2012 Jun 07
TPP Kickoff Meeting to be held at the Bayfront Hilton. This is from the website of the
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
DeMaio, Filner head toward runoff DeMaio led the way with 32.1 percent of the vote and Filner finished a close second with 30.1 percent with all precincts reporting.
Political control of S.D. council may shift Political control of the San Diego City Council may shift after Tuesday's election as Republican Scott Sherman is poised to win a majority vote and bring the count of Democrats and Republicans to a four-four split heading into the November election.
A loss for labor:
Proposition A passes by wide margin Proposition A, a measure that would ban San Diego from using labor-friendly development contracts on city-funded projects, passed by a wide margin Tuesday, which could put San Diego at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds.
Pension reform scores big with voters Proposition B passes.
Proposition 8 same-sex marriage fight headed to U.S. Supreme Court A glimmer of politics showed through Tuesday (June 5) when the full Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals declined a request from supporters of California’s ban on same-sex marriage to review a circuit panel’s decision that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.
First Circuit: DOMA unconstitutional; next stop: Supreme Court A unanimous three-judge panel of the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled today (Thursday, May 31) that the core part of the Defense of Marriage Act, barring federal recognition of marriages of same-sex couples, is unconstitutional. An appeal of that decision is expected to be filed fairly quickly with the U.S. Supreme Court and is likely be before the high court this fall.
Analysis (from the Chicago Tribune): Lessons from the Wisconsin recall vote Gov. Scott Walker already had become a national hero to conservatives for his willingness to take on his state's powerful public employee unions. His victory making him the only governor in U.S. history to survive a recall will increase his stature even further.
Senate GOP blocks Democrats' equal pay bill Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a Democratic bill calling for equal pay in the workplace. But President Obama and his congressional allies aren't finished appealing to women on the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession.
House GOP shoot down effort to insert LGBT protections in VAWA In a strict party line vote, Republicans on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee rejected three attempts Tuesday (May 7) to add protections for LGBT victims of domestic abuse in a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.
2012 Jun 14
Only You Can Save Balboa Park! The good folks at SOHO – Save Our Heritage Organization – are fighting angry. And for good reason. They are upset that the San Diego Planning Commission approved billionaire Irwin Jacobs’ plans for Balboa Park at its June 7th meeting.
Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) wrote:
After eight hours of presentations and public testimony on June 7th, with little thoughtful deliberation, the San Diego Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the Plaza de Panama project. Their conduct was one of extreme disappointment as they let down both the public and forfeited their stewardship of Balboa Park in an embarrassing display up one-upmanship of who could thank Dr. Jacobs the most for gracing their presence. This is no exaggeration.
DeMaio faces heat after ‘anti-gay zealot’ donates money to mayoral campaign San Diego CityBeat is reporting that mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio has accepted campaign money and endorsements from Charles LiMandri, a pro-life, anti-gay Catholic lawyer.
Li Mandri joins other anti-gay supporters in DeMaio’s list of endorsers including Roger Hedgecock, a public voice against gay rights, and Brian Caster, one of the biggest donors to California’s Prop. 8.
New Super PAC Defending Against Defense Cuts | KPBS.org Looking out at San Diego’s magnificent bay, you can see why it is such a desirable spot for the Navy. Admiral James Johnson, President of SDMAC, a group that lobbies for military interests in San Diego, said about a quarter of the region’s wages come from federal defense spending.
'Long-Term Destruction' at San Diego Schools if No Compromise A letter from a concerned citizen and parent of a local schoolteacher: By Jill Roman - My daughter is one of the more than 1,500 members that are scheduled to lose their jobs on June 30. She is an exemplary teacher who has been nominated as Teacher of the Year. She attended a San Diego Unified School District meeting last week where everyone was told that all pink-slipped employees will be terminated at the end of June and they will lose any and all benefits, including health insurance. The COBRA monthly payment information provided is prohibitive for an unemployed teacher. Even if there are rehires during the summer, benefits start at square one and won't kick in until the probationary periods end.
Obama Trade Document Leaked, Revealing New Corporate Powers And Broken Campaign Promises A critical document from President Barack Obama's free trade negotiations with eight Pacific nations was leaked online early Wednesday morning, revealing that the administration intends to bestow radical new political powers upon multinational corporations, contradicting prior promises.
Plan to disclose credit card complaints faces opposition WASHINGTON – The banking industry is fighting a federal agency's proposal to put complaints that consumers make about their credit cards online for everyone to see.
Help EFF Find Out How Your Local Police Agency is Using Drones The groups listed by the FAA included about two dozen local police agencies, but we expect this number to grow rapidly in the coming weeks and months. In February, Congress passed a bill mandating the FAA authorize drones to public agencies if they can prove they can fly them safely. More recently, the Department of Homeland Security, which was already handing out grants to local law enforcement agencies, announced a program to further "facilitate and accelerate the adoption" of drones by local police agencies. In addition, last month the FAA announced it had established new (though undisclosed) procedures to allow more law enforcement agencies quicker access to fly drones.
Homeless feeding bans: Well-meaning policy or war on the poor? Laws tightening regulations on aid to the homeless are popping up across the country, according to a recent USA Today report: “Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City and more than 50 other cities have previously adopted some kind of anti-camping or anti-food-sharing laws, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
Feed the homeless, go to jail? The ACLU has sued the City of Brotherly Love for not being loving or brotherly enough with its ban on the outdoor feeding of the homeless, which took effect this month. The Philadelphia Weekly points out that the ban grew out of the Occupy movement, which began giving food to the homeless without benefit of food safety standards.
The 1966 Bilderberg Data Dump: The WAR on NATIONALISM Exposed In the days following coverage of the 2012 Bilderberg meeting in Chantilly, Virginia, Infowars began exposing a series of leaked documents marked “strictly confidential” and “not for publication” exposing details from inside past Bilderberg meetings– namely the Wiesbaden, Germany conference that took place during March 1966. Our on-air coverage exposed the Bilderberg-centered globalists’ deep-seated hatred for nationalism and, of course, their long-term vision to steer the world towards global government.
Jamie Dimon slaps himself on the hand ...the outspoken chief executive of JPMorgan Chase under scrutiny for a multibillion-dollar trading loss at his firm, apologized for the mishap on Wednesday even as he mounted a fierce defense of his bank.
Fukushima residents call for criminal charges against nuclear officials Tokyo (CNN) -- The executives of the Japanese utility that owns the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and a number of the country's government officials should go to jail, according to a complaint filed by more than 1,000 local residents on Monday.
Johnson & Johnson Latest to Quit Republican Policy Group Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) became the latest company to end its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council, a Washington-based public policy group under fire for championing voter identification and “Stand Your Ground” gun laws.
Video:
Wal-Mart workers are organizing - an interview with USA Today reporter Jayne O'Donnell "...one group of workers fighting for changes at America's number one private employer, Wal-Mart . the workers say the conditions make it nearly impossible to economically survive even though the company posted a 10% jump in profits during the first quarter. a loosely knit organization called our Wal-Mart is gathering workers to campaign for more hours, better wages, reliable schedules and affordable benefits."
Bilderberg Agenda: More War Bilderberg group luminaries emerged from their annual meeting determined to force a war in the Middle East, and save the euro but exploit the recession in Europe to generate support for a global treasury department. This would be a significant step toward their ultimate goal of a world government under the UN. Bilderberg met from May 31 to June 3.
Good opinion piece on Bilderberg, detailing the lack of media coverage for this conference:
Puppet Masters Conspire in Washington
Groups are fighting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, and ALEC on their collective War on Public Education
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -
Who benefits - Powerful food industry lobbying groups such as the American Beverage Association and the Snack Food Association teamed up to oppose health-oriented improvements to SNAP, at times working with anti-hunger groups.
The biggest problem with traditional schooling Fairtest, Parents Across America, Save Our Schools, United Opt-Out National, and regional groups such as Fund Education Now, are fighting to stop the corporate takeover of public education. It’s a David-Goliath match. They’re up against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, ALEC, the biggest philanthropic foundations in the world, most of the mainstream media, and the highest-ranking officials in both political parties.
Bill Gates: One of the World's Most Destructive Do-Gooders? Above, ABC's "Nightline," Bill Weir talks with Microsoft founder Bill Gates about his charitable endeavors.
Gates' latest plan is to try to end world hunger by growing more genetically modified (GM) crops.
He's already invested $27 million into Monsanto Company—leading some countries to reject his charity due to the high risks.
2012 Jun 22
The New Morena District Certified Farmers’ Market Opens! - The new Morena District Certified Farmers’ Market opened Tuesday from 3 – 7pm with 75 booths exhibiting the wares of 45 vendors to the delight of a crowd estimated by Brian Beevers, Market Manager, to be approximately 3,000 people! Among those attending were Lori Zapf, Republican, Member of San Diego City Council representing the Sixth District.
SDUSD To Discuss Union Contract Deal - The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education will hold a rare Friday afternoon meeting to go over a tentative contract with teachers and give initial approval to its budget for the next school year.
EU Commissioner Calls for End to Subsidies Connie Hedegaard, the outspoken EU Commissioner for Climate Action, has lent her weight to the growing calls for ending fossil fuel subsidies. Earlier in the week, Oil Change International revealed that fossil fuel subsidies could be as high as $1 trillion.
Mexico to join Trans-Pacific Partnership talks The United States and eight other countries on Monday welcomed Mexico into talks aimed at reaching an Asia Pacific free trade agreement, but continued to mull over Canada [see new story on Canada below] and Japan's seven-month-old bids to join the negotiations.
Trans-Pacific partners invite Canada to the table Canada has been invited to join trade talks with the world's Asia-Pacific countries, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says.
Growing Economic Inequality 'Endangers Our Future', an audio recording by Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.
10 Things You Should Know About the Rio+20 Earth Summit Will we turn environmental protection into a game of profit? What you need to know about the global gathering.
Nobel prize winner economist Paul Krugman talks about the downside of prisons-for-profit and the illusion that this is a part of a true free market based system:
Prisons, Privatization, Patronage - Over the past few days, The New York Times has published several terrifying reports about New Jersey’s system of halfway houses — privately run adjuncts to the regular system of prisons. The series is a model of investigative reporting, which everyone should read. But it should also be seen in context. The horrors described are part of a broader pattern in which essential functions of government are being both privatized and degraded.
2012 Jun 28
From Monday:
PRESS RELEASE FROM U.S. SEN. SHERROD BROWN’S OFFICE - With Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations Set to Continue in California Next Week, Senators Call for Increased Transparency, Including Broader Consultation on Internet Freedom
Supreme Court Declines to Revisit Citizens United - In a brief unsigned decision, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to have another look at its blockbuster 2010 campaign finance decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In a 5-to-4 vote, the majority summarily reversed a decision of the Montana Supreme Court that had refused to follow the Citizens United decision.
America: A Fire Sale to Foreign Corporations by Brian Moench 26 of the 28 chapters of [TPP] have nothing to do with trade. TPP was drafted with the oversight of 600 representatives of multi-national corporations, who essentially gave themselves whatever they wanted; the environment, public health, worker safety, further domestic job losses be damned.