San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

California Obamacare Insurance Exchange Announces Premium Rates

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By Rick Ungar / Forbes

Every now and again, a political pundit is required to stand up and admit to the world that he or she got it wrong.

For me, this would be one of those moments.

For quite some time, I have been predicting that Obamacare would likely mean higher insurance rates in the individual market for the “young immortals” and others under the age of 40.  At the same time, my expectation was that those who fall into the older age ranges would benefit greatly as their premium charges would be lowered thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

It is increasingly clear that I had it wrong.   [Read more…]

Tío Emilio and the Secrets of the Ancestors: Chapter 1 — Along For The Ride

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“With friends like this, who needs enemies?”  Henry Youngman

By Richard Juarez

I didn’t want to get in. Tony and I were already halfway home. We didn’t need a ride. Not with them. It seemed like every time I was around these guys, something bad would happen. I didn’t need more trouble, and I certainly didn’t want to hear more yelling from my mother about hanging out with these guys again.

“Get in, cabrón!” yelled Eddie, “I ain’t gonna sit here all day waiting for you to decide.”   [Read more…]

A Farewell to My Beloved Dog Lil Bear

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By Jack Hamlin

The early morning sunlight filtered through the venetian blinds and fronds of the potted palm, highlighting her multi-hued earth toned fur. She lay on her cushion strategically placed by the bay window so she could keep watch, guarding our home; a task she had performed diligently for over fourteen years. She only occasionally lifted her head now when a stranger passed. A far cry from her warning barks that, up until a few months ago, could rattle the whole house and give any would be trespasser, solicitor or mailman pause. Age, the great equalizer, seemed to have finally caught up with her and her time here was coming to end.

In the late 90s, I lived for a while in the mountains east of San Diego proper. Every morning as the sun came up, I would walk with my other dogs about a half a mile down to the mailbox to retrieve the morning paper. During the school year, my walks would periodically coincide with the arrival and departure of the rural school bus. Like a bucolic scene from a Rockwell painting, the country children would be there with their dogs– dogs who knew to walk home after the bus departed.

On one such morning, my canine companions and I strolled down the dirt road as the bus was pulling away and the three or four dogs began to scatter casually back home. Except one. This one was not very big at all and sat huddled alone next to the mailboxes. My companions ran up to check out the small dog with matted fur, which stood her ground, growling and baring her tiny teeth in an attempt to intimidate. It was then I realized she was not a small dog, but a very young puppy.   [Read more…]

Field of View: A Journey Through the Golden Hill Historic District

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Written by Jim Miller; Photos by Annie Lane

To walk in Golden Hill is to wander through a patchwork quilt of history and wonder.  As a renter in a community full of grand old houses that I’ll never be able to afford to buy, I frequently think of Thoreau’s ruminations on ownership in Walden: “As long as it is possible, live free and uncommitted.  It makes little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail.”

Indeed, the grand old houses of Golden Hill may now be well beyond the reach of most folks in the neighborhood to ever buy, but, if they have eyes to see, they can, as Thoreau says of the poet who truly sees the landscape, own the whole neighborhood.  And I think of that as I watch the working class families out for walks with their kids, apartment dwellers strolling with their dogs, halfway house residents stretching their legs, or even my homeless neighbors lounging on the steps by the manicured lawn and lush garden of some lawyer’s office.   [Read more…]

5 Things to Know Before Today’s March Against Monsanto

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By April Short / Alternet

Fed up with the fact that she has to spend “a small fortune” in order to feed her family things she says “aren’t poisonous,” Tami Canal of Utah has organized a global movement against the giant chemical and seed corporation Monsanto. Monsanto is the conglomerate mastermind behind many of the pesticides and genetically engineered seeds that pervade farm fields around the world. Monsanto produces the world’s top-selling herbicide; 40 percent of US crops contain its genes; it spends millions lobbying the government each year; and several of its factories are now toxic Superfund sites.

Canal, who has a 17-month-old baby and a six-year-old girl, cites concerns over public health, adverse affects on the environment, and political corruption as her motivation to organize against the biotech giant. And her concern has resonated. Protesters around the world have responded to Canal’s call to action, and will amplify their dissatisfaction with the corporation in a “March Against Monsanto” on May 25.

“Not only are they threatening our children and ourselves as well, but also the environment,” Canal says. “The declining bee population has been linked to the pesticides that they use, and that’s just the start. I’ve been reading studies recently that butterflies are starting to disappear, and birds. It’s only a matter of time, it’s pretty much a domino effect.”   [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Driven to Despair: Are San Diego’s Taxis Like a Bangladesh Clothing Factory on Wheels?

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By Doug Porter

A survey released yesterday leaves little room for doubt that conditions in the local taxi industry pose a very real threat to the safety of passengers, drivers and the general public in San Diego.

Conducted over a two month period by San Diego State University and the Center for Policy Initiatives (CPI), the study interviewed 331 local cab drivers, asking about earnings, expenses, hours, health care, vehicle safety and industry practices.

What emerges from the data is a picture of nearly serf-like conditions, where workers are obliged to perform in unsafe vehicles for long stretches of time with low pay under an ever-present threat of being blackballed should they dare to complain about conditions.   [Read more…]

Excavating Golden Hill: The Japanese American Christian Church

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By Jim Miller

It’s easy to miss, tucked away at the elbow of 19th and E streets just above Interstate 5: the Japanese American Christian Church in Golden Hill. You’d most likely drive past this humble place of worship on the way up Broadway without noticing it, but if you happened to be on a stroll down E Street looking at the nice old houses, you’d stumble upon it after the bigger homes give way to a series of California bungalows. It’s there before E turns right into 19th. Across the street from the church, a chain-link fence lines the sidewalk above the 5 where the homeless set up camp on a regular basis before they are swept out and relocated only to return again when the police shift their attention elsewhere.

Historically, the church itself is a product of a relocation of a different sort. As my City College colleague, historian Susan Hasegawa informed me, it was originally founded as the Japanese Holiness Church by Christian Nikkei (immigrants and their descendents) in 1930 and located on Newton Avenue. Sponsored by the Oriental Mission Society, the church focused its efforts on outreach to Issei (first generation immigrant) farmers.   [Read more…]

Gravity’s Rainbow: From the Mariana Islands to Brooklyn Heights/Golden Hill/South Park

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By Jay Powell

“An unarmed Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile was test-launched (on April 7, 2006) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The missile’s single, unarmed re-entry vehicle traveled approximately 8,200 km (5,100 miles), striking a pre-determined water target near Guam in the Northern Mariana Islands. The launch was part of a developmental test to demonstrate the weapon’s effectiveness at an extended range. The Minuteman-3 missile originated from the 564th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.” (from various news releases including “The Mercenary Missileer’s Missile News”).

It is a little under 5,000 miles to the Marianas (just above the equator between Longitudes 145-165 E to Brooklyn Heights, San Diego (Lat 32.724, Long – 117.129 W). But more about that later. Now, about this “Do I live in Golden Hill or South Park?” controversy. As the old Americana saying goes: “you can call me Jay or you can call me Ray, just don’t call me late for dinner. “ For a variety of political and geographic and geologic reasons, place names evolve. Sometimes it is very much a matter of branding for real estate purposes.

This name of place issue kind of parallels the name of the community of City Heights which was taken in 1981 by the Community Development Corporation founders led by Jim Bliesner from the name of the largest subdivision in what had been the “Golden Rule” city of East San Diego. Later there were some residents of the City Heights neighborhood of Cherokee Point who thought they ought to be a part of North Park because they had a 92104 zip code. But it was still in the officially adopted community plan area of City Heights. Regardless of what the real estate salesperson or the post office, or the subdivision map or the City says, the people who live in their neighborhood get to call it whatever they want.   [Read more…]

This Widder’s Got Her Dander Up About Ralph’s New Checkout Lanes!

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By Judi Curry (aka the Widder Curry)

As the “mother” of my household – put the emphasis wherever you think it should be – I do all of the grocery shopping.  My feet are not anchored in cement, and I shop at a variety of stores – CostCo; Barons; Stumps; Vons; Ralph’s, etc.  I like various things at different stores. (I used to shop at Sprouts until they fired an employee I liked.)

My main shopping store is Ralph’s, for a variety of reasons: I use their pharmacy and all my prescriptions are on file there; the items that I purchase are lower there than at other stores; they have the variety of items that I frequently look for.  I seldom buy my produce there because I think they are over-priced, under-ripe, and outdated. I shop there at least once a week; sometimes twice.

Today, when I did a relatively large shopping trip, I noticed that the checkout area had a new configuration. An annoying one.   [Read more…]

SD For Free: Coffee Cupping at Cafe Virtuoso and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

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A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Address:

  • Cafe Virtuoso – 1616 National Ave, San Diego, CA 92113 (Barrio Logan),

Date and Time: Friday mornings at 8:30 and 10:30, respectively

Best For: Sleepy, Happy, Grumpy, and Bashful

San Diego has a number of coffee roasters and you can try their goods at area restaurants, farmers markets, and in the on-site cafes that accompany most of the roasting locations.

Two of my favorite roasters, Cafe Virtuoso in Barrio Logan and Bird Rock Coffee Roasters (BRCR) in Bird Rock, also offering complimentary cuppings on Friday mornings for those interested in learning more about coffee and roasting.   [Read more…]

Council for Business Improvement District Avoids Conflict With Mayor Filner Over Budget Cuts

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By Doug Generoli

The release of Mayor Bob Filner’s initial 2014 budget proposal caused quite a storm in the past several weeks with politicians and the media finding much to criticize. In large part their attention was focused on big ticket issues – use of one-time funds, cuts to the City Attorney’s office, and delays in infrastructure repair – but there was one item that went largely unnoticed … except by the small business community.

Small business in San Diego is thriving. Vacant storefronts are being filled. Businesses are expanding and relocating into larger venues. New construction is occurring.

San Diego small business is even receiving national attention. In late 2012 North Park was rated by Forbes magazine as one of the top 20 hipster neighborhoods in the nation. Just last month Adams Avenue made it into the travel section of the New York Times, which named it as a worthy stop on a short San Diego visit, with specific mention of Lestat’s and Mariposa Ice Cream and Viva Pops.
  [Read more…]

The Starting Line – Community Activists Take Aim at San Diego’s Budget Priorities

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As Citizens Clamor for a Better Life, Downtown Types Scheme to Take it Away

 By Doug Porter

After years of suffering through cutbacks and slights of hand, residents from some of San Diego’s poorest neighborhoods packed a City Council public budget hearing last night. An event that in the past might have been focused on saving city services from further budget cuts was instead about creating positive visions and improving people’s lives.

More than 300 hundred people submitted requests to speak to Council members on topics relevant to the needs of their communities in Mayor Bob Filner’s proposed budget for FY 2014.  Speakers addressed the hearing in four languages, advocating for free bus passes for needy students, a better bike infrastructure, more library hours and improvements in the way city’s taxicabs are regulated.

Although only 100 of those who signed up actually got to speak for their allotted minute, the size and determination of the groups in attendance made a clear impression on the Council.   [Read more…]

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