KPFA Unpaid Staffer Message to Pacifica - Your Actions Hurt Progressives

To Arlene Engelhardt, Pacifica Executive Director:

Arlene – I hold you personally responsible for the harm you are causing our local progressive community. We have no local source other than the Morning Show to tell us what our Bay Area activists are doing and to inspire us to action.

How can you as a single individual take away my lifeline to vital information?

Did you know that Oakland just elected its first Asian and first female mayor?? This in face of Big money? What ‘s happening with the transition? How’s she going to face the huge budget deficit? Will her progressive roots show as she takes over as mayor?

What’s the deal with a longtime Oakland councilmember quitting? Will there be a new election? Will Quan choose the replacement?

Richmond’s Green activist mayor won a second term in office – even though Chevron fought her as did the police. What’s she doing in face of that kind of opposition? Some allies will sit on the Richmond City Council with her. What does that mean?

Sam Zell bought an election for $25,000 to reshape downtown Berkeley. Now what?

A new Bay Area progressive organization was launched a couple of weeks ago, with some 60 people reportedly in attendance at its first meeting. What’s that all about?

EBASE recently celebrated success on Measure C. After years of court fights in Emeryville, hotel workers are getting a living wage. What else is happening in Emeryville and its rising community activism?

And what’s happening with our local environmental, Haiti, peace, health, Sudan, Congo, Tibet, Burma, labor, homeless, peace.....activists? It's important to know what's happening internationally -- but how will we interact with that knowledge locally?

The Morning Show folks had their ears to the ground. Is your plan to help local conservatives? I don’t think it is – I’m not a conspiracy nut – but the perhaps-unintended results are there.

Give us back the Morning Show with Brian and Aimee before you completely ruin our station, and decimate its service as a vital conduit for local progressive activism.

Judith Scherr
Listener, unpaid staff