San Francisco

Momentum Grows to Save Renters Rebate

Building on their rally last month to protest the Governor gutting the renters tax rebate, a San Francisco coalition of senior, disabled and tenant activists held a larger protest yesterday – as part of its Statewide Day of Action. But they were not alone. San Diego, a city not known for its political activism, also had a protest that attracted three television stations and the major city newspaper – coordinated by a disability rights advocate who had never before run a press conference. In rural Fresno County, a group of seniors who heard about the coordinated protests staged an impromptu rally in the town of Selma. And at the Los Angeles event, activists secured the support of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass – who will play a central role in upcoming budget negotiations with Arnold Schwarzenegger. While many state legislators are sympathetic that low-income tenants have lost a $347.50-a-year rebate in tough economic times, progress in Sacramento will depend on the leadership playing an active role. With Bass’ support, saving the renters rebate got a major boost. (read more)

Beyond Prop 8: Where Do We Go From Here?

Yesterday, the California Supreme Court announced it would take up the legal challenges to Proposition 8. But while lawyers debate the future of marriage equality, activists are planning next steps regardless of the outcome. There’s a lot of grass-roots energy emanating from the recent protests, and now is the time to channel that activism into tangible results. Efforts must begin to prepare for a statewide initiative repealing Prop 8 in 2010. If a favorable ruling renders that unnecessary, we must build public support to avoid a backlash – which may include right-wing efforts to recall Supreme Court justices. Building such a movement requires listening to the grassroots – everyday activists who aren’t “leaders,” but whose input is just as valuable; something that “No on 8” failed to do. It’s such bottom-up organizing that made online groups like MoveOn so successful, and why they have been so effective. Tonight, MoveOn hosts conference calls on how progressives can build past Barack Obama’s victory -- while Marriage Equality USA will hold chapter meetings across the state for its next steps (although the San Francisco event previously scheduled for tonight has been postponed.) This time, it’s too important not to have every voice heard. (read more)

School Beat: Post-Election Opportunities

The presidential election dust has finally begun to settle enough so that we can catch some glimpses of the changes that may be coming our way. While Barack Obama will in no way radically transform our country, his election is undeniably a magnificent giant step forward for all of us, on many levels. Without even taking into account the almost breathtaking significance of having a black man as President (something that many across the country thought we would never see in our lifetimes), there are early indicators of the positive differences the Obama administration will usher in post-inauguration, from closing Guantanamo Bay prison to finally paying some positive attention to public education. (read more)

Activists Demand Progress in Municipal ID Program

A small group of immigrants’ rights activists continued their push to persuade Mayor Gavin Newsom to move ahead with the city’s proposed municipal ID program with a rally outside City Hall yesterday.

About 25 people, including members of the Black Alliance For Just Immigration and La Raza, implored Newsom yet again to provide answers regarding the status of the landmark legislation that would provide undocumented immigrants and transgender residents, among others, with a city-issued identification card that would ease access to city services and bank accounts and encourage crime reporting. The SF Board of Supervisors passed the measure with little difficulty last year, and Newsom initially expressed support for the program, which was introduced by District 9 Supervisor Tom Ammiano. (read more)

Progressive Outpouring for Roselli, SEIU-UHW

A Who’s Who of progressive San Francisco came out to honor SEIU-UHW last night, striking a defiant stance against efforts by SEIU International to change the local’s leadership. Hosted by Dolores Huerta, John Burton, Clint Reilly and Aaron Peskin, it was attended by a long roster of labor and political leaders including Mark Leno, Tom Ammiano, Ross Mirkarimi, Sophie Maxwell and Eric Mar. Billed as a “Salute to Union Democracy,” it raised $240,000 for SEIU-UHW’s fight to maintain its local control. The party followed the end of the latest round of SEIU hearings into UHW’s alleged malfeasance, a process that could put the local into international trusteeship. But last night confirmed that SEIU-UHW is prepared for a lengthy fight. John Burton, who raised $40,000 for the local, captured the crowd’s mood, sending a public message to SEIU International leader Andy Stern that “if you strike the king (Sal Roselli), you better kill him.” (read more)

Arnold’s “Budget Fix” Will Only Make Things Worse

We all know the state’s in a fiscal crisis – with horrific budget cuts on the way. But the Governor’s solution (tax increases on poor people during a recession) will only make things worse. Yesterday’s SF Chronicle said that raising sales taxes in tough economic times is bad for small business, but it failed to mention it’s also bad for consumers. And eliminating the renters tax credit for our most vulnerable Californians further adds insult to injury – at a time when the blind and the elderly won’t get cost-of-living increases this year. While Arnold Schwarzenegger wants the poor, sick and elderly to bear the burden of our struggling economy, he still won’t ask the wealthy to pay an extra 1% in income taxes. Democrats proposed such a measure in this year’s budget, and prior Governors like Pete Wilson and Ronald Reagan approved such increases in past recessions. But while the state clearly has a “revenue problem,” it’s tough to argue with Republicans in the legislature who say we have a “spending problem” – when lame-duck politicians like Carole Migden get six-figure salaries to serve on the Integrated Waste Management Board (which everyone knows to be a patronage slush fund.) (read more)

Foreclosure Freeze Movement Takes on Wall Street

Earlier this summer, Countrywide Financial’s most famous troubled customer received an altruistic bailout that saved his home. Now months later, despite attention from the highest levels of government, hundreds of thousands of anxious homeowners are still waiting for their reprieve.

Back in August, high-profile developer Donald Trump purchased the 7,000 square-foot home of “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon. He then leased it back to the 85-year-old TV personality, allowing McMahon to avoid foreclosure. “How could this happen?” Trump asked at the time. (read more)

"I Heard That": Blacks and Prop 8; Remembering Jonestown

“TELL ME HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU COME OUT OF THE WILDERNESS?” The title of an old hymn that has been sung time and time again by many church going African Americans! Reminded of the song when reading Parson D.A. Smith’s column featured in The SOUTHWEST DIGEST Newspaper, based in Lubbock, TX., and one of the oldest Black newspapers in the country. His message referred to waking up the day after the Election and change in the leadership of America!

Black Americans FEEL GOOD, stand with PRIDE over the historic fact a Black man has been voted to be the 41st President! Soon President-Elect BARACK OBAMA and his family will occupy the WHITE HOUSE built by slaves! Oh, we’ve come a mighty long way from slavery! FREE AT LAST when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, BUT NOT free; racism’s ugly head broke our backs! NO GROUP has suffered the BLACK EXPERIENCE as second class citizens - actually not considered human beings! BLACK MEN beaten, hung from a tree for all to see, not able to stand up as a MAN to protect his family!!! Oh, YOU KNOW THE HISTORY!!! (read more)

It’s Time to Re-Brand the “Housing Crisis”

From the 1970’s through much of the Clinton years, affordable housing advocates made little progress maintaining the federal government’s 1949 commitment to provide safe and affordable housing “for all Americans.” But starting in the late 1990’s, activists made gains by reframing the “housing crisis” from a problem identified with the very poor, to one that also impacted “working families.” In the go-go days of the real estate bubble, this re-branding won the broadest political support for affordable housing had seen since the 1960’s. But then came the foreclosure crisis and credit crunch. This component of the “housing crisis” became front-page news and a constant topic on the campaign trail, while homelessness, and the millions of families living in unaffordable and/or unhealthy rental housing, was ignored. When middle-class people are being threatened with the loss of their homes, the problems of low-income renters are put on the back-burner. This helps explain the surprising defeat of an affordable housing set-aside initiative (Prop B) in progressive San Francisco, and demonstrates why housing activists must re-brand the affordable rental housing crisis to get traction in the current climate. (read more)

Statewide Day of Action to Save Renters Rebate

When California voters in June soundly rejected Proposition 98, it launched a statewide tenant movement – bringing allies together who had never worked on common causes. The product of such a coalition, however, remains to be seen. But now that Governor Schwarzenegger has repealed the senior renters tax credit, many of those same activists are back. Tomorrow is a statewide “Day of Action” to demand re-instatement of the $347-a-year tax credit, with protests planned in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The group “Tenants Together” has organized online, giving people the tools to organize their own communities. Arnold has never been a friend for tenants, but his assault on seniors is a new low even for him—and the tenant movement isn’t taking it lying down. (read more)

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed