By Gino Rambetes

July 3, 2009

The photograph above came out of the governor’s press office and illustrates why California’s government and the state’s economy are in such a mess.

First, one wonders how many taxpayer dollars were wasted to choreograph, shoot and distribute the photo.

Second, and more important, the press release (see below) does nothing but continue a finger-pointing exercise. Like so much other drivel from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, it fails to mention what politicians in both “major” and some “minor” parties have long known and refuse to admit: that the budget crisis and economic disaster stem from the class warfare that started with California voters’ passage in 1978 of the property tax limitation initiative known as Proposition 13.

Taxes per se are not evil nor harmful. They are absolutely necessary to fund vital public services — health care, education, aid to the needy, public-works projects, police and fire protection, etc. — and a taxation system that is properly constructed and fairly implemented can do just that.

The politicians need to stop parroting the corporate lies, and to start telling and acting on the truth. Otherwise, within 10 years, the class war will erupt into violence that will make the urban riots of the 1960s look like tea socials. Sleep well.

Gino Rembetes is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.

Schwarzenegger’s Press Release

Following the legislature’s inability to pass a comprehensive solution to solve California’s entire $24.3 billion deficit, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today visited San Francisco to discuss the state’s budget crisis. Wednesday, the Governor proclaimed a fiscal emergency and called a Proposition 58 legislative special session to address this emergency. Additionally, the Governor exercised his executive authority to save cash for vital state functions and services by ordering three furlough days every month. Click here to read more. The following photo was taken at Governor Schwarzenegger’s field office in San Francisco, CA.

From the campaign to elect Adriel Hampton to Congress

Editor’s Note: Senator Mark DeSaulnier appears to be using his Senate re-election campaign funds to promote himself in his bid to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher in the CA-10 special election.

July 2, 2009

Antioch, Ca. — As the Democratic candidates vying to fill the seat left vacant by Rep. Ellen Taushcher prepared for tonight’s debate, grassroots reformer Adriel Hampton congratulated rival Mark DeSaulnier on his bid for re-election to the State Senate. Hampton was alerted Wednesday to DeSaulnier’s impressive multitasking skills when voters throughout Contra Costa County reported receipt of a 12-page glossy entitled “District Health Service Guide” and paid for by DeSaulnier’s 2012 Senate campaign.

“Amazing,” said Hampton. “I thought I was working hard, running for Congress, raising a family, advocating for a more responsive government, and working full time as an investigator. But here we have Senator DeSaulnier, running for Congress, trying to stay on top of his day job dealing with the economic mess in Sacramento, and actively running for re-election to keep on representing the people who elected him to the California Senate eight months ago.”

DeSaulnier’s impressive resource guide alerts voters to his progressive positions on health care, and features President Barack Obama, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Joe Biden, and a glowing endorsement from AssemblymanTom Torlakson. It also has 15 full-color photos of Senator DeSaulnier, if you count shots of his arm in the frame.

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By Luke Thomas

July 1, 2009

Protests against Mayor Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget cuts continued for a third day today at San Francisco City Hall.

“We’re protesting Mayor Newsom’s inequitable, inhumane, immoral budget that basically balances the City’s budget on the backs of the poor, the backs of the homeless and the backs of the sick,” said Julian Davis, one of several protest organizers.

“It’s just unacceptable,” Davis added.

Julian Davis discusses Newsom’s budget cuts with a KTVU reporter.

Today’s die-in protest followed similar protests Sunday during the annual Pride Parade and on Alioto Plaza, Monday. Davis said the protests would continue, “Until the Mayor gets serious about campaigning for new revenue.”

Newsom’s budget proposal includes over $125 million in cuts to health and human services while other City departments, including public safety, have been largely spared.

Some progress has been made to rectify the imbalance following ongoing negotiations Monday between the controller’s office, the mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors. Budget Chair John Avalos indicated $20.1 million had been identified for possible restoration to health and human services while signaling that the mayor’s office is supportive of ballot revenue measures that specifically raise revenues for the cuts Newsom has proposed.

Avalos said the City is looking to raise at least $50 million in revenue on the November ballot to help close an unprecedented $576 million budget shortfall.

More pics after the jump.

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By Judy B., guest editorial

July 1, 2009

Got a spare $6,000? Chancellor Don Griffin at City College of San Francisco suggests using it to rescue an endangered community college class. Contribute and the class will be named for you.

“If you want to pay for one class at City College, it’s $6,000,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “And if you designate it for that class, we’ll make sure the class is reinstated, and we’ll put your name on it.”

Disney Classics: Principles of Early Childhood Development

Current research trends into the effects of total immersion in corporate-sponsored imagination show that children learn consumer cues more quickly when they are presented as catchy tunes and sung in colorful cartoons. Students will hone their ability to craft age-appropriate propaganda disguised as jingles, songs, and fables. In lieu of writing a term paper, students may conduct market research into how to reinvigorate the princess franchise.

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By Ralph E. Stone

July 1, 2009

What is the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so far and what are the California tradeoffs? As of June 30, 2009, in Iraq, 4,321 Americans have died as have from 92,435 to 100,911 civilians and another 2 million civilians have been displaced. In Afghanistan, 709 Americans have died and, although accurate counts are hard to come by, as many as 9,000 Afghan civilians have been killed and another 3.7 million refugees are living in neighboring countries.

The cost of those who died in these wars is immeasurable, but the dollar tradeoffs can be calculated.

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By Luke Thomas

June 30, 2009

The San Francisco Chronicle is up to its usual tricks of inventing propaganda and pandering to the political establishment.

According to an article posted today by Chronicle gossip maven Leah Garchik, Mayor Gavin Newsom and First Lady Jennifer Siebel were “attacked by ketchup-wielding protesters complaining about budget cuts for AIDS,” during Sunday’s annual Pride celebration.

“And the ketchup missed its exact target (but a mayoral aide said Monday that it washed out easily with water),” Garchik added.

Fog City Journal covered the Pride parade and was on scene during the budget die-in protest that forced Mr. Newsom to temporarily abandon his wife and vehicle. No ketchup was tossed at the Newsoms, or used during the protest.

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By Luke Thomas

June 30, 2009

Protests against Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal continued Monday with a candlelight vigil and die-in outside City Hall.

As many as two hundred protestors, mostly from SEIU Local 1021, gathered around 5 pm to draw attention to a budget that includes over $125 million in cuts to health and human services.

“City Departments that serve the most vulnerable San Franciscans have been asked to shoulder the lion’s share of the budget deficit,” said Coalition on Homelessness Executive Director Jennifer Friedenbach. “At the same time, progressive revenue options have not been sought and the budget ax seemed to have missed police, fire, high paid executives and public relations staff inside the Mayor’s office.”

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By Luke Thomas

June 29, 2009

Juicy news in the 2010 race for California governor; Attorney General Jerry Brown will officially declare his candidacy in “a few months,” Fog City Journal has learned.

“Now that Antonio Villaraigosa’s out of the race for governor, are you getting any closer to officially declaring your candidacy?” Fog City Journal asked Brown on the occasion of the annual Alice B. Toklas Pride Breakfast held Sunday at the Palace Hotel.

“I have to wait a few months,” Brown responded but didn’t stick around long enough for any follow-up questions.

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By Steven Chapman

June 29, 2009

Earlier this month, on June 1, the Earth became a little bit darker.  Father Thomas Berry, cultural historian, visionary cosmologist, “geologian,” and mentor to many, passed away in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Berry was one of the most original and creative thinkers of the modern environmental movement, and his passing merits reflection on some of his accomplishments. The arc of Berry’s career and his engagement with the “big questions” of our time is extensive. After entering the priesthood and obtaining a doctorate at Catholic University (with a dissertation on the work of Giambattista Vico), he eventually ended up at the Jesuit-run Fordham University in the Bronx where he ran a history of religions graduate program.  He wrote books on Buddhism (1966) and on the religions of India (1971), and was the founding director of the Riverdale Center for Religious Research from 1970 to 1995.

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From Direct Action to Stop the Cuts, Coalition for Budget Justice, Coalition to Save Public Health

June 28, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, LGBT activists and SF Pride-at-Work held a die-in at the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade today in front of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s float to protest his budget cuts to public health. Protestors lay down in front of the Mayor’s float to symbolize deaths that will follow from his defunding of HIV/AIDS services. The action was reminiscent of the ACT UP die-in’s of the 1980’s and 90’s which used civil disobedience to urge a co-coordinated response to fight the AIDS epidemic.

During the protest, Mayor Newsom’s vehicle attempted to plow through the protestors who held the space as he exited and walked down Market Street. The mayor and a small group of supporters attempted to dodge the protestors who performed several die-ins while chanting, “Newsom’s cuts are killing us.”

“Gavin and Arnold: There’s no Pride in your budget.”

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By Judi Iranyi, guest editorial

June 28, 2009

According to an “Analysis of the Outcomes of the San Francisco Community Justice Court” by Milissa Sills (June 17, 2009), a majority of the cases heard by San Francisco’s Community Justice Court (CJC) were discharged as were over 90 percent of the following types of cases: public nuisance, lodging, and obstructing sidewalk. Proponents of the CJC argue that those cited for so-called “quality of life” crimes are accessing social services even if their cases are discharged.

What social services? And what are the short and long-term outcomes?

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June 27, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – While celebrating at their floats this year, many of the marchers at Sunday’s Gay Pride Parade will also be protesting inequities in Mayor Newsom’s 2009-2010 budget, released earlier this month. LGBT organizations such as the Harvey Milk Democratic Club and Pride-at-Work will be joined by the Coalition to Save Public Health, the Budget Justice Coalition, and Direct Action to Stop the Cuts, groups that are speaking out against the drastic cuts to public services reflected in Mayor Newsom’s budget.

The Mayor’s budget includes a 10% reduction in housing subsidies to people living with HIV/AIDS, will eliminate HIV benefit counseling for more than 3,000 people, and will eliminate outreach and testing services for more than 4,000 people. Mid-year cuts have already eliminated culturally appropriate emergency psychiatric services for LGBT communities. “We can take no pride in a Mayor who devastates public health and slashes HIV/AIDS prevention funding and housing subsidies,” said Rafael Mandelman, president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club.

“Mayor Newsom is in lockstep with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Instead of protecting the most vulnerable populations, they have chosen to balance their budgets on the backs of the poor and the sick,” said Robert Haaland of Pride-at-Work.

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By Luke Thomas

June 26, 2009

As a friend and I were having lunch yesterday, we heard the tragic news of Michael Jackson’s passing.  A patron stood to announce that the legendary King of Pop had died.  At just 50 years of age, Jackson reportedly died from cardiac arrest following several years of Class-A pain medication abuse, medications his lawyer said were used to treat physical maladies sustained during various sold out performances.

But the sad truth is, Jackson died a broken man, emotionally and financially. He spent the last few years of his life alone, trying to mask the pain of humiliation after accusations of child molestation were lodged against him, allegations that were never proved true.

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By Dr. Ahimsa Sumchai, guest editorial

June 26, 2009

Due to the presence of hazardous materials, the Hunters Point Shipyard was placed on the National Priorities List in 1989 and designated a federal Superfund site pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Liability Act (CERCLA). Under CERCLA, the U.S. Navy can conduct emergency and time-critical removal actions, called TICRA’s, to expedite the removal of hazards to human health and the environment at the shipyard.

The Hunters Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) was formed as a result of Congressional legislation under jurisdiction of the Base Realignment and Closure Process. The Hunters Point RAB is an elected body with a volatile history of advocating on behalf of the environmental health, public safety and economic development of the Bayview community. Indeed, meetings of the RAB were held in the community room of the Bayview police station for years despite community objection.

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By Luke Thomas

June 24, 2009

San Francisco Entertainment Commissioner and long time South of Market land use activist, Jim Meko, held his campaign kickoff event yesterday for the 2010 race for District 6 Supervisor.

Joined by supporters and campaign volunteers at his printing business on 10th Street, Meko said his campaign aims to attract a broad coalition of interests across the district to support his candidacy.

“This is going to be whole different campaign,” Meko said. “We’re going to pull together a coalition of those who really care about this District.”

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By Luke Thomas

June 22, 2009

A proposal by Chancellor Don Griffin to sell the naming rights of classes offered at City College of San Francisco has come under fire, Fog City Journal has learned.

According to an article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, Griffin is hawking the naming rights to each of the 800 classes for $6,000 to help offset $25 million in State budget cuts.

Not so fast, says Board Trustee John Rizzo.

“The Board of Trustees never approved this, and was not even informed that this was an idea in the works,” Rizzo told Fog City Journal. “We’ve had many hours of discussions regarding the $25 million budget deficit at Board meetings and committee hearings. We were never informed.”

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By Luke Thomas

June 22, 2009

City of San Francisco investigator Adriel Hampton kicked off his grassroots campaign Saturday to replace Rep. Ellen Tauscher in the tenth congressional district.

Tauscher, who has been endorsed this week by the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she will resign her seat following her expected US Senate confirmation as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.

“The reason I’m running for Congress is because I believe we have a political system that no longer serves the average American citizen,” Hampton told his supporters and campaign volunteers during a barbecue held at the Maxwell House, an historic building Hampton helped save from being condemned by the City of Walnut Creek.

A former journalist and editor of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper, Hampton said, “We have a great founding constitution. We have a great history of democracy in our country and people having a voice in their government.”

“What we have now isn’t really that. It doesn’t matter what party it is. It doesn’t matter what leader it is. It’s a system that’s very oppressive to average working people, and it’s oppressive to the poor. It’s oppressive to small business owners. It, basically, I believe, serves large corporations,” Hampton stated.

Hampton, 31, was born in Modesto, California and was home schooled by his mother. A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Hampton graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001 and lives with his Japanese wife and two children in the City of Dublin.

Photo by Jeremy Maurer

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By Harold Brown

June 21, 2009

“If I want to cut a tree that’s six-inches across, I need a permit. But the City of Walnut Creek can cut a 200-year-old Oak tree without saying anything.”
- A neighbor of the historic Maxwell house, Walnut Creek

I counted the growth rings of the freshly felled tree and she was right. There were over 200 rings and it was, and is, a damned shame. The Maxwell’s had a sign on the door. It read: “And they lived happily ever after,” beneath which was affixed an Adriel Hampton bumper sticker and between was a green post-it note that said: “Thanks to…”

Adriel Hampton’s Kickoff for CA-10 Seat

Julia and Elizabeth Maxwell invited Adriel to hold his kickoff at their house and it was appropriate because without Hampton’s efforts, along with those of their neighbors, they wouldn’t have a house. Julia Maxwell said that when she comes home she feels like Alice re-entering Wonderland.

CA-10 congressional candidate Adriel Hampton addresses
his supporters and campaign volunteers.

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By Luke Thomas

June 21, 2009

Talk show host Bill Maher pulled no punches Friday labeling the Democratic Party “the new Republicans.”

Maher, known for his outspoken commentary and for being a fearless defender of Progressive values, said the Democratic Party in the last thirty years has moved to the center right, morphing into a party for “hedge fund managers, credit card companies, banks, defense contractors, big agriculture and the pharmaceutical lobby.”

“And they sit across the aisle from a small group of religious lunatics, flat Earthers and civil war reenactors who mostly communicate by AM radio and call themselves the Republicans,” Maher added.

Not stopping there, Maher said those who accuse President Obama of being a socialist should realize that Obama’s “not even a liberal.”

“Shouldn’t there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care, legalizing pot and steep direct taxing of polluters?” Maher asked.

These aren’t “radical ideas,” Maher said, policies that most Americans already support or would support if they were properly argued and defended.

“What we need is an actual Progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren’t being served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats are the new Republicans.”

By Greg Kamin

June 19, 2009

Last Tuesday, I went down to City Hall because I wanted to give the Supervisors some perspective on the budget. I went there because it struck me as nonsensical that the mayor could slash public health services that people desperately need, while at the same time some somehow finding more money for generous increases to the special interests closest to his heart (and presumably campaign treasury), namely Police and Fire.

Now I have nothing against police and firefighters. Their work is extremely valuable and they need to get a decent salary for that work. But just how much are we talking about? If the mayor says we need to increase police and firefighter salaries, I think we all need to know what we’re increasing those salaries from to evaluate whether or not it is fair, and whether very sick people should be left to die so they can get that increase.

The mayor and the media always mention percentages when talking about salary increases, but you rarely see what the actual numbers are. It’s those numbers that I wanted to provide, because I think most people –and even some Supervisors –simply don’t know where San Francisco stands, and how we compare to the rest of the country. And they need to know, because the answers aren’t pretty.

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