Feature Archives

Demonstrations against Proposition 23, an oil company sponsored initiative that would delay implementation of California's global warming law, began in earnest this month. Protesters carrying signs reading "Stop Texas Oil--Hell No on 23" have demonstrated in San Rafael, Mountain View, Berkeley, Richmond, El Cerrito 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.

On September 2nd, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is expected to release the report of an investigation into widespread accusations that PG&E’s so-called 'smart' meters are inaccurate and routinely overcharge customers. Aside from concerns about accuracy, there is growing alarm from citizens over health risks from the new meters and this has led 20 cities and counties throughout California to demand a halt to smart meter installation.

On August 30th, for the third straight morning, outraged Santa Cruz County residents gathered at the gates of Wellington Energy in Capitola, successfully blocking what they say is a forced installation of radiating 'smart' meters against the will of residents and nearly two dozen local governments throughout the Greater Bay Area.

The Bay Area is commemorating the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage this week with speakers, films, costumes, and concerns. Members of the national organization Radical Women put out a call on the occasion of Women's Equality Day this year saying, "It's time to reclaim and re-energize a fighting, militant feminist movement!" In San Mateo, US Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo warned that women's reproductive rights continue to be threatened.

Social Security was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. Originally a plan for retired workers, it soon became a program to provide monthly income to widows and widowers and their minor children as well as the disabled. Calling the plan "America's promise to its citizens" and opposing any movement to privatize the program, activists in San Francisco and San Jose held demonstrations around the 75th anniversary of Social Security this past week.

The Federal court decision on California's Prop 8 was announced on August 4th. Judge Vaughn Walker ruled for the plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court that challenged the constitutional validity of California's Proposition 8. The plaintiffs sought to have the federal court strike down the proposition, saying it is contrary to the 14th Amendment's guarantee to equal protection. Rallies were held in response throughout the the Bay Area and elsewhere in California.

On July 22nd, about 1500 members of UNITE HERE! Local 2 and supporters demonstrated in San Francisco, culminating in a mass civil disobedience in front of the Grand Hyatt in Union Square. Police arrested 150 people in San Francisco and 10 at a similar demonstration at the Hyatt Santa Clara. The Bay Area protests were two of fifteen that took place in North America at Hyatt hotels on the same day.