Newsitem List

Thursday, April 3, 2008 : It’s no surprise to anyone that California’s school funding formulas are seriously flawed – our state is 46th in the nation in per student funding, and if the Governor gets his way, we’ll likely fall to dead last on the list. For decades, local communities have sought to take matters into their own hands by assessing additional property taxes to make ends meet and free their schools from the periodic bust cycles brought on by wildly fluctuating state appropriations f...

George Cadman of Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM interviews Micah Posner, Director of People Power, about the upcoming candidate forums for State Assembly and County Supervisor....

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 : “Do as I say, not as I do.” It’s one of the oldest clichés around, and is most commonly found in homo politicus. Right now, two politicians whose careers are in trouble – U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and State Senator Carole Migden – have decided to use this adage freely. As it becomes mathematically impossible for Clinton to win the presidential nomination, she has redefined the term “victory” more than we can count – while disingenuously claiming that the Democrat...

In a recent e-mail, impeachment activist Brad Newsham, a San Francisco taxicab driver, describes an encounter with a Nobel Prize winner....

Friday, March 28, 2008 : In a poll released yesterday by the Public Policy Institute that interviewed 2,000 likely California voters, Proposition 98 appears headed for defeat. The initiative to abolish rent control is trailing 37-41, which is a fatal place to be two months before an election (when most voters have not tuned in yet.) Proposition 99, which would simply reform eminent domain, is leading by 53-27....

Many folks don't know about the upcoming June 3, 2008 statewide election, when California voters may be fooled into repealing rent control, thinking they are voting on an initiative for eminent domain reform. Landlords have intentionally disguised Prop. 98 and submitted it for a low-turnout election. It's important to get the word out to as many folks as possible, so here you'll find a printable "No on Prop. 98" letter to renters....

Wednesday, March 26, 2008 : Mayor Newsom’s Budget Cuts May Force Closure of Single Remaining Central City 24-hour Homeless Drop-in Center...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 : According to new campaign reports filed yesterday with the Secretary of State's office, more than 83% of funding in support of Proposition 98 comes from apartment and mobile home park landlords and the associations that represent them. Hidden in the fine print of Prop 98 are provisions that would eliminate rent control and other renter protections....

Monday, March 24, 2008 : With Beijing hosting the Olympics in August, “Free Tibet” should be the Bay Area’s battle cry. Especially with the Olympic Torch scheduled to come through San Francisco in early April. In fact, San Francisco is the only U.S. city slated to receive the official relay....

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 : Wealthy apartment and mobile home park owners spent millions to get Proposition 98 on the June 2008 ballot. Prop 98 is a deceptive scheme that would wipe out rent control and eliminate important renter protections like laws requiring the fair return of deposits. Prop 98 is the worst kind of special interest proposition there is: It benefits a few wealthy landlords at the expense of millions of Californians....