Today the concentration of CO2 in our planet's atmosphere is 390 ppm, say the organizers of 350.org, a group that called for an international action on October 24th. They helped organize more than 5,200 rallies in 181 countries, calling it the most widespread day of political action in history. In countries throughout the world activists called for a reduction of CO2 to a maximum of 350 ppm, and in Northern California residents in many of the state's diverse micro-climates took part in the big day.

In Santa Cruz, marchers carried placards through town to the clock tower where they held a mock trial of the automobile. In Humboldt County, demonstrators chose the ancient redwood forest in Richardson Grove as their site for protest because it is threatened by Caltrans’ proposal to widen highway 101. In San Francisco, folks spread a giant 350 banner across Justin Herman Plaza to call attention to this important number.

In Menlo Park, a San Francisco peninsula suburb, the Raging Grannies sang their message, saying the trick is getting leaders to craft policies that will get us to the number 350. In addition to lobbying politicians, the Grannies have joined a year-long project led by Menlo Park's Green Ribbon Committee to promote homeowner installation of "cool roofs" that, because they are white or other light colors, can help protect the earth's atmosphere.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Video | 350.org

On October 19th, in a federal court house in Los Angeles, Alex Sanchez was once again denied bail. Sanchez, a nationally recognized activist and peacemaker, is accused of maintaining ties to his former gang and participating in a conspiracy to murder. Bail was denied after Judge Real suppressed testimony from father Greg Boyle, an expert in Los Angeles gangs.

Father Boyle believes that Alex's case is built on weak evidence and that he was targeted due to his political activism, specifically on police harassment and abuse. US Ninth Circuit Judge Manuel Real rejected Alex's bail due to assumed risk of flight. Over one-hundred supporters gathered outside the courtroom and demanded Alex's release and a fair trial. Included in the crowd of supporters was former State Senator Tom Hayden, author Luis Rodriguez, and Barrios Unidos founder Nane Alejandrez. Other vocal supporters have included UFW founder Dolores Huerta and hip-hop author Jeff Chang.

Read more with audio and photos | Photos from the Solidarity Rally | More Photos | Coverage at LA-IMC and WitnessLA.com | Previous coverage on Indybay

On Thursday, September 24th, actions against the budget cuts, fee hikes, layoffs and furloughs at University of California campuses took place throughout the UC system. Workers, graduate student employees, staff and faculty held a strike, walked out, and demonstrated in defense of public education and fair labor practices.

Under the cover of the summer months, the UC administration pushed through a program of fee increases, enrollment cuts, layoffs, furloughs, and increased class sizes that harms students and jeopardizes the livelihoods of the most vulnerable university employees. According to one analysis, with the next round of proposed fee increases (32% over the next year) UC would be funded more by student tuition than by the state, effectively making it a private university. Even with furloughs going ahead for many UC employees, management is laying off workers, cutting services, and planning to reduce in-state student enrollment to make room for nonresidents.

On September 23rd, students, faculty and staff joined together at the SFCC Mission Campus to speak-out against the massive attacks on education and to encourage organizing in solidarity with the UC statewide strike and a Northern California Educational Workers and Students conference at SFSU on September 26th at the SFSU Student Union. Video

On September 24th on the UC Berkeley campus, the day started with picket lines and teach-outs happening around campus, with a mass rally and march at noon and a general assembly in the evening to plan the next steps forward.

Thousands at labor/student picketlines at California universities | Audio from UC Berkeley Walkout | Reports from around California (and the world) - The UC Walkout | "Solidarity, What Is A Public University" A Poem For The UCB Strike/Walkout | California students and faculty denounce education cuts | UC "Student Leaders" Sabotage Occupation of Wheeler Hall | Blanca Misse UCB UAW-AGSE2865 & SWAT Member Speaks At UCB Strike/Walk-Out | UC Berkeley One Day Mass Walkout & Mass Rally-Workers and Students Speak Out | UC Berkeley Teach-Out Schedule | Poster for UC Berkeley Walkout

On September 24th at the UC Santa Cruz campus, picket lines began at 6am followed by a noon rally and afternoon general assembly at the base of campus. Also, students at UCSC began an occupation of the Graduate Student Commons as part of the day of action at all UCs across the state. The occupation lasted until October 1st.

Walkout and Rallies at UC Santa Cruz | UCSC Students Occupy Graduate Student Commons

Over 1,000 UC San Diego students and supporters walked out, marched and rallied on September 24th, the first day of the fall quarter, to protest tuition increases, pay cuts and furloughs, administration pay raises and privatization of the UC.

UCSD Students Walk Out September 24 | Reports from UC Riverside and UCLA

The Associated Students of the University of California (UC Berkeley Student Government) endorsed the walkout unanimously saying that "Never before has there been such a large-scale single action across all of the UCs. For the first time, we have seen an alliance being built among students, faculty and staff all taking a strong stand against the erosion of the quality, accessibility and affordability of our UC education. United, we are confident that we can fight these budget cuts, oppose the enormous fee increases being proposed, and preserve the excellence of the UC public education system at this very pivotal moment in time."

The September 24 Walkout is supported by the American Association of University Professors, the UC Student Association, the University Professional and Technical Employees and all of the student governing bodies of UC Berkeley. UPTE Strike Announcement

Related: INVITATION - October 24 Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education | UC Walkout: Trapped in a Partisan Cul-de-Sac? | UC Berkeley Is Rising | An Open Letter to UC Graduate Students | UC Faculty Walkout - September 24

Related Indybay Feature: Service Workers Ratify Historic Contract With UC

This fall, Congress will decide whether to update the Child Nutrition Act, the law that determines what 30 million children eat at school every day. Activists interested in petitioning Congress to increase funding for the Act, in order to give schools the resources to serve healthy and natural food, celebrated the Labor Day holiday by gathering with neighbors at Eat-ins throughout the Bay Area.

An Eat-In is a group of people gathering in public in order to share a home-cooked meal. Through the national Time for Lunch campaign, Eat-Ins were organized to help people network over "real" food, food that is grown locally when possible, and is fresh and wholesome. At present the vast majority of public schools only manage to meet mandated nutritional requirements by serving foods that are artificially supplemented.

In San Mateo, residents of an ecovillage invited neighbors to visit their cooperative housing along the bay and share a meal. In Los Gatos and Sonoma activists for healthy food ate in the shade in parks, while in Sunnyvale the Raging Grannies entertained a lunch gathering on a farm located on grounds owned by the Santa Clara Unified School District, adjacent to Petersen Middle School. San Francisco's Brooks Park with its giant fruit and vegetable sculptures made a perfect backdrop for healthy food enthusiasts who want to see more fresh produce on school lunch plates.

Photos: Sunnyvale: 1 | 2 | 3 | San Mateo | San Francisco | Los Gatos | Sonoma

Author J. Patrick O'Connor was recently interviewed in San Francisco about his research into the case of San Quentin death row prisoner Kevin Cooper, whose appeal at the Ninth Circuit Court was recently denied, with Judge William Fletcher writing a stinging dissent, declaring that the "State of California may be about to execute an innocent man.” This fall, Cooper will be appealing to the US Supreme Court, which is last chance to avoid execution.

In a 101 page dissenting opinion Judge Fletcher wrote that Cooper was “probably innocent,” of the 1983 murders for which he was convicted, and “if he is innocent, the real killers have escaped…They may kill again. They may already have done so…We owe it to the victims of this horrible crime, to Kevin Cooper, and to ourselves, to get this one right.”

Judge Fletcher’s dissent was recently featured in a front page New York Times article by John Schwartz, titled Judges’ Dissents for Death Row Inmates Are Rising. Schwartz writes that Fletcher “argued that the evidence had been tainted by bumbling and misconduct and suggested that blood linking Mr. Cooper to the crime had been planted by overzealous investigators. And while the Ninth Circuit in 2004 ordered new DNA tests, Judge Fletcher wrote that the lower court had set conditions rendering the results useless. ‘There is no way to say this politely,’ he wrote. ‘The district court failed to provide Cooper a fair hearing and flouted our direction to perform the two tests.’”

On May 18, 2009 Kevin Cooper was interviewed by Flashpoints/KPFA radio, where Cooper compared his current situation with that in 2004, when he came less than 4 hours from being executed before a stay was granted: “I was able to survive this madness. And now I seem to be right back, right in it.” Read more

Execution of Kevin Cooper Stopped | Save Kevin Cooper

Supreme Court Orders Evidenciary Hearing for Death Row Prisoner Troy Anthony Davis

Mark Hawthorne writes: Animal Place, an education center and sanctuary for farmed animals, is pleased to announce that in addition to our new location in Grass Valley, we will retain our current property in Vacaville, California. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous supporter, Animal Place will keep our 60-acre location, transforming it into Rescue Ranch, which will serve as an innovative adoption and placement facility for farmed animals. Animals who arrive at Rescue Ranch will be quarantined, given veterinary care, rehabilitated and then placed in pre-approved homes.

The Ranch will be dedicated to finding loving homes for easily adoptable animals, such as chickens, sheep, and goats, though we will also be able to place pigs and cows under the right circumstances. With our history of successfully re-homing rescued “battery” hens, however, and with more and more people enjoying them as companion animals, we will likely focus our efforts on chickens. “Backyard chicken flocks are becoming increasingly popular,” says Animal Place Executive Director Kim Sturla. “We previously have rescued and placed thousands of hens who were retired from the egg industry. Instead of these birds being sent to slaughter, as they usually are, our hope is that many will come to Animal Place’s Rescue Ranch and then placed in new, loving homes.”

We hope to establish a network with farms, shelters and other rescue groups to maximize the options for the thousands of farmed animals who are abused, neglected and abandoned nationwide while we promote the idea that farmed animals can be companion animals. In addition, we will revive our dog-rescue program.

Read More | AnimalPlace.org

Statement From The Chicano Mexicano Prison Project: "Once again, major violence between Raza and African prisoners has erupted within the United States Concentration Camp (Prison) System, this time at Chino California State Prison. Beginning at 8:20 PM, on Saturday evening (Aug. 8, 2009), African and Raza (Latino) prisoners, in the most brutal fashion, slashing, cutting, hitting each other with anything that could get their hands on, battled against each other for more than 11 hours. Over 200 hundred were hurt, several were critically injured with severe head injuries or stab wounds.Blood was spilled by everyone. Many of those involved will be scared and maimed for life, both physically and mentally. "

"But this latest violence is nothing new. Nor was it the worst. For years, not only in California, but also throughout the United States, Raza and African prisoners have been at each other throats. Those of us who should know better –the social activists and so-called educated– should be clear about the root causes of this horrific violence that continues, unabated, decade after decade, and how it only serves to keep both nations oppressed and colonized; and most importantly, what we must do about it.

"While some refused to see or accept the truth, the reality is that the prison wars between Raza and Africans are nothing but the old strategy of divide and conquer, which the European (white) colonialist-capitalist system has successfully used against our people for more than 500 years. The 'hand of white supremacy' behind the recent hostilities should be obvious to everyone. Read more

Rebellion at Chino prison, one building burned | 'Forty injured' in US prison riot

On Wednesday, August 5th, protesters met in San Francisco to protest Governor Schwarzenegger's budget cuts which disproportionately target health services fighting the spread of HIV.

AIDS/HIV related organizations, including Care Not Cuts and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, victims, and supporters rallied outside the State building in San Francisco to protest Governor Schwarzenegger's line item vetoes in this year's budget, which resulted in an additional 85 million in funding is being cut from HIV/AIDS-related organizations and groups.

Photos: 1 | Videos: 1 | 2

Previous Related Indybay Features: People with Disabilities Arrested While Protesting State Budget Cuts in SF | SF Mayor Gavin Newsom Hides From Tenants Seeking Renter's Relief Measures | Hundreds of People Who Would Be Affected by Newsom's Budget Cuts Take to the Streets

Celebrating 44 years of Medicare, a plan that provides health care for millions of seniors, activists in northern California demonstrated on July 30th in solidarity with a demonstration in Washington, DC. Single-payer plan proponents pointed out that Americans overwhelmingly trust Medicare, a publicly financed program, and said that Medicare has successfully served the nation's most frail with low administrative costs for four decades. They called for it to be used as a model for a national health care plan.

In Menlo Park, the Raging Grannies led senior citizens and other Medicare fans in belting out old-timey tunes with new lyrics in praise of Medicare. The sponsors of that rally, San Mateo County Democracy for America, brought a birthday cake and balloons and offered passers-by refreshments along with information about single-payer health care.

In the East Bay, members of the California Alliance for Retired Americans and others urged Congressman Pete Stark to vote in favor of a House bill for single-payer. They rallied in front of the Congressman's office on Civic Center Drive in Fremont and delivered a birthday cake to his staff. Actions at both locations were in support of Rep. John Conyers, Jr.'s (D-MI) bill to improve and expand Medicare for All (HR 676) and of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) for his amendment to enable states to adopt single-payer healthcare. 

Photos: Menlo Park 1 | 2 | 3 Fremont 1

  Single Payer Action

The stalemate in legislative discussions over California's budget crisis continued this week with a prominent issue being California's Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal to suspend a constitutional amendment that sets a minimum level of funding for schools. On July 15th the CTA and the CFT, California's two teachers organizations, joined advocates for seniors and people with disabilities in front of the State Building in San Francisco, where the governor maintains an office, to protest proposed cuts to budgets for human services. The demonstration, organized by the San Francisco Labor Council, brought attention to the serious nature of proposed cuts and how they would affect populations including children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

The governor and legislators have rejected calls for new taxes on oil or tobacco. Without increased revenues funding for schools and vulnerable populations are on the chopping block. Proposition 98, the law that guarantees public schools roughly 40% of general fund revenue, is in danger of being suspended and Schwarzenegger has been particularly critical of state assisted In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) that provides much-needed care for seniors and people with disabilities. On June 23rd, seventeen people from the coalition "The People's Day of Reckoning", many in wheelchairs, were arrested and charged with blocking traffic when they protested in San Francisco in front of the State Building.

This week a federal judge ruled that the state must pay IHSS workers their existing wages and not reduce their pay by the $2.00 an hour, in a move the the governor and legislators approved in February. The governor continues to attack the In-Home Health Support Services, saying that it is "rife with fraud", in his attempts to rescue the state budget even though IHSS is a cost-saving alternative to out-of-home care.

Read more | Videos: 1 | 2 | 3 Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Audio: Arrests of Disability Activists Outside Schwarzenegger's Home in L.A.