Calendar
Are We at a Tipping Point in World History?
Group Discussion
To Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 873 8882 4824
Passcode: 042428
Group Discussion
As we look back over the past year, it is hard to avoid the sense that we are living on the edge of world-changing events.
We have entered a historic turning point in the global balance of forces. Such shifts often unfold slowly, until a sudden break makes the change unmistakable. Today, the world’s geopolitical alignment is tipping away from the old order and toward a new one.
This transformation began after 1991, when the collapse of the Soviet bloc ended the bipolar world and ushered in a brief period of U.S. dominance. But over the past three decades—especially in the new millennium—China, much of Asia, Latin America, and Russia have risen in power, producing an increasingly multipolar world that is challenging American hegemony.
Bring your ideas, comments, and questions for our last session of the year on this timely and critically important topic!
Join Hikers for Palestine on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at 11 am for a scenic and restorative walk along the Nimitz Way, starting from Inspiration Point in Tilden Regional Park. We’ll meet in the Inspiration Point parking area at Wildcat Canyon Road, Orinda, CA 94563 and hike an approximately 4.5‑mile out‑and‑back route along the ridge. The hike will take about 2 to 2.5 hours.
The paved trail is moderately easy, largely exposed with very little shade, and passes through open grasslands with occasional groves of trees. Dogs are welcome but must remain on a leash at all times. Along the way, you’ll enjoy spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Reservoir, and the East Bay hills, along with fresh air and good company.
Our purpose is to bring visibility to the Palestinian cause in public spaces while nourishing our spirits through community and nature. Bring your keffiyehs, flags, and other symbols of Palestinian solidarity, as well as water, snacks, sunblock, layers, and comfortable walking shoes.
We are suggesting a $5–$20 donation to support the HEAL Palestine Orphan Program, though no one will be turned away for lack of funds. In Gaza, thousands of children have lost parents, homes, and their sense of safety. HEAL Palestine has identified 70 orphaned and sole-survivor children in urgent need of long-term, comprehensive support. Their Orphan Program provides these children with stability, education, emotional care, and essential resources to help rebuild their lives. We will be collecting donations via Venmo or cash to contribute a collective lump-sum donation.
Learn more at: https://www.healpalestine.org/heal-palestine-orphan-program/
Please register in advance at
https://bit.ly/SSS-Venezuela
to receive your personal link to participate in this event online
U.S. government officials have already admitted that CIA forces and other “clandestine” warfare groups have been operating within Venezuela, and the movement of large naval forces to the area signal an intent to invade.
The “clandestine” acts of war already constitute aggression, illegal under international law. The blowing up of boats, with the clearly false excuse that they are somehow running drugs to the USA, is a crime. Further military action will be war crimes.
Our speakers will address the question: Why is the U.S. Government, and particularly the current Trump regime, attacking Venezuela, and what can we do about it?
Laura Wells – Green Party of California, Task Force on the Americas
Roger Harris – Task Force on the Americas and the Venezuela Solidarity Network
*Organizations listed for identification purposes only.
Please help us celebrate our return to the Starry Plough by ordering food and/or drinks.
Please arrive early to place your order so that you do not miss any of the presentations.
An open discussion will follow the presentations.
We will be accepting donations which will be divided among the sponsoring organizations.
This event is sponsored by the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party,
the Alameda County Green Party and Bay Area System Change Not Climate Change.
For more information email <info@sudssnackssocialism.org>
Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite. All are welcome!
For our December, 2025 meeting we will be reading and discussing the first two chapters of What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis by Malcolm Harris (Amazon) (Hatchette). For our January meeting we will finish the book.
A vital guide for collective political action against the climate apocalypse, from bestselling progressive intellectual Malcolm Harris—“a brilliant thinker and writer capable of making the intricacies of economic conditions supremely readable” (Vulture).
Climate change is the unifying crisis of our time. But the scale of the problem can be paralyzing, especially when corporations are actively staving off changes that could save the planet but which might threaten their bottom lines. To quote Greta Thunberg, despite very clear science and very real devastation, the adults at the table are still saying “blah blah blah.” Something has to change—but what, and how?
In What’s Left, Malcolm Harris cuts through the noise and gets real about our remaining options for saving the world. Just as humans have caused climate change, we hold the power to avert a climate apocalypse, but that will only happen through collective political action. Harris outlines the three strategies—progressive, socialist, and revolutionary—that have any chance of succeeding, while also revealing that none of them can succeed on their own. What’s Left shows how we must combine them into a single pathway: a meta-strategy, one that will ensure we can move forward together rather than squabbling over potential solutions while the world burns.
Vital and transformative, What’s Left confirms Malcolm Harris as next-generation David Graeber or Mike Davis—a historian-activist who shows us where we stand and how we got here, while also blazing a path toward a brighter future.
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts this non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Our first book was Doughnut Economics, and our most recent books were The Age of Insecurity and Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals”. For the rest of our reading list see here.
Speaker: Jack Rasmus
To Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 873 8882 4824
Passcode: 042428
Why the real economy is stagnant and on the cusp of recession; why inflation is double what is reported and jobs are contracting; the impact of Trump’s policies on taxes and tariffs; the consequences of $2 trillion in military spending and a $1.8 trillion federal government deficit; the growing BRICS challenge and the falling U.S. dollar.
The contradictions in 21st-century US capitalism
SPEAKER BIO:
Dr. Jack Rasmus, Ph.D Political Economy, teaches economics at St. Mary’s College in California. He is the author and producer of numerous books, including The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy From Reagan to Bush (2019), Central Bankers at the End of Their Rope? (2017), and forthcoming The Twilight of American Imperialism. Jack is the host of the weekly radio show, Alternative Visions, on the Progressive Radio Network, and a journalist writing on economic, political, and labor issues for various magazines. Before his current roles as author, journalist and radio host, Jack was an economist and market analyst for several global companies, and for more than a decade, a local union president, vice-president, contract negotiator, and organizer for several labor unions, including the UAW, CWA, SEIU, and HERE. Jack’s website is www.kyklosproductions.com. He blogs at jackrasmus.com, where weekly commentaries on US and global economic matters are available. His Twitter handle is @drjackrasmus.
FOR OUR FULL SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING PROGRAMS,
AS WELL AS PAST PROGRAMS, GO TO ICSSMARX.ORG
This week, the Department of Education will start garnishing the wages of debtors in default on their student loans. This wave of garnishments is the first since 2020, and will impact millions of debtors with loans in or near default.
Just days after starting yet another unnecessary war abroad, billionaire Trump will start collecting pennies from some of the poorest debtors in the country. Two of the largest employers garnishing the wages of their workers? Walmart and Dollar Tree.
The Department of Education intentionally pushes debtors towards payment to get out of default, even though there are other options, like loan cancellation, for many debtors. They don’t want you to know that you have other options.
Join us to learn more about your options for getting out of default.
Dan Kovalik is a human and labor rights attorney and the author of a number of books, including “The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US Is Orchestrating a Coup for Oil” and most recently, “Syria: Anatomy of Regime Change”, co-authored with Jeremy Kuzmarov. He is currently re presenting the family of a fisherman murdered by the US in the Caribbean as well as Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Meeting ID: 854 4920 3697
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As the political landscape in Alameda County continues to shift, we believe it is critical to come together as community members, organizers, advocates, and partners to reflect honestly on where we are and where we need to go.
This virtual gathering will create space to discuss:
- How the current District Attorney’s priorities are impacting community safety
- Where we believe the DA is falling short of what our communities actually need
- The policy priorities community wants to see centered: including rehabilitation, diversion, accountability, and investment in our neighborhoods instead of continued expansion of mass incarceration
- How we build collective power and alignment moving forward
This is not a presentation, it’s a conversation. We want to hear directly from you on Zoom on January 15th about what you’re seeing, what you’re feeling, and what you believe true community safety should look like in Alameda County.
Whether you’ve been deeply involved in accountability efforts or are just beginning to engage, your voice matters. This is an opportunity to shape shared priorities, strengthen relationships, and ensure community wisdom drives the path forward.
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Iran In The Crosshairs: Regime Change Then Invasion
Speaker: Kit Klarenberg
To Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87388824824?pwd=QTWNvr8cGeGo1ZDW7x9Y8W0sDaNxRc.1
Meeting ID: 873 8882 4824
Passcode: 042428
Violent demonstrations have rocked Iran in recent weeks, prompting Donald Trump to promise that “help is on the way” as a US Navy carrier strike group sails to the Middle East, preparing for an attack on Iran.
According to the mainstream media and politicians, Iran is a “regime in crisis” that is murdering its citizens to put an end to a mass democratic uprising. While Trump is making threats, the Democratic Party leadership is criticizing him for not reaching out to build bipartisan support for a military strike against Iran.
What is going on in Iran? Who is in the streets, what are they doing, and why? What role do outside organizations such as Mossad, MI6, and the CIA play in the protests? How are the protests related to the threat of a military attack on Iran by the United States and Israel?
Investigative journalist Kit Klarenberg will discuss these questions and more in a Sunday Morning Marxist session:
Iran in the Crosshairs: Regime Change Then Invasion
SPEAKER BIO:
British Investigative Journalist Kit Klarenberg writes for The Grayzone and Mint Press News. He is also the co-host of Decline and Fall, a weekly video stream on YouTube and Rumble co-hosted with Alexander McKay. His work can be found on his website, Global Deliquents, at https://www.kitklarenberg.com/
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FOR OUR FULL SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING PROGRAMS,
AS WELL AS PAST PROGRAMS, GO TO ICSSMARX.ORG
THE OAKLAND GREENS invite you to the January 2026 FREE Dinner & a Movie Community Discussion Night, featuring Civil War (2024).
Dinner begins at 6:30 PM
Movie starts at 7:00 PM
These free community events are hosted in partnership with It’s Your Move Games,
Civil War is a 2024 dystopian action thriller written and directed by Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman. Set during a civil war across the United States between a despotic federal government and secessionist movements, the film follows a group of war journalists traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C., to interview the President before rebel forces reach the capital.
This screening is part of The Oakland Greens 2026 Free Dinner & a Movie Discussion Series and will be followed by a community discussion.
Walk-ins welcome.
More information: www.theoaklandgreens.org
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We are devastated by the ICE murders, ICE violence, and the separation of over 3,000 families in Minnesota. In solidarity with Minnesota, and to protect our own community, we are organizing in the Bay to build a mass movement to stop these attacks once and for all.
As all eyes turn to the Bay for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara next week, we recognize this is a critical moment to bolster our community preparedness and reject MAGA’s white nationalist visions. On Thursday, January 29th, from 5:30-6:30 pm, join us for a Mass Call to Stand with Minnesota and Prepare for the Super Bowl.
RSVP here.
The heightened national spotlight, combined with escalating threats against our immigrant communities, demands that we strengthen our rapid response networks and expand neighborhood foot patrols. We will use this moment not just for visibility, but to build tangible, lasting power. The world is watching, let’s show them what organized, community-led safety truly looks like.
Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities are a vital part of the Bay Area’s cultural heartbeat. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, performed entirely in Spanish, is a declaration of unity and cultural resistance amidst escalating ICE attacks.
While Bay Bunny performs, we will march outside and stand up for our communities. Join the call to learn how to take action leading up to the Super Bowl against corporate colluders with ICE and how to join street patrols to defend your neighbors.
On Saturday, January 31st, from 12-1:30 pm or Monday, February 2nd, from 6-7:30 pm, sign up to become a trained legal observer with the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network.
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, has made threats against the Bay Area in response to Bad Bunny’s selection for the Super Bowl halftime show. Across the Bay Area, communities are staying vigilant and getting prepared. We must respond with power, not panic.
Join us. Get ready,
Bay Resistance
Speaker: Dr. Sharat G. Lin
To Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87388824824?pwd=QTWNvr8cGeGo1ZDW7x9Y8W0sDaNxRc.1
Meeting ID: 873 8882 4824
Passcode: 042428
link on any public notice websites or public social media!
The conflict and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has overshadowed developments in the West Bank. Yet the situations in the two occupied territories are inextricably linked to the convulsions of Israeli politics, the shifts in global geopolitics, and additionally manifested in the West Bank in the actions of the Israeli settler movement fully supported by the Israeli State. We take a look at how this has been impacting Palestinians on the ground, and their resistance to it.
Dr. Sharat G. Lin is a political economist with the San Jose Peace & Justice Center, Human Agenda, and the Initiative for Equality. He writes and lectures on the Middle East and labor migration, and has been involved in the region for decades ever since he attended medical school at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He lived through the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War, the Gulf oil boom, and the start of the Arab Spring.
1. Call to Order, determination of quorum
2. Open Forum/Public Comment on Non-Agenda matters
3. Information Item: a. Report from Public Works regarding OPD request for video footage.
4. Action Items:
a. Annual Reports 1. Shotspotter Annual Report (OPD)
b. Use Policies 1. Spotspotter – Gunshot Location Detection System (OPD) DGO I-20 2. GPS Tracker – Vehicle GPS Tracking Device (OPD) I-33 3. Responsive Easy Charging Products with Dynamic Signals – Evenergi LLC (OPW)
The Attack on Black Studies
Doors open at 1:30 p.m.
Please register in advance at
https://bit.ly/SSS-
to receive your personal link to participate in this event online
At this forum we will cover the history of Black studies and the origins of Black History Month. Our speakers will also discuss how faculty and students at schools and universities are resisting the Trump administration’s blatant efforts to banish African Americans from U.S. history and culture, and how this attack is just the latest demonstration of racism in this country.
Dr. James Garrett – President, Global Community Advancement Centers; co-founder of the modern Black Student Union Movement, Black/Ethnic Studies Programs, and the Modern Black Arts Movement
Rekia Jibrin – Assistant Professor of Critical Studies in Education at UC Santa Cruz
Gerald Sanders – Co-Founder of the Oscar Grant Committee Against Police Brutality; member of the Peace and Freedom Party and Democratic Socialists of America
*Organizations listed for identification purposes only.
Please help us celebrate our return to the Starry Plough by ordering food and/or drinks.
Please arrive early to place your order so that you do not miss any of the presentations.
An open discussion will follow the presentations.
We will be accepting donations which will be divided among the sponsoring organizations.
This event is sponsored by the Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party,
the Alameda County Green Party and Bay Area System Change Not Climate Change.
For more information email <info@sudssnackssocialism.org>
Email strike.debt.bay.area@gmail.com a few days beforehand for the online invite. All are welcome!
For our February, 2026 meeting we will be reading and discussing the first three chapters of A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit (Amazon) (Alibris). For our March meeting we will finish the book.
The most startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often provides. A Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster’s grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become-one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local.
Strike Debt Bay Area hosts this non-technical book group discussion monthly on new and radical economic thinking. Our first book was Doughnut Economics, and our most recent books were What’s Left – 3 Paths Through the Planetary Crisis, The Age of Insecurity and Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals. For the rest of our reading list see here.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85449203697
Green Sunday: Why is there Constant War in West Asia?
West Asia has experienced conflict, invasion and upheaval for the last eight decades. Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Syria have all been attacked, destabilized and occupied. In the last year, Israel and the US attacked Yemen and Iran with the threat of more attacks in near future.
Rick Sterling will discuss the major factors driving these events, the current situation and prospects for the future.
Rick Sterling is an independent journalist writing for Antiwar, Global Research, LA Progressive, ConsortiumNews and other publications. He has travelled extensively in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. He is a contributing author of the book “JFK and RFK’s Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism”.
Sunday, February 8th, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Via Zoom: please see the access info below.
(Note: This 1:00 pm starting time is only for February’s special Green Sunday event — March’s Green Sunday will start at 5:00 pm).
Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour ” sponsored by the Green Party
of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
Tickets available in person on day of show.
The fascist Trump regime has sent troops to American cities to suppress widespread public opposition to cruel ICE kidnappings, deportations and cold-blooded murder. He’s sent military to attack Venezuela and threatens to send soldiers to oppress more countries and people.
Will soldiers carry out illegitimate, unconstitutional and immoral orders of this regime? Or will they refuse?
Sir! No Sir!, takes you inside the rebellion that spread among the US military in Vietnam. This was a big part of forcing the US to end that war. This history lesson has largely been erased from public memory.
Register here for the February 21 XRUS Open House
xrus_chapter_engagement@
I don’t know how to do this, but I’m going to keep doing it anyway.
To Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 873 8882 4824
Passcode: 042428
Speaker: Amit Singh
Based on personal experiences during his two to three weeks stay in China with his partner and child, the speaker will put forward observations, stories and interesting encounters. The speaker will try to highlight contradictions in Chinese society, capital and state, and would focus upon the present state of the Chinese economy, education, health and other parameters. The talk will also dwell upon how to characterize China. Should China be characterized as capitalist/state-capitalist or market socialist (socialism with Chinese characteristics) or semi-peripheral or imperialist or semi-colonial or oppressed or oppressor? Should the emergence of China as a competitor of the US in many areas be seen as a great anti-imperialist development? Or, can it be argued that Chinese capitalist development will lead to inter-imperialist conflicts and wars throughout the world? How much power do the Chinese working class assert in China? Should the present Chinese model be followed by other countries? The speaker will also touch upon the state of productive forces, science and technology in China, and will also assess the Chinese military capabilities. During the whole talk, the speaker will aim to compare Chinese, Indian and the US development with the help of figures, tables and other visuals.
Dr. Amit Singh finished his Masters and PhD in Mechanics from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where he had been involved with anti-war and labor organizing efforts at Minneapolis. Currently, he is a faculty at IIT Bombay, India, where he is involved in the struggles around working class-caste issues including resistance against attack on freedom of expression, on academic freedom and attack on national minorities.
https://www.me.iitb.ac.in/