On September 27th, thousands of members of the four employee unions of the United States Postal Service joined forces with allies and community members to send a message to the nation and its Congress. All around the country, protesters demonstrated against proposals to close thousands of post offices, eliminate Saturday deliveries, lay off workers, cut postal workers’ pay, and end collective bargaining rights.

In Sacramento, postal workers demonstrated in front of the office of Republican Congressman Dan Lungren. In Palo Alto, employees belonging to the National Association of Letter Carriers were joined by the Raging Grannies in a boisterous demonstration. Together they called for an end to the attack on unionized public workers.

Read more | Save America's Postal Service

“Don’t Sell To Zell!” shouted East Palo Alto tenants and supporters, as they rallied on August 22nd in front of a Wells Fargo branch in downtown Palo Alto. The demonstrators protested Wells Fargo’s pending arrangement with investment group Equity Residential, of which Sam Zell is the founder and chairman. The proposed sale would transfer ownership of more than half of the rent-controlled housing in East Palo Alto.

East Palo Alto is one of the few affordable communities on the San Francisco Peninsula and is home to many people of color. Sam Zell is a well-known opponent of rent control, and has jokingly called himself a "vulture capitalist". His company, Equity LifeStyle, has sued multiple California cities to invalidate local rent control laws, and funded a statewide ballot measure to end rent control in California.

Wells Fargo made a stated commitment to involve the community in transitioning the property to new ownership. Protesters accused the bank of breaking their promise to East Palo Alto tenants.

Read more | Videos: 1 | 2

After more than a decade of legal battles, a decision by a final court ruled against the group Friends of Juana Briones House. The oldest house in Palo Alto, named for its famous resident who was a latina pioneer, is being dismantled, piece by piece.

Juana Briones healed the sick and cared for the poor. An elementary school and park in Palo Alto both bear her name. Her house, parts of which were built in 1844, is being destroyed by the current property owner who has fought off historic preservationists, latino/latina activists, and descendants of Briones for years. Feminists joined in the struggle for the home's preservation as well. Jeanne McDonnell, biographer of Juana Briones, stated that historic buildings associated with women are more likely to be demolished than those associated with men.

Read more | Photo

Past Indybay Coverage 2008: Activists Work to Save Former Home of Juana Briones | 2009: Action Revived to Save Juana Briones House | 2010: Juana Briones Birthday Celebration

A spike in the level of radioactive iodine, linked to the release of I-131 from Japan's Fukushima Daichii plant, was discovered in milk samples in California's San Luis Obispo County in late March. Then on April 2nd, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release, stating that radioactive material in California's rainwater is the result of the nuclear disaster in Japan.

While health officials are rushing to assure the public that these increases present no danger to human health, Californians are expressing deep concern about the possibility of a Fukushima-like scenario in their state, where two nuclear reactors are poised near earthquake faults on the coast. During a protest in the San Francisco Peninsula city of Menlo Park, held shortly after the magnitude of Japan's crisis became evident, demonstrators called for the immediate halt of the "rubber-stamping of licenses for nuclear reactors by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission". More demonstrations are scheduled for the month of April.

In San Francisco there is an urgent call to action for April 14th. Organizers are encouraging California residents to speak out at the Board of the California Public Utility Commission's public meeting to call for the closure of Diablo Canyon, a nuclear reactor that is a mere 200 miles from the city.

Mothers for Peace, a group that protested the establishment of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in the 1970's and has continued to question its safety, is organizing a mass demonstration on April 16th at Avila Beach, California, near that nuclear plant.

April 26th will see a global day of action against nuclear power on the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl. Demonstrators will gather in cities throughout the U.S. and in many countries. Near San Francisco, a protest will be held in Menlo Park.

EPA: Increase in Radioactive Levels in California from Japan Disaster | Radioactive Iodine Found in Milk in San Luis Obispo County | Japanese Authorities Admit: Japan Disaster Equal to Chernobyl

Mothers for Peace | Greenpeace | Nuclear Information Resource Service

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Previous Indybay Coverage: Californians Ask of Japan's Nuclear Disaster, Could It Happen Here?

Candidate for California Insurance Commissioner Dina Padilla is calling on Attorney General Jerry Brown to investigate the role of PG&E in the San Bruno fire of September 9. In a statement released to the press, Ms. Padilla asked that criminal charges be filed against PG&E saying, "I believe that PG&E is criminally negligent and is incapable in properly defending the lives and property of California residents."

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. owns the the pipeline that ruptured and ignited the conflagration that destroyed dozens of homes and killed at least 4 people. Padilla blamed lack of proper safety oversight on the corporate take-over of California public utilities, adding that the fault lies with the deregulation of industry by both Democrats and Republicans.

Residents of the San Bruno neighborhood say that they had been complaining for weeks preceding the blast of a gas smell, but that nothing was done.

Read more | Photos | Infrastructure decay in San Bruno gas explosion

Demonstrations against Proposition 23, an oil company sponsored initiative that would delay implementation of California's global warming law, began in earnest this month. In the Bay Area, protesters carrying signs reading "Stop Texas Oil--Hell No on 23" have been demonstrating in San Rafael, Mountain View, Richmond, El Cerrito, Berkeley and Palo Alto. Organizers say this is just the start of a campaign that will include hundreds of such actions statewide before November's election.

Climate justice activists targeted Valero gas stations for their demonstrations after the Texas oil company contributed millions of dollars toward the measure. Proposition 23 would stall a California law enacted in 2006 requiring cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. A workshop for activists against Prop 23 is scheduled as part of a global work party in Oakland on October 10th.

Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

Global Work Day in Oakland October 10th | STOP TEXAS OIL

Demonstrators swarmed Amphitheater Parkway near Google Way in Mountain View on August 13th. They converged on Google headquarters to protest the giant search engine company's proposal to the Federal Communications Commission that would exempt wireless communication from most government regulation.

Protesters on the Google campus said that without federal rules net providers could give priority to certain online traffic, a situation that would lead to a tiered "pay-to play" internet. The demonstration was organized by a coalition of internet freedom defenders including Color of Change, FreePress.net, and the Raging Grannies. The Grannies, who led anti-Google chants and songs, echoed the sentiment of fellow activists saying that the Google plan works against the concepts of internet neutrality because companies are motivated by profit rather than the public good.

Read more Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

FreePress.net | Color of Change | Raging Grannies Action League

Nurses in California say that Meg Whitman's election would threaten their meal and rest breaks and put patient care in jeopardy. They decided to take to the streets with a thousand nurses after Whitman mailed letters and fliers to nurses' homes telling them not to believe statements made by the California Nurses Association (CNA).

The CNA, along with other union leaders, say that gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's agenda would punish the middle class and push the state deeper into recession. They say that Whitman's plans would cut 40,000 state government jobs, dramatically reducing public employee pensions, deregulating industry and cutting welfare benefits.

The day of action started with over 1,100 people chanting in protest in front of Whitman's Atherton home and ended with a rally at Cañada College. At the college nurses were greeted by community members who stand in support of the nurses' position including the Raging Grannies. Speakers urged nurses to stay strong in their fight against what is being called "the Whitman attack".

Read more | Photos | Video | California Nurses Association

Street theater activists portraying British Petroleum and Chase Bank as being "too chummy" drew the attention of bank customers and foot traffic at a demonstration in Palo Alto on June 26th. Demonstrators encouraged customers to move their money to community banks or credit unions, telling passersby that not only did Chase take bailout money as a "too big to fail" institution, but that it is the chief depository bank for British Petroleum. The protesters sang songs and held signs pointing out that JP Morgan Chase got $25 billion in government bailout money and they grease the wheels for BP.

Photos: 1 | 2

A New Way Forward | Raging Grannies Action League

United Public Workers for Action (UPWA) called for a demonstration against the privatization of public education when it was announced that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would be the keynote speaker at Foothill Community College's graduation ceremony. After the UPWA initially received permission from the college administration to stage a peaceful protest, Foothill College president Judy Miner called organizer and Skyline Community College instructor George Wright to ask that he cancel the planned demonstration. Wright was also contacted by counsel at the office of the Education Secretary.

Demonstrators showed up as planned at the graduation ceremony on the evening of June 25th. Although cordoned off to a "free speech zone", protesters were able to make their case against the Obama administration's attempts to privatize the public school system as they spoke to students lined up to walk to the stage. Graduating students, especially those anticipating careers in education and counseling, shared similar concerns with the demonstrators, who explained that the Obama administration's emphasis on charter schools is linked to the demonization of teachers unions.

Read more | United Public Workers for Action