San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Filner’s 9-month Mayorship was the Biggest Boon to Bicycling and Livability in San Diego’s History

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by Sam Ollinger /BikeSD

Under the better late than never philosophy, I thought I’d write down some thoughts about the (now former) Mayor Filner’s short nine month reign in San Diego.

Back in 2011 when the November 2012 election season seemed eons away, I began to realize the importance of having a mayor in office ready and willing to push the bike agenda. I was just getting started in advocacy and having observed the success of having a champion in the mayor’s office from cities as large as New York City to ones as small as Oklahoma City, I thought I’d try and see how far I could get with having a mayoral candidate making a commitment a more bike friendly San Diego.   [Read more…]

To Bomb or Not to Bomb (Syria), That is The Question

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By Doug Porter

Once again the world faces an ogre whose actions threaten the sensibilities of good people everywhere and any neighborhood or ethinic group that gets in his way. I am speaking of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the latest in a series of post-cold war functionaries to break bad on the world and their own people.

Syria, like much of the post-colonial world, is a nation-state created at the point of a gun by its European conquerors.  Assad is just another functionary entrusted with keeping stability in an unstable region.

He and his father before him were placeholders for Soviet interests in the Middle East. Today Syria and Iran stand alone against the Sunni masters of Saudi Arabia, a US surrogate increasingly open about operating on its own agenda.   [Read more…]

City Heights, My Hero in the Era of “The New Jim Crow”

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By Ernie McCray

If a community could be labeled a hero then City Heights would be mine. I’ve loved the community for a long time. I used to live there back in 68 or 69 – when I was trying to get my life back in line after it had been weakened by more drama than one would find in a telenovela storyline. So, to my delight, I rediscovered the light in City Heights. That bonded us.

The word around town in those days was that there were streets in the neighborhoods that were “kind of rough” and there was some truth to that but I’ve kept the love.

Over time, though, “rough” became a pretty apt description of the area. Gang banging and drug handling came more and more on the scene. Abodes were crumbling. Citizens had nowhere to go to ask questions as there were no “public services” to speak of. Some definition of “disenfranchised” has to be included in that picture somewhere.   [Read more…]

Part I: A Story About Sex… More or Less

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By Norma Damashek / NumbersRunner

Once upon a time there was a man with an unquenchable impulse to invite women out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. He seemed oblivious to a fact most other men understand — there are circumstances when it’s okay to sweet-talk a woman and other circumstances when it’s not.

For a man known to be adept and dynamic at public speaking he was oddly banal and unimaginative at the art and practice of seduction: are you married… you are beautiful… your eyes mesmerize me… I want you to have dinner with me.   [Read more…]

A Post-Labor Day Tribute To My Sister

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By Judi Curry

Labor Day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  In my case, at the age of seven, the first time I knew about “Labor Day” was on September 2nd, 1946, because that was the day my mother went into labor with my sister, Andy. (Andrea Jane.)  The house was a flutter and my own governess was going to take care of my sister, leaving me for the first time in my life.

I was going to be “a big girl” now, and I no longer needed to have Nanny Parsons monitor my every move.  All of that was fine with me, except for one small thing – I did not know that my mother was pregnant.  I do not want to say that she kept it a secret from me – but it was not talked about in my presence.   [Read more…]

History is Being Made! Modern Day People and Actions Worth Honoring on Labor Day

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By Doug Porter

While the image of Labor Day as one of rest, recreation and charred meats has been drilled into our collective consciousness by the mavens of Madison Avenue, I want to interrupt this program to point out that history is being made this year.

Today we’ll be taking a look at some the people locally and nationally on the front lines of the fight for decent wages and working conditions.

Courtesy of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (ICWJ) you’ll meet George, Marisol, Valaria and Daniela as they tell about their struggles to get by here in San Diego.

Writer Bob Dorn met fast food workers Debra Flores and Diego Rios at our city’s first Fight for Fifteen demonstration last Thursday and serves up a big serving of what their lives are like.

Jim Miller writes about the history of Labor Day, how it’s meaning has been lost and what’s being done to get the ‘move’ back into the labor movement these days.

And I’ve come up with a list of things going on that you might not have heard about in between the latest breaking news on singer Justin Bieber and Kourtney Kardashian’s latest sideboob shot.   [Read more…]

Wendy McDonald Can Barely Afford a Burger King

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By Bob Dorn

Debby, or Debra, Flores is 20 and has a 2-year-old daughter. She works at Wendy’s downtown, First and Broadway from 11 am to 3 p.m. only four days a week, which means she’s part-time and enjoys no company benefits. She makes $8 per hour from the Wendy’s she’s part of. So, during the week at Wendy’s she’s making $32 a day, taking home $128.00 per week, less taxes.

She pays taxes because she has ANOTHER job at a hookah lounge delivering food and tobacco starting at 7 pm and continuing through the night to 6 am.

Think of it. This slight, lean young girl human on a typical day of the week puts in 15 hours of work a day, commutes to her mother’s home and spends just about 3 hours a day with her child, starting at 3 pm. Sometimes, on a good day, she grabs maybe five hours of sleep, if she can sleep.   [Read more…]

Happy Labor Day, Now More than Ever

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By Jim Miller

Today is Labor Day, but how many of us have any idea where the holiday came from or what it celebrates?

The first Labor Day was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5th, 1882 in New York City and was proposed by the Central Labor Union (CLU) at a time when American workers were struggling for basic rights such as the eight-hour day. The CLU moved the “workingman’s holiday” to the first Monday in September in 1883 and urged other unions to celebrate the date as well.

The movement grew throughout the 1880s, along with the American labor movement itself with 23 states passing legislation recognizing Labor Day as a holiday. By 1894 Congress followed suit and Labor Day became a national holiday.

On that date, in 1894, most American workers still did not have an eight-hour day, the right to organize, social security, health care, or even a living wage. Child labor was common and there were no health and safety laws. Indeed, just being a unionist could get you fired or even killed in some quarters.   [Read more…]

Serving Witness on Labor Day – The Story of Grocery Workers “Valaria” and “Daniela”

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Grocery Workers Valeria and Daniela who want to organize Valeria and her mother Daniela both work at a Latino Grocery Store which is part of a larger Southern California supermarket chain. Valeria is a shy and soft spoken 24-year-old who aspires to be a social worker. She and her mother Daniela live in a small home at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in North San Diego County.

They love their tranquil community and caring neighbors who look out for one another. Valeria’s mother has worked at the grocery store for 8 years and helped Valeria get a job as a bagger 4 years ago. Now, Valeria is the Scan Coordinator, ensuring that the prices on every single item in the store are correct.

It’s a big responsibility and during the busiest times of the year, the work days can seem endless. Valeria helps her mother with as much as she can but finds is difficult to move beyond living paycheck to paycheck. When asked what she would do with a little extra money, her eyes fill with tears, and she says “I’d buy my mom a birthday present”.   [Read more…]

Serving Witness on Labor Day – Janitor “Marisol”, Whose Daughter was Admitted to UCSB

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My name is Marisol and I have been a Janitor for 13 years. I overheard my son tell one of his friends “My mom is a warrior and she is my best friend” and I realized how proud of me my children were.

“I am from Embarcadero, Guerrero in Mexico. I came to the US 14 years ago because I was a single mother with two children and I wasn’t making enough money to provide for them. My son was 12 years old and my daughter was only 5 years old when we came to this country. I had to work two jobs to provide for them. I worked in childcare from 5:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. I would go home to feed my children a meal before going to work as a janitor from 4:00 p.m. to 12:30a.m.   [Read more…]

Serving Witness on Labor Day – San Diego City Worker “George”

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George is a Greens Keeper at the Balboa Park Golf Course for the City of San Diego.

He is 28 years old, and for the past 7 years he has worked to keep the City’s public golf courses beautiful and functional for all San Diego residents and tourists to enjoy.

His day begins at 5:30 a.m. During his shift he may do everything from mowing the greens and tees, to maintaining his equipment. George takes a great deal of pride in his work. Most people don’t know that the grass on a golf course is as short as onetenth of an inch. George has to be precise in his work to be sure he doesn’t cut more than one third of that “tenth of an inch” – or the grass could dry out and become brown. That mistake would be noticeable for days and could affect the prestige of the course.   [Read more…]

Who in the World Lives in City Heights?

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Karen, Kachin and Shan join South Sudanese, Vietnamese and Mexicans

By Anna Daniels

Over forty percent of City Heights residents are foreign born. La Maestra, which operates health clinics in City Heights, recently provided a memorable introduction to some of our foreign born neighbors when over a dozen residents took to the fashion runway wearing traditional clothing. Their poise belies the fact that many arrived in this country with little more than hope and determination. It is easy to understand why the fashion show is described as the highlight of La Maestra’s gala fundraiser.   [Read more…]

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