Calendar
SPECIAL SESSION JUST ADDED
The Biggest Academic Workers Strike in California History!
A huge, unprecedented strike of academic workers started on November 14th, hitting all ten University of California campuses like a ton of bricks. The 48,000 striking workers perform the majority of the teaching and research at UC, yet the pay and benefits for these workers, members of the United Auto Workers union, is way too low especially for high-cost-of-living areas like Berkeley, California.
The UC Regents, who run the university and represent the most powerful business interests in the state, have so far refused to bargain over wages.
Come to an special session of Sunday Morning at the Marxist Library to hear the latest about this historic academic workers strike.
Speaker: Dave Welsh is a writer, musician, retired letter carrier, Labor Council delegate, member of Veterans For Peace, and lifelong fighter for people’s power. Whether it was the civil rights movement in Mississippi, support for the Black Panther Party, solidarity with the grassroots movement in Haiti, or breaking the blockade of Cuba at the border with the Pastors for Peace caravans, or holding down Oscar Grant Plaza with Occupy Oakland or the ongoing fight to jail killer cops � he’s been a part of it.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81133350622?pwd=dUUyUWppbWt6djVTaElISUhocXpSUT09
Meeting ID: 811 3335 0622
Passcode: ICSS2717rs
Dial by your location
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
Oil companies are exploiting a global crisis to jack up prices at the gas pump and rake in massive profits while driving a cost of living crisis for Californians. They blame California’s environmental protections, but we know it’s polluter greed sending prices sky high, plain and simple.
This Monday will be a day of action (organized by Last Chance Alliance) across the state to enact a windfall profits cap proposal that will be voted in the CA legislature in the week of December 5th. In the Bay Area, activists will gather at the Chevron station at 5500 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland at 4:00pm to encourage Governor Newsom’s support of the tax and to shift the narrative around gas prices to one that frames big oil greed as the problem.
If you’re free, come join us at 4pm on Monday to hold signs and make our voices heard. Support the action on social media with hashtags
#PolluterGreed #TheyProfitWePay and #PollutersPayUp and tag @LastChance_CA, @CAGovernor and @GavinNewsom.
No Dirty Deal: Make the Call
In September, activists stood up to Senator Manchin and Senator Schumer and defeated a dirty side deal that would undermine one of our bedrock environmental laws, fast-track fossil fuels, and sacrifice fence-line communities Unfortunately, during the final weeks of this Congress, lawmakers are now poised to revive the dirty deal. Can you take a few minutes to call your congressperson to say this dirty deal has go to die?
Call 917-791-2257 to be connected to your member of Congress.
Suggested script:
“Hi, my name is ____, & I’m from ____. I’m deeply concerned about the Energy Independence and Security Act and any legislation that would fast-track fossil fuel projects and undermine the public’s ability to give input on new energy projects. As your constituent I’m calling to demand that you publicly oppose this dirty deal and do all you can to stop it from being attached to must-pass legislation and passing!”
With Love and Rage and Action,
Extinction Rebellion SF Bay Area
https://www.xrsfbay.org
COVID-19 testing is available at Allen Temple! Our drive-thru testing site is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm! Testing is quick, easy & free! Results available in 3 days. Appointments recommended; make yours at https://t.co/G3MPStVccj pic.twitter.com/OwdThvrBIT
— Allen Temple Baptist Church (@allentemplebc) November 21, 2022
COVID-19 testing is available at Allen Temple! Our drive-thru testing site is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm! Testing is quick, easy & free! Results available in 3 days. Appointments recommended; make yours at https://t.co/G3MPStVccj pic.twitter.com/OwdThvrBIT
— Allen Temple Baptist Church (@allentemplebc) November 21, 2022
5:00PM March to the School board meeting at La Escuelita (1050 2nd Ave)
Denise Huffstutler, a former Parker instructional coach who spoke out against the closure of that school, received a letter of reprimand for failing to return her keys at the end of the year despite reporting them as missing, which has led to an ongoing investigation and a record in her file. June Nelson, Paloma Collier, and Craig Gordon were all fired and blacklisted from employment with OUSD for their involvement in the Parker occupation, a 125-day direct action protesting school closures, and for other political and union activities.
OUSD’s actions violate a February 2022 letter from Chief Governance Officer Josh Daniels to Moses Omolade and André San-Chez, then engaged in a 20+ day hunger strike to protest school closures. Daniels’s letter states that “OUSD will not retaliate against any OUSD employee involved in protesting school closures […] or supporting those who are involved in such protests.”
COVID-19 testing is available at Allen Temple! Our drive-thru testing site is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm! Testing is quick, easy & free! Results available in 3 days. Appointments recommended; make yours at https://t.co/G3MPStVccj pic.twitter.com/OwdThvrBIT
— Allen Temple Baptist Church (@allentemplebc) November 21, 2022
Join a statewide day of rallies to save rooftop solar in California!
So many of us resisted the Public Utilities Commission’s proposed attack on rooftop solar that they backed down—a little. But their new proposal would still make it much harder for people who don’t currently have solar to get it.
The revised proposal eliminates the planned fee that rooftop solar owners would have to pay for connection to the grid. But new solar owners would still have to pay a $15/month “electrification charge.”
And, like the previous proposal, the new one would drastically cut the rates paid to rooftop solar owners for electricity they sell back to the grid—by an average of about 75% for homeowners, and even more for churches, schools, and small businesses. This would eliminate the financial benefits of going solar. And it would take people many years to recover the amount they invested in the solar panels, making that investment impossible for many homeowners and small businesses.
These changes would not affect current solar panel owners, but apply to new solar users starting April 2023. When changes like these have been implemented elsewhere in the US, solar adoptions have dropped by a lot.
The CPUC will vote on this proposal December 15. Join a rally telling them not to stop rooftop solar from growing!
WHERE
San Francisco, Bakersfield, Chico, Fresno, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Stockton
Exact locations to be announced
More info/sign up here
More info:
See a replay of a Solar Rights Alliance webinar about the proposed changes and learn how to reach out to Newsom and the PUC here.
Check out the explanations and responses to this latest proposal from environmental organizations:
Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85817209915
Agenda Packet: https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Privacy-Commission-Agenda-Packet-12-1-22.pdf
4. Federal Task Force Transparency Ordinance: OPD – US Marshals Services (USMS), Alcohol Tobacco Firearms (ATF)
a. Review and take possible action on the draft memoranda of understanding with federal partners (MOU)
5. Surveillance Technology Ordinance: DOT – Mobile Parking Payment Proposal
a. Informational Report by CSU Law Clinic – no action will be taken at this meeting
Tickets are still available for Medea’s KPFA event at the Hillside Club Thursday evening. KPFA just added a number of “student/financially challenged” tickets, available at this Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/medea-benjamin-war-in-ukraine-making-sense-of-a-senseless-conflict-tickets-462001277257
I cannot recommend strongly enough attending the event. As you likely know, Medea is an expert– knowledgeable, straightforward, correct and convincing about the war in Ukraine and what we in the U.S. need to do to end it. If you’re concerned about the conflict, and fearful as many are about the consequences of it continuing and escalating, please consider coming on Thursday night both to hear Medea and ask questions. Mickey Huff, the terrific host of Project Censored on KPFA and professor at Diablo Valley College is hosting the discussion with Medea. We love Mickey.
Eleanor and I went out to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek today for Medea’s book event, sponsored by the Friends of the Diablo Valley Peace and Justice Center. They expected maybe 20 people; instead there were at least 90 people and more chairs had to be brought in. So many people bought books and contributed for Medea’s travel expenses. The presentation was riveting, followed by a great discussion. Very worthwhile for thinking about and hearing about the path to peace in Ukraine.
FOR ANTI-FASCIST FUTURES
CONTRIBUTORS
“Every Liberal is a Socialist. Every Socialist is a Communist. Every Communist is Moscow’s Spy.” So went a poster used in an anti-May Day “Loyalty Day” march in the high cold war period after WWII.
But anti-Communism went far beyond traditional conservative and reactionary groups and became the foundation of a “cold war consensus” for U.S. domestic and foreign policy in the post WWII period. In my presentation I will examine the relationship between color racism as the model for anti-radicalism at home and in U.S. imperialism abroad, and the role of the Communist Party USA in its struggle against both.
Our speker, Norman Markowitz, was born in 1943 and grew up in the South Bronx in a poor predominantly Jewish neighborhood that became a poorer predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. He developed an interest in socialism as a teenager, given the conditions in which he and his friends and neighbors lived.
He attended the then free tuition City College of New York (1962-1966) and the University of Michigan on a “National Defense Act” Fellowship and received his PhD in 1970. He taught history at Northern Illinois University (1969-1971) and at Rutgers University/New Brunswick (1971-present).
His doctoral dissertation, The Rise and Fall of the Peoples Century: Henry A. Wallace and American Liberalism, 1941-1948 was published as a book in 1973. He has written numerous articles for various print and internet publications, scholarly journals, encyclopedia, and Marxist and Communist publications and websites on topics which include the history of the Communist movement in the U.S. and its activists, and the role of anti-Communism in U.S. history.
He served on the editorial board of Political Affairs, the theoretical journal of the CPUSA for many years and is currently a member of the International Department of the CPUSA.
ZOOM LINK
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81133350622?pwd=dUUyUWppbWt6djVTaElISUhocXpSUT09
Meeting ID: 811 3335 0622
Passcode: ICSS2717rs
Dial by your location
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Bay Area! Come out for FUN and learn how we can end HIV in our community. Bring your friends and family. Day party, spades tournament, food, & prizes. https://t.co/Ba1TYl8xao #OEBAC #power2endthis #DST1913 @AIDSHealthcare @rsscllc @GileadSciences @ViiVHC @BBAACDST pic.twitter.com/dKps3foHeY
— Natalie Wilson (@NatalieWilsonNP) November 27, 2022
NOTE: During the Plague Year of 2020 GA will be held every week or two on Zoom. To find out the exact time a date get on the Occupy Oakland email list my sending an email to:
occupyoakland-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
The Occupy Oakland General Assembly meets every Sunday at 4 PM at Oscar Grant Plaza amphitheater at 14th Street & Broadway near the steps of City Hall. If for some reason the amphitheater is being used otherwise and/or OGP itself is inaccessible, we will meet at Kaiser Park, right next to the statues, on 19th St. between San Pablo and Telegraph. If it is raining (as in RAINING, not just misting) at 4:00 PM we meet in the basement of the Omni Collective, 4799 Shattuck Ave., Oakland. (Note: we tend to meet at 3:00 PM during the cooler months from November to early March after Daylights Savings Time.)
On every ‘last Sunday’ we meet a little earlier at 3 PM to have a community potluck to which all are welcome.
OO General Assembly has met on a continuous basis for over six years, since October 2011! Our General Assembly is a participatory gathering of Oakland community members and beyond, where everyone who shows up is treated equally. Our Assembly and the process we have collectively cultivated strives to reach agreement while building community.
At the GA committees, caucuses, and loosely associated groups whose representatives come voluntarily report on past and future actions, with discussion. We encourage everyone participating in the Occupy Oakland GA to be part of at least one associated group, but it is by no means a requirement. If you like, just come and hear all the organizing being done! Occupy Oakland encourages political activity that is decentralized and welcomes diverse voices and actions into the movement.
General Assembly Standard Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
Reports from Committees, Caucuses, & Independent Organizations
Announcements
(Optional) Discussion Topic
Occupy Oakland activities and contact info for some Bay Area Groups with past or present Occupy Oakland members.
Occupy Oakland Web Committee: (web@occupyoakland.org)
Strike Debt Bay Area : strikedebtbayarea.tumblr.com
Berkeley Post Office Defenders:http://berkeleypostofficedefenders.wordpress.com/
Alan Blueford Center 4 Justice:https://www.facebook.com/ABC4JUSTICE
Oakland Privacy Working Group:https://oaklandprivacy.wordpress.com
Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity: prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Bay Area AntiRepression: antirepression@occupyoakland.org
Biblioteca Popular: http://tinyurl.com/mdlzshy
Interfaith Tent: www.facebook.com/InterfaithTent
Port Truckers Solidarity: oaklandporttruckers.wordpress.com
Bay Area Intifada: bayareaintifada.wordpress.com
Transport Workers Solidarity: www.transportworkers.org
Fresh Juice Party (aka Chalkupy) freshjuiceparty.com/chalkupy-gallery
Sudo Room: https://sudoroom.org
Omni Collective: https://omnicommons.org/
First They Came for the Homeless: https://www.facebook.com/pages/First-they-came-for-the-homeless/253882908111999
Sunflower Alliance: http://www.sunflower-alliance.org/
Bay Area Public School: http://thepublicschool.org/bay-area
San Francisco based groups:
Occupy Bay Area United: www.obau.org
Occupy Forum: (see OBAU above)
San Francisco Projection Department: http://tinyurl.com/kpvb3rv
In a surreal meeting last Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved on first reading a military equipment use policy that explicitly allows the use of robots outfitted with bombs to blow people up. The policy allows 3 high-level command officers to employ robot bombs based on their “evaluation” that other things wouldn’t work. The Robocop policy passed on an 8-3 vote.
This isn’t the world we want to live in. The “evaluations” of a police department which received 272 recommendations to improve its racist policing practices just six years ago, aren’t adequate. The supervisors admit that virtually everyone who has written to them says no to the killer robots.
The second vote is on Tuesday afternoon. It needs to come out differently. Here is what you can do to make this happen.
1) Come to a rally and press conference at SF City Hall
2) Email the Board at Board.of.Supervisors@sfgov.org. (Several members of the board have taken umbrage at the term “killer robots” as hyperbole. Therefore, when you write to the Board, we suggest you use the term “robots that kill” instead).
Background: David Chiu, then a State Assembly member and now the SF City Attorney, authored AB 481 to require governmental transparency about the use and acquisition of militarized equipment by civilian police agencies. Governor Newsom signed the bill into law. The law requires policies for existing equipment stocks. SF owns 17 robots, which were purchased for bomb and suspicious package disposal. This policy would set out the rules of the road for the 17 robots. No legislative body in the Bay Area has yet explicitly permitted the use of robots outfitted with weapons (bombs or guns) against civilian populations.
Because of the COVID pandemic we will be meeting virtually via Zoom on the first Monday of the month.
Meeting ID: 828 0976 4186
The Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality & State Repression (OGC) is a
grassroots democratic organization that was formed as a conscious united front for justice against police brutality. The OGC is involved in the struggle for police accountability and is committed to stopping police brutality.
In alliance with the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) we organized the October 23, 2010 labor and community rally for Justice for Oscar Grant. On that day the ILWU shut down the Bay Area ports in solidarity. Our mission is to educate, organize and mobilize people against police and state repression. Sisters and brothers! The Oscar Grant Committee invites you to join us in this vital struggle.
We meet on the 1st Monday of each month
You can join our discussion list by sending a blank (doesn’t even need a subject) email to
oscargrantcommittee-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
COVID-19 testing is available at Allen Temple! Our drive-thru testing site is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm! Testing is quick, easy & free! Results available in 3 days. Appointments recommended; make yours at https://t.co/G3MPStVccj pic.twitter.com/OwdThvrBIT
— Allen Temple Baptist Church (@allentemplebc) November 21, 2022
Labor rally at UC Berkeley tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/EfJwjDr9uj
— Only Italian Fans (@lesuperburp) December 5, 2022
Online. Register here
Retiring fossil fuels means we’ll need more and more electricity—so it’s crucial that the electric grid be not only clean, but reliable and just. Join The Climate Center for Building a Resilient and Equitable Grid for the Future, the second in their series, Envisioning a Climate-Safe California: Stories and Solutions.
The webinar will lay out a vision for the future of California’s electricity system and highlight the people and organizations working to create it. It will explore the role of local governments, Community Choice Agencies (CCAs), and others in helping to plan for the use of clean, distributed energy in a way that maximizes benefits to the community and provides reliable, affordable electricity for all.
Speakers:
Jesse Hernandez, urban sociologist
Alexandra McGee, director of strategic initiatives, MCE
Lorenzo Kristov, energy systems consultant