San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Santa’s Dreaming of a Green Christmas

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From now on, naughty children will no longer receive coal in their stockings

By Jill Richardson / OtherWords

Santa’s changing some policies at the North Pole.

You see, he’s concerned about global warming. If the polar ice caps melt, his workshop will sink into the Arctic Ocean. He’d become a climate refugee.

What’s more, our changing climate is endangering our food supply. It’s not just the hotter average global temperatures. Climate change also triggers more extreme weather.

Droughts, floods, and storms are no good for farming. And pests lacking predators and diseases that are hard or impossible to treat are already moving into new areas in some parts of the world as a result of the changing climate.

Why does Santa care? He wants his milk and cookies, of course. The world’s favorite fat man won’t look half as jolly if he loses weight due to global food shortages.   [Read more…]

Rep. Issa’s Loose Lips Looking to Sink Security for Obamacare Web Site

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By Doug Porter

Congressman Darrell Issa’s investigation into HealthCare.gov’s dismal performance during its first two months online has turned into a full-blown executive-congressional confrontation over concerns raised about the security of documents under subpoena.

On Wednesday acting in his role as Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa accused Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of criminal obstruction.  The administration has let the Republican Congressman know they won’t turn over documents related to the security of the Healthcare.gov website because they can’t trust him to keep secret information.

Congressman Darrell Issa’s game plan ought to be obvious by now. He announces a major investigation into an executive branch agency, holds a press conference or three implying this will be the scandal bringing down the Obama administration, leaks a bunch of partially redacted documents, holds hearings and… nothing ever happens because there is no scandal.   [Read more…]

After a Long Hiatus, Morena Reservoir is Back in Service…For Now

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By George J Janczyn / Groksurf.com 

After a nearly 7-year break in operations—with a brief restart in February this year only to be halted again—water from Morena Reservoir is again flowing toward the City of San Diego.

Morena Reservoir is located in East County about 45 miles from San Diego, near Campo. Water released from Morena flows down Hauser Canyon and into Barrett Reservoir.

Barrett is situated about 10 miles west of Morena, at the confluence of Cottonwood and Pine Valley creeks. Water is then released from Barrett and conveyed via the Dulzura Conduit to the Lower Otay Reservoir where it is treated and delivered to San Diego residents.   [Read more…]

Robert Reich: 3 Reasons Why the Budget Deal is a Raw Deal

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In fact, the only good thing about it is that right-wingers hate it

By Robert Reich /Robert Reich’s Blog

About the only good thing that can be said about the budget deal just patched together by House Republican budget chair Paul Ryan and Senate Democratic budget chair Patty Murray is that the right-wing Heritage Foundation and the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity oppose it.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a good deal for the country.   [Read more…]

San Diego’s Thomas Jefferson School of Law Slashes Jobs, Salaries, and Budget

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By Paul Campos / Lawyers, Guns & Money/ Dec 12, 2013

The new dean at TJSL has apparently been brought in to clean up the mess created by his predecessor, and he’s not being too shy about the fact:

I do not know how Thomas Jefferson became the whipping boy for critics of legal education. We must, however, be honest with ourselves; many of our troubles are the result of our own missteps, our own failure to plan, and our own failure to address problems in a timely fashion. My immediate plan and promise to you is that we will take aggressive and transparent action to confront these challenges. Since July 1, we have taken what I think are positive, though at times painful, steps to address the most critical challenges, whether self-imposed or systemic. Let me give you three examples.

  [Read more…]

San Diego 350 Answers: What Is Fracking?

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From SanDiego350

Fracking

Modern fracking in California is a huge new source of greenhouse gas emissions as well as a threat to our water and air quality and cause of earthquakes. SanDiego350.org is educating the public and local elected officials about the hazards associated with fracking, and calling for a ban on fracking in California.

FRACTS: Fracking Frequently Asked Questions

What is fracking (Hydraulic Fracturing)? Fracking is a process to release and extract oil or gas by blasting water, toxic chemicals, and sand at extreme pressure miles underground into a shale rock layer.

Where is fracking happening in California? Fracking has already taken place in several California counties, with companies targeting the massive Monterey Shale rock formation that stretches from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. Offshore fracking is happening now and could happen in the waters off San Diego County.   [Read more…]

San Diego’s Greedy Bastards Coalition Fights the ‘Zombie Tax’

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By Doug Porter

If you’ve not been paying attention, there’s a war going on for the heart and soul of our city. The 2012 election portended a different path for how San Diego could work as a city, a vision that scared the hell out of the guardians of ‘business as usual’. Now they’re fighting back.  Get ready for yet another referendum negating the actions of the City Council.

Last month they were peddling the completely fabricated claim that 46,000 jobs would be lost to make room for yuppie condos in Barrio Logan.  Yesterday “business leaders” stood in front of the news media who dutifully reported on their re-mobilization for opposition to a “Zombie Tax” they say will push the economy back into recession.   [Read more…]

Volunteers Needed for San Diego’s Homeless Census Count

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By Doug Porter

The Regional Task Force on the Homeless is seeking over one thousand volunteers to assist in counting homeless individuals in San Diego on January 24, 2014.

The Point In Time Count (PITC) is an annual census effort encompassing both sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals. Data about locations and demographics is collected, enabling agencies in the San Diego region to better understand the scope, impact and potential solutions to homelessness.

The PITC is also crucial in that it supplies information essential to applications for funding to address homeless issues. Based on San Diego’s 2013 census, approximately 8,900 individuals, families and unaccompanied children experience homelessness annually in San Diego County.   [Read more…]

San Diego Is Becoming One of America’s ‘Most Bicycle Friendly’ Cities

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Statistics from newly released American League of Bicycle report shows San Diego bicycle movement has momentum

From San Diego Loves Green

Bicycle-loving San Diego is more than an idea now – it’s a statistic. In a League of American Bicyclists report released this week, San Diego consistently ranks amongst the top American cities for bicycle commuters and ridership.

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, an organization that advocates for and protects the rights of all people who ride bicycles, has spearheaded the movement to create a strong bicycling culture in San Diego County.

In the report, Where we ride: An Analysis of bicycling in American cities, the League of American Bicyclists looks at bicycle commuting trends and specific analyses throughout national cities.

Statistics reported on San Diego include:   [Read more…]

The Case Against RevengePorn Bad Guy Kevin Bollaert

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By Doug Porter

Yesterday’s announcement by California State Attorney General Kamala Harris about one of the operators of now-defunct revenge porn site YouGotPosted being arrested garnered coverage in nearly all the local media. There’s more to the story than meets the eye.

San Diegan Kevin Bollaert surrendered to authorities and was charged with 31 felony counts of conspiracy, identity theft and extortion.  He made $50,000 bail and walked on Tuesday evening, telling a TV 8 News Reporter “I don’t feel like I committed any crime.”

The sad part of this story is that Bollaert may be right, technically speaking. His web site allowed anonymous individuals to upload explicit images along with personal information of the subject. California’s revenge porn law only applies when the person accused of spreading the images online is also the photographer.   [Read more…]

DOA: Behind the Chamber of Commerce’s “Job Killers” List

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By Gary Cohn/Capital and Main

The California Chamber of Commerce represents more than 13,000 businesses, from companies such as Microsoft and Walt Disney, to local companies with small numbers of employees. From its K Street headquarters in Sacramento, the “Cal Chamber,” as it’s colloquially known, analyzes some 3,000 pieces of legislation every year. In the past 10 years, 341 of 353 — nearly 97 percent — of the bills opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce failed to become law. The vast majority of these were never passed by the Legislature and sent to the Governor. Instead, they were killed in committee or voted down by the Legislature or amended to take out provisions opposed by the chamber.

The chamber’s weapon of choice is its highly publicized “Job Killers List,” a roll call of bills the chamber claims threaten the interests of business, though its press releases tend to stress the bills’ menace to California’s economy and its workers’ jobs.   [Read more…]

Want to Cut Food Stamp Spending? Raise the Minimum Wage

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By Dave Johnson/Campaign for America’s Future

Last Month President Obama will give a speech on his plan to grow the economy and the middle class. Thursday fast-food workers will strike in 100 cities and stage protests in 100 others to demand $15 an hour and the right to form a union without interference from employers. Here’s something to consider: raising the minimum wage cuts government spending on Food Stamps and other programs.

The Minimum Wage

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 1.57 million people in the United States make the minimum wage, and another 1.98 million make even less. These 3.6 million workers make up 4.7 percent of all hourly-wage workers. People who are supposedly paid tips and people under 20 can be paid less than this minimum. Some states allow businesses that are not engaged in interstate commerce (and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the federal government) to pay less. Some territories – notably American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands – also are allowed to pay less.   [Read more…]

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