   [Read more…]

The Hip School Where the Arts Rule

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By Ernie McCray

I had moments not too long ago when I thought that I just might not be around in 2017 – based on the complete lack of energy I was enduring day after day, with my belly under siege by some bacteria that just didn’t want to leave.

But I’m still here on the scene, happy as a lark, slowly getting back to my routines. Wanting to write something regarding my making it to 2017, I checked a writing prompt website and chose number 17 of the choices, as a symbol for 2017, and it read: “In 400 words create your ideal place.”

That put me in a nice place because the prompt could have been something like “Write a 150 word profile on somebody named ‘Margaret Mallory’” or write about “something wrapped” which would have called on more creativity than I wanted to own. I just wanted to kick the new year off in a nice tone.   [Read more…]

2016 Was Another Deadly Year at Sunset Cliffs

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Last year–2016– ended up as another deadly year at Sunset Cliffs, the beautiful yet dangerous cliffs that abut the Pacific Ocean on the west side of Ocean Beach and Point Loma.

By our calculations, four people died at the cliffs and 3 were seriously injured during 2016. In comparison with 2015, that year had 3 deaths but 8 serious injuries/ rescues.

The month of July, in particular, was the most deadly and dangerous, with 2 deaths and 3 seriously injured people.   [Read more…]

Faulconer for Governor, Kill the Wabbit, Save the Chargers, and Other Post-Holiday News

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Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve officially entered the Twilight Zone in San Diego.

The Mayor of the second largest city in a State with the fastest GDP growth in the nation is exploring a run for Governor.

Which might seem unremarkable, except that poverty rates in the region anchored by San Diego have increased by more than 2% since the ‘recovery’ began, homelessness has nearly doubled, and he’s reportedly scheming to cough up $200 million for a football stadium concept soundly rejected by voters just two months ago.   [Read more…]

Call to Action! Protect San Diegans’ Obamacare

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The 115th Congress convened for the first time earlier this week. After their disastrous behind closed doors attempt to gut the Office of Ethics went down in flames, they decided that it was time to concentrate on the number one priority–Repeal and Replace Obamacare.

Repeal and Replace Obamacare has been the Republican mantra since 2009. Their call for repeal of the Affordable Care Act is gratuitous, but it has kept the base hopeful if not happy. Repeal is infinitely easier than proposing a replacement and Republicans have nothing to offer in its place. Maybe that is because the Affordable Care Act IS the Republican healthcare coverage position. Democrats advocated for a universal health coverage system, an expansion of Medicare.   [Read more…]

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