On April 29th, California's Assembly Committee on Public Safety passed A.B. 2743. The bill, authored by Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) and spearheaded by the Marijuana Policy Project, or MPP, would direct state and local law enforcement officers to not assist in federal raids on medical marijuana patients and providers. The bill will now continue on to the appropriations committee.

During the more than ten years in which patients in California have had legal access to medical cannabis, local and state officials have assisted the federal war on patients and providers in more than three-dozen cases, including by calling in federal agents. Some segments of the law enforcement community have reportedly opposed this bill, but the state's ill and injured patients prevailed when the committee voted to move the bill forward.

The committee heard testimony from MPP's Aaron Smith; a raided dispensary operator; a disabled former corrections officer; and Dr. Mollie Fry and her husband Dale Schafer, who have been sentenced to five years in federal prison for medical marijuana. Several patients and caregivers from the Sacramento area also attended to show their support for the bill.

Marijuana Policy Project's Statement | ASA's AB 2743 Page

Organizers in cities and towns around the U.S. are hoping to bring back the historical significance of May 1st in international labor and workers' struggles, and to reignite the labor movement by integrating recent undocumented workers' struggle for amnesty. Marches, rallies, and other gatherings on that date will focus on issues such as federal agencies and ending harassment by local police, raids, and the separation of families in immigrant communities; stopping the use of "no-match" letters to intimidate worker organizing efforts; holding elected officials accountable to supporting immigrant rights; funding human needs and services instead of militarism and war; and amnesty for those who do not have current documents.

Under the broad theme of Workers Uniting Without Borders –Amnesty for All, protesters will gather in San Francisco on Thursday, May 1st for a 2:00pm rally in Dolores Park, a 3:30pm march to Civic Center, and a 5:00pm rally and musical performance. The final planning meeting will take place on April 24th at 7pm at 522 Valencia St., near 16th St. BART. In Santa Cruz, march participants will wear green in solidarity with campus workers. There will be a 12pm rally in Quarry Plaza, followed by a march to a 4pm celebration in San Lorenzo Park. A march, rally, outdoor film screening, and other activities will take place in Watsonville starting at 4pm in the Plaza. An Immigrant Rights May Day March in Oakland will gather at 3 pm at Fruitvale BART Plaza for a march down International Blvd. to a 6pm rally at Oakland City Hall (14th & Broadway). In San Jose, an Immigrants Being Active Participants in Change march will gather at 4pm in the Mi Pueblo Foods parking lot (Story and King Roads) and will head down King Road and Santa Clara Street to San José City Hall (Santa Clara and 5th Streets). In Fresno, a March for Immigrant Rights will gather at 3pm in the Fulton Mall Free Speech Area, with plans for a 5pm march (Video). In San Diego, the community will gather at City College, march down Broadway to Pantoja Park, and then the day's events will continue with a public assembly at Memorial Park at Oceanview and 30th .

MIRA on the significance of May 1st | Indybay's past coverage: May Day 2007 | May Day 2006|

On Wednesday, March 19th, the California Supreme Court decided not to review last year’s landmark return of property decision in Garden Grove v. Superior Court. By affirming the appellate court’s decision, the Supreme Court has made protection against seizure of medical marijuana by law enforcement legally binding throughout the state of California.

In November of 2007, the California Court of Appeal ruled that state law enforcement could not use federal law as an excuse for not upholding California’s medical cannabis laws – therefore police must return medicine wrongfully seized from legal patients. ASA filed the successful appeal on behalf of Garden Grove patient Felix Kha in hopes of stemming the tide of hundreds of wrongful confiscations of medicine all over California. Kha had sought the return of his 8 grams of medical marijuana that was seized by police in June of 2005. In a ruling that rejects law enforcement's claim that federal law preempts the state's medical marijuana law, the court asserted "we do not believe the federal drug laws supersede or preempt Kha's right to the return of his property." The court further stated that, "it is not the job of the local police to enforce the federal drug laws..."

As a result of hundreds of cases of wrongful medical marijuana confiscation, and careful legal planning and research over the course of two years, ASA’s legal team felt that it built a strong defense for the rights of Felix Kha and others like him. ASA wants to make sure that the more than 250,000 legal patients and thousands of attorneys and public defenders are sufficiently educated about patients’ rights and protection from medicine confiscation to which patients are now entitled. ASA now hopes to educate police officers, prosecutors, and judges, and to use the media to end patient harassment and to ensure that police no longer claim that marijuana is illegal.

ASA's page about the Garden Grove case || Past coverage on Indybay: 11/2007: Appellate Court Strongly Vindicates Patients Right to Medical Marijuana Seized by Police | 8/2007: State Appellate Court to Hear Demand for Return of Patients' Medicine

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 marks the five-year anniversary of the beginning of the US war and occupation of Iraq. Events will be held all over the United States to observe and protest the ongoing war and its environmental, societal, and financial tolls. The Iraq war is the second longest in U.S. history. It has killed more than one million Iraqis and 4,000 U.S. troops. The cost of the war is now running at more than $400 million per day, nearly $5,000 per second.

ANSWER has called for a march and rally to begin at Civic Center Plaza at 5pm on the 19th. There will be direct actions throughout the day in downtown San Francisco. A Speak-Out to End the War will take place in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at 150 E. San Fernando St. in San Jose from 4pm to 6pm. A protest to demand Salvadoran troops out of Iraq will start at 12:00pm outside of the Salvadoran Consulate, next to the Federal Building in San Francisco. Protesters will commemorate and mourn the Iraq War at 7pm at the Town Clock in Santa Cruz. Indybay and DASW Radio 102.5 will be accepting live reports on Wednesday. Moveon.org has called for vigils to be held in cities and towns all over the country. United for Peace and Justice has called for demonstrations in Washington, DC, and throughout the country.

Events prior to March 19th: On Friday, March 14th, students held a Week Against War rally on the UC Santa Cruz campus at 3pm. Dance Brigade presented A Storm of Roses: Women Against the War on Friday night in San Francisco. On Saturday, March 15th, in Richmond, DASW led a direct action and rally at the Chevron Refinery. In Chico, a peace rally and puppet pageant took place on March 15th, focusing on "what we do want, as we already know what we don't want." In Walnut Creek, protesters held a Surge for Peace: Photos There was a rally in Palo Alto on Saturday: Photos There was a Rally in the Valley in Fresno that afternoon: Photos. The Big Peace March gathered in San Rafael at noon on Saturday. 10,000 protested in Los Angeles on March 15th. On the 19th, there will be a protest at the Hollywood military recruitment center on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea. Also on Saturday, there was a March Against the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War in San Diego. Protests at the Marine Recruiting Station in Berkeley are ongoing: 3/13| 3/14 | 3/19 A community gathering to celebrate resistance to war was held on Sunday, March 16th in MLK Park in Berkeley. Sean Penn and Cindy Sheehan were scheduled to speak at a peace vigil in SF on March 16th.

Direct Action to Stop the War on March 15th and 19th | UCSC Week Against War March 10th-14th | Anti-Authoritarian Call to Action on March 19th | People Power in Ohio Stopped A War In Iraq Ten Years Ago. That Same Power Can Get the US Out Of Iraq Now. by Bill Simpich | World Against War global listing of protests

The US Government is planning to poison more than two million people, in California, using an untested biological "pesticide" this summer. The chemical to be sprayed is classified by the EPA as a "pesticide" and the plan is to douse cities with a chemical designed to stick to everything it touches for 90 days or longer.

This application is not a one-time event, but will continue every 1-3 months for as long as five years. The pesticide to be sprayed is not designed to harm the light brown apple moths that it was designed to combat, but merely to confuse its mating habits. While harmless to moths, the pesticide has been documented to harm humans.

On January 24th, 2008, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Chuck Conner announced the availability of $74.5 million in emergency funding to combat the light brown apple moth (LBAM) "infestation" in California. President Bush's recent budget proposal sent to Congress sets aside $330 Million to eradicate plant pests, like the LBAM. It is unprecedented to design a long term plan to spray chemicals on people, which are untested for safety. Read More

see also: BioChem Spray Maker & Owner visits Monterey 3/13 Rally || CCOF Modifies Stance on Light Brown Apple Moth Treatment Program || A Clear and Present Danger || Previous Coverage on Indybay

Saturday, March 8th is International Women's Day. The first IWD in the United States was observed in 1909, after a declaration by the Socialist Party of America. The day is observed in countries all over the world, with celebrations taking political, social, and cultural forms. In many cities around the world, people observe a Global Women's Strike. Some organizers focus on the situation of women in countries such as Iran.

The Women of Color Resource Center will present Speaking Fierce, an evening of art, spoken word, humor, and music, on Thursday night, March 6th, at 7:00pm at the First Congregational Church, at 2501 Harrison Street at 27th in Oakland. Speakers and performers will include presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, the Service Women's Action Network, hip-hop duo Climbing PoeTree, and electro soul singer Jennifer Johns. On Friday evening, the BFUU will screen "Tillie Olsen- A Heart in Action", about the life of the writer and activist, on Friday evening at 7:00pm in Berkeley.

On Saturday, a day of celebration, networking, and sharing will take place in Richmond. There will be a performance of "My Name is Rachel Corrie" in Santa Cruz on March 8th and 9th. On Saturday afternoon, Revolution Books will host a discussion of the movie "Juno" On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the United Nations Association of Santa Cruz County will celebrate International Women’s Day. The International Musuem of Women's 4th Annual Gala: Women, Power and Politics will take place on Saturday evening in San Francisco.

On Sunday morning, the Institute for the Critical Study of Society will host an event about the situation of women in Iran. On Friday, March 14th, Dance Brigade will present A Storm of Roses: Women Against War, a commemoration and protest against the 5th Anniversary of the War in Iraq, at 7:30pm at the Herbst Theater. On March 14th and 15th, UC Santa Cruz's Kresge Town Hall will host the 14th Annual Women of Color Film and Video Festival. The Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco will host Luna Negra: A Night of Women's Live Art on Wednesday, March 26th.

Revolution Newspaper: Let Us Celebrate Our Fighting Unity on International Women’s Day | Revolution Newspaper: The Horrors for Women in the “Modern” World of Global Capitalism | Indybay's past coverage of IWD | International Women's Day .com | Global Women's Strike

On September 1-4 of 2008, the Republican Party is holding their convention in Minnesota. The RNC Welcoming Committee wants to make sure that "this time the fear-mongers will be met with their own biggest fear: people mobilized, organized, and taking the future back into their own hands."

The RNC Welcoming Committee's Infotour will make six stops in Northern California to share their plans and get input to take back to Minneapolis on their preparations to crash the convention in the Twin Cities in September. The RNC Welcoming Committee states, "understanding that most people can’t make it out to Minnesota before the Convention, we see this tour as an opportunity to bring the Welcoming Committee to you, and to bring your thoughts, ideas and voices back to Minnesota."

March 2: The Long Haul in Berkeley (3124 Shattuck Avenue)
March 3: Peace and Justice Center in Santa Rosa (467 Sebastopol Ave)
March 4: Station 40 in San Francisco (3030B 16th Street @ Mission)
March 5: (8pm, Bound Together Books, 1369 Haight St)
March 6: Arcata (7pm, Salmon House, 2950 Janes Rd)
March 7: Santa Cruz (6pm, Zami!, 807 Laurel Street)

At Station 40 in San Francisco, the Welcoming Committee and a member of Bay Area Unconventional Action gave an overview of organizing in Denver against the DNC. Someone from Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) spoke about the upcoming anti-war actions in the Bay Area on March 15th and 19th.

No RNC website

The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Tuesday, March 4th in the marriage cases that are challenging the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. Fifteen same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition will be represented at oral arguments by Shannon Price Minter, Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is serving as co-counsel with Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, Heller Ehrman LLP, and the Law Office of David C. Codell.

The marriage cases were filed in March of 2004. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard A. Kramer ruled that the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage violates the California Constitution. In a 2-1 vote, the California Court of Appeal reversed Judge Kramer's ruling. Shortly after the Court of Appeal's decision, the California Supreme Court granted review of the cases in order to consider the constitutional questions itself. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger highlighted that the California Supreme Court should decide the constitutional questions posed by the marriage statutes when he vetoed two measures passed by the California Legislature in 2005 and 2007 that would have permitted same-sex couples to marry.

The California Supreme Court typically issues its decisions within 90 days following oral arguments. 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the California Supreme Court's historic 1948 ruling that found it unconstitutional for the state to restrict access to marriage based on the race of the spouses. That ruling was the first of its kind in the nation's history, and is now the law of the land across the country. Several national and statewide organizations have urged the court to apply the reasoning from its 1948 decision to the current marriage cases.

Press releases from NCLR and EQCA | Sign an open letter to the Governor on marriage | Some of Indybay's Past Same-Sex Marriage Coverage: Valentine’s Day 2007 in Fresno || 2006: Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: “Yes!” to Caring Civil Society || 7/9/2006: California Court of Appeal Hears Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Case || 9/2005: California Governor Vetoes Marriage Equality Bill || 5/2005: Marriage Equality Loses in California State Assembly || 3/2005: SF Superior Court Says Same-Sex Marriage Could be Legal in California || 2/2005: Freedom to Marry Month || 12/2004: California's Ban on Gay Marriage Has Its Day in Court || 8/2004: Does Marriage Protect or Control? || 8/2004: Summer of Love 2004 Rally to Defend Same-Sex Marriage || 5/2004: SF Same-Sex Marriage Verdict: Illegal || 3/2004: State Supreme Court Halts Same-Sex Marriages for Review || 3/2004: As Same-Sex Marriages Spread, Controversy Grows || 2/2004: SF Issues Over 3000 Same-Sex Marriage Licenses || 2/18/2004: SF Issues Over 2000 Same-Sex Marriage Licenses