The Case for John Avalos


District 11 Supervisor-Elect John Avalos and Supervisor Chris Daly on election night.
Photos by Luke Thomas

By Chris Daly

January 4, 2009

John Avalos, Community Organizer


District 11 Supervisor-Elect John Avalos

I first met John Avalos back in 1999 at his old place in the Excelsior, across from Monroe Elementary School. By this time, John was already well known in community organizing circles for his work at Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth. John and his partner, Karen Zapata, had opened up their home as the Excelsior mobilizing spot for Tom Ammiano’s campaign for Mayor. I can remember thinking how lucky we were to have such a great connection in the Excelsior, a neighborhood that had been notoriously difficult for progressives.

Between 2000 and 2004, John served as the Director of Organizing for Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth and as Political Director for Justice for Janitors, SEIU Local 1877. At Coleman, John led the citywide outreach effort to pass the reauthorization of the Children’s Fund. He also brought Coleman to the next level of advocacy around the City budget, organizing service providers and residents to directly engage on the defining questions facing City Hall decision-makers. At Justice for Janitors, John mobilized political support for 2 contract campaigns, ensuring that over 2000 workers received wage increases while preserving healthcare and retirement benefits.

City Hall Savvy

In early 2005, I invited John to work as a Legislative Assistant in my office. It was one of the best decisions I have made as a Supervisor. Over the last 4 years, I watched as John Avalos adroitly managed legislative and political affairs, always taking time to hear from everyone while watching out for our City’s most vulnerable.

Most notably, John was able to use his experience as an organizer to open City Hall’s doors to ensure that the voices of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities were clearly heard during budget deliberations. John was able to demystify the budget process for community stakeholders while coordinating sometimes-tedious budget discussions between Supervisor offices, the Budget Analyst, Controller, and Mayor’s Budget Office. John played much of this role at City Hall even in the years that I didn’t Chair the Budget Committee. Through John’s work, tens of millions of dollars worth of vital services for childcare, health and mental health programs, park restorations, and senior support were saved from the chopping block. And tens of millions more were added for affordable housing and other programs.

Let’s be honest here, there are several Legislative Assistants that are more involved in the day-to-day running of local government than many members of the Board. John was one of these “leg aides” and was known as the go-to-guy on budget matters. His even-handed work on the City budget drew strong praise across the political spectrum with accolades from Supervisors Sean Elsbernd and Ross Mirkarimi!

Continue reading The Case for John Avalos

 

Filed under: Healthcare, Housing, Opinion, Politics

 

Take Nancy Pelosi Off the Table
as Speaker of the House

By Joyce Lynn

January 1, 2009

Democrats, it’s time to clean the House. Start at the top.

When the 111th Congress convenes in January, it is time for a change — a change of the Speaker of the House. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) in her two years as speaker has enabled a pro-Bush, pro-corporate agenda almost as facilely and frequently as Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

In November 2006, voters put Democrats in the majority in Congress to end the Iraq occupation and hold Bush responsible for the war. But among the first things she did when she became speaker was take impeachment off the table, giving Bush a blank check to wage the Iraq war for two more years.

Showing disdain for those opposed to the war, Pelosi snubbed peace demonstrators outside her San Francisco home, morphing into Bush who refused to meet Cindy Sheehan and peace protesters outside his Crawford, Texas, compound.

Under Pelosi’s leadership, Congress gave Bush a half-trillion dollars for the Iraq war Pelosi said she wanted to stop. More than 1,200 U.S. soldiers and thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children have died since Pelosi became speaker.

Continue reading Take Nancy Pelosi Off the Table as Speaker of the House

 

Filed under: Opinion, Politics

 

Over the Top in Under the Radar

By Jill Chapin

January 1, 2009

Ellen Leopold does a masterful job of showing us how our government’s Cold War mentality played a sinister role regarding radiation therapies in the treatment of cancer. Her book, Under the Radar, often reads like ghoulish science fiction gone amok - except that it all really happened. She takes us through a labyrinth of government agencies, none of which sought to protect us from the deadly effects of radiation.

Leopold walks us through the decision-making process of how byproducts of the bombs we dropped on Japan were later used in peace time as training tools for the government to test how much radiation a human body can safely tolerate. This was in the guise of cancer treatment using cobalt radiotherapy, and without the knowledge or consent of the patient. These can only be called what they were - secret radiation experiments. Bone-chilling and Orwellian, she shows us how those treatments were more military than medical.

Continue reading Over the Top in Under the Radar

 

Filed under: Healthcare, Opinion

 

Auld Lang Syne


Supervisor Chris Daly with daughter Grace Eolen Daly.
Photo by Luke Thomas

By Chris Daly

December 31, 2008

As I close out my 8th year on the Board of Supervisors, it is with some sadness that the District 6 office says goodbye to a few individuals who have done significant work on behalf of the people of San Francisco.

Lena Gomes twice served as Legislative Assistant – in 2004 and 2008. In addition to managing complicated legislative efforts, including reform of the massage industry, protecting San Franciscans from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and saving the Heart of the City Farmers Market, Lena staffed the Rules Committee, managed the office and interns, and fielded constituent requests. Lena will stay on until February, at which time she heads back to San Francisco State for a Masters Degree in Literature.

Rachel Redondiez began working as a Legislative Assistant weeks after I first took office in 2001. Rachel came from HERE Local 2, San Francisco’s hotel and restaurant employees union, where, among many other organizing campaigns, Rachel ran the independent effort to elect me in 2000.

It would be impossible to do justice in this forum to Rachel’s 8 years in the office. Rachel has been at my side through thick and thin, offering sage advice and deep perspective – often being the one to steady the ship. The savviest political insiders figured out that if you needed help from the District 6 Supervisor, Rachel was a much better person to contact than me.

Rachel did much of the groundwork to get Bessie Carmichael rebuilt alongside the new Victoria Manalo Draves Park. Rachel was the main force behind the tenants of Trinity Plaza in their struggle to save their homes. Rachel was the inspiration for paid parental leave and has been point on most of our affordable housing, immigrant rights, worker rights, and community-initiated initiatives.

Outside of our office, Rachel helped found the Filipino Community Center in the Excelsior, served as Secretary-General of BAYAN USA in 2006, and co-founded the SF People’s Organization to promote unity and organization within San Francisco’s progressive politics. She also keeps busy with her ROCK STAR kids, Amihan, Kali, and Malaya.


Rachel Redondiez with ROCK STAR kid Malaya at last year’s Holiday Treat Throwdown.

While Rachel will leave the office at 12 noon on January 8th, she won’t be going too far. She’ll be senior in the most experienced office at the Board of Supervisors with her home-district Supervisor and co-worker of 4 years, John Avalos.


Rachel Redondiez, Karen Zapata and Supervisor-Elect John Avalos on election night.

Continue reading Auld Lang Syne

 

Filed under: Education, Housing, Politics

 

Outrage, Protests Grow as Israeli Attacks on Gaza Intensify

3144945059_ea7e06ed35_std.jpg
Photos by Nathan Frankel

By Nathan Frankel

December 30, 2008

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered for a second consecutive day in San Francisco yesterday to draw attention to what many are calling a human rights catastrophe in Gaza.

In downtown San Francisco, demonstrators snarled traffic outside the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in hopes of persuading the California senator to take a tougher stand against Israeli aggression.

The event was organized by several organizations including the Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace and Direct Action to Stop the War.

3149883422_1e7f3f7624_std.jpg

As many as 360 Palestinians have been killed and over 1400 have been wounded since Israel began its aerial bombardment of the occupied territory on Saturday. Reports indicate that many of the Palestinians killed were civilian police officers not connected to Hamas, and the United Nations says 62 of those Palestinians killed so far have been women and children. Five Israeli’s have been killed by Hamas missile strikes since the airstrikes began.

Israel Air Force fighter-bomber jets have dropped more than one hundred tons of explosives on Gaza since Saturday while Israeli defense forces and armored corps troops have been deployed to the border. The situation in Gaza is especially dire as the 1.5 million inhabitants have been deprived of food and medical supplies for the past 18 months. Hospitals are overwhelmed and many have not been allowed to restock their supplies for over a year.

3149882908_9d31b452d8_std1.jpg

Barbara Lubin, Executive Director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, has been working in Gaza for 20 years and will  return in two weeks with medical supplies. She said the supplies will have to be delivered by boat via Cypress because of an Israeli blockade.

When asked why it is appropriate to demonstrate in front of Feinstein’s office, Lubin said it is hypocritical of the senator, who is Jewish, to call for justice in Tibet and Darfur and be silent over the humanitarian issues that have existed in Gaza for many years.

Lubin said there will have to be major changes now if we’re going to stand collectively for human rights in the occupied territories.

Sami Kit of the Arab Resource and Organizing Council said it is important to pressure our elected officials and provide people with historical context.

“Israel made it clear they intended to starve Gaza over the past 18 months,” Kit said, “and that’s exactly what they’ve done. It’s important to get information out about the conflict, that the continuing violence is not simply the result of Israel defending itself.”

3149884862_0c8a45225f_std.jpg

 

Filed under: News

 

ALC, SABA Urge Commission to Save Jobs,
Businesses at SFO

From Asian Law Caucus

December 30, 2008

The Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California (SABA) have joined forces on a campaign launched by the ALC to save immigrant jobs and businesses at San Francisco International Airport.

The San Francisco Airport Commission is considering an administrative plan to terminate the existing 11 existing door-to-door service permits and to authorize issuance of requests for proposals (RFPs) for 4 on-demand shared-ride service agreements for service between San Francisco International Airport and the Five Bay Area Counties.

Existing door-to-door service permit holders transport thousands of travelers to and from SFO every day. The proposal before the Airport Commission is to have 2 companies serving all of San Francisco and 2 companies servicing the South and East Bay.

Approval of the proposal will result in the loss of over 300 mostly immigrant jobs.

Small, locally owned companies that do not fit within the requirements of the proposal will have to shut down. Their drivers, mechanics, and administrative staff, many of them South Asian, will be out of work.

“ALC is already concerned about harmful labor issues alleged against bigger businesses in this market,” said Veena Dubal, Asian Law Caucus staff attorney. “Eliminating the small, locally-owned companies, as the current proposal will surely do, will only serve to reward the bigger businesses for engaging in cut-throat business practices that demean their employees while maximizing their own profits.”


Veena Dubal

ALC and SABA are further concerned about the negative consequences to the thousands of customers who use shared-ride services everyday if the Airport Commission adopts the proposed administrative plan.

“The loss of these small, locally-owned companies will negatively affect customer service and result in less competitive pricing for customers traveling to and from SFO,” said Khurshid Khoja, President of the South Asian Bar Association. “Curtailing competition in this presently vibrant market will only serve to harm the interests of the consumer.”

The ALC has published a position paper related to the situation. It can be viewed online at: http://savesfoshuttles.wordpress.com

The ALC and SABA have come together to urge the community to send e-mails to Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Airport Commissioners urging the Airport Commissioners to vote against the proposed administrative plan to squeeze out many of the immigrant-owned and immigrant-employing shared-van services at SFO.

Details on how to join and help the campaign can be found at:
http://savesfoshuttles.wordpress.com/how-to-help/

Added Dubal, “Given that we are in the middle of a recession of historic proportion, this plan, if executed, will be devastating for these 300 workers and their families. We urge the Airport Commission to revise their current plan.”

ASIAN LAW CAUCUS (ALC) – The mission of the Asian Law Caucus is to promote, advance, and represent the legal and civil rights of the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, the Asian Law Caucus is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society with a specific focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income and Asian and Pacific Islanders. Visit: asianlawcaucus.org.

SOUTH ASAIN BAR ASSOCIATION (SABA) – With over 500 members, the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California is the largest regional South Asian Bar Association in North America. As the voice of the Northern California South Asian legal community, SABA advocates for the South Asian community, supports those who value diversity in the legal profession and promotes programs that assist lawyers in their work. For more information about SABA visit: southasianbar.org.

 

Filed under: Business, News, Politics, Transportation

 

2008 - The Year Hope Battled Hate


Patrick Goggin

By Patrick Goggin

December 26, 2008

From the rise of Barack Obama to marking 30 years since we lost Harvey Milk, 2008 saw the message of hope reverberate from shore to shore and around the world. Concurrently, we witnessed the resurgence of hate via the galvanization of white supremacist groups as Obama’s popularity grew through the year and in California’s vote to ban gay marriage. As we look back at the year hope battled hate, there is much to be hopeful for.

The year began with Obama’s resounding primary win in Iowa. A truly American story of a man of Kenyan and Kansan descent hailing from the state of Lincoln, Obama bucked the odds of political corruption historically running roughshod through Illinois and brought us a President-Elect whose leadership 70% of the country remains hopeful about despite our dire circumstances and the Blagojevich scandal.

Continue reading 2008 - The Year Hope Battled Hate

 

Filed under: Opinion, Politics

 

Those Ungrateful Iraqis

By Terry Canaan

December 17, 2008

It may turn out to be one of the most lasting images of the Bush presidency. The leader of the free world ducks as an angry journalist throws a shoe at him. President Bush was in Iraq to sign an agreement that would require — by Iraqi and international law — that occupying US forces withdraw. Shoes were thrown, things went haywire, and we had the Iraq war in miniature — a nearly perfect metaphor for the whole thing. While Bush was talking about how wonderful things are in Iraq, Iraqis hate him for how awful things are in Iraq. Telling that lie here, where we’re protected from the truth by a play-along media, is one thing. Telling that lie there, where they live with the truth every day, is another thing entirely.

Middle east expert Juan Cole tells us that the shoe-thrower, Muntazir al-Zaidi, was reacting to the things he had witnessed in his country, calling out, “Killer of Iraqis, killer of children!” as the guards took him down.

[Zaidi] had covered the US bombing of Sadr City last spring, in support of PM Nuri al-Maliki’s incursion into this stronghold of the Sadr Movement and its Mahdi Army, and is said to have been emotionally affected by the sight of that destruction

The frequent US bombing of civilian Iraqi cities that are already under US military occupation has been one of the most under-reported stories of the Iraq War.

Raining death from above tends to make people angry, I guess. As an American, I wouldn’t know — that’s just something that happens in other places. Places we invade. It’s the sort of thing that we do to other countries, so I wouldn’t have any idea what it feels like, what it looks like, what it smells like, or how it the memories wake you up in a cold sweat. Never having been on the receiving end of aerial bombings, I’m not in a position to know these sort of things. Living within the empire has its privileges.

Continue reading Those Ungrateful Iraqis

 

Filed under: News, Opinion, Politics

 

Assessing the Bush Legacy:
The Measure of the Man
and His Administration

By Stephen Lendman

December 17, 2008

George W. Bush. US president: January 20, 2001 - January 19, 2009. Born of privilege. Unimpressive by every measure. A history of underachievement. Chosen by big money. Arranged through electoral fraud. Installed by the Supreme Court. Empowered by a dubious “terrorist” act, and ending with a record unmatched by the worst of his predecessors. Assessing the Bush legacy - from its illegitimate birth; through its lawless, belligerent years; to the world potentially on the brink at its end. Exploring it fully as a change of command approaches, and an unenviable task awaits the new incumbent.

As Texas Governor

Looking to Election 2000, big monied interests knew what they wanted and got it in George W. Bush. In his 2000 book, “The Dirty Truth,” Rick Abraham (a former Texas environmental law enforcement officer) documented his record as Texas governor from 1995 - 2000 when “he championed the agenda of the state’s biggest and worst corporate polluters,” according to commentator, author, and former Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower. In return for huge political contributions and jump-starting his presidential bid, he:

– lobbied for a national radioactive waste dump in Texas;

– told the public it was mostly for x-rays and other hospital waste;

– solicited nuclear power waste from other states;

– corrupted the state’s environmental standards to accommodate polluters;

– failed to provide protection from industrial pollution, air toxins, and hazardous wastes;

– did it all secretly;

– stripped municipalities of local control over land use and environmental protections;

– let state parks languish in decay and disrepair, and this was only his environmental record.

He was staunchly pro-business, anti-civil liberties, unresponsive to public needs, and presided over more state executions than any other governor in the nation since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. His own aides at the time called him a man who enjoys killing, and not one to trust with the presidency as it turned out.

Continue reading Assessing the Bush Legacy:
The Measure of the Man
and His Administration

 

Filed under: News, Opinion, Politics