Northern California CCDS

Picket Port of Oakland, this Sunday, June 20

URGENT!

Dear members and friends,

This SUNDAY we have an historic opportunity to take an important stand to end the Israeli blockade of Gaza and for the rights of Palestinians. 

A Picket has been called against an Israeli ship at the Port of Oakland for very early Sunday morning.  With solidarity from the workers of ILWU Local 10, this could be the first time an Israeli vessel has been successfully boycotted in the U.S.

The CCDS Northern California Coordinating Committee has voted unanimously to endorse this unprecedented protest and calls on all members and friends to join, publicize and promote the action.

More than a hundred people attended an organizing meeting on Wednesday night in S.F.  Militants from Local 10 were in attendance, as were two brave activists who were on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.  Spirits were very high and there is a lot of optimism for a successful action.  There is a large coalition organizing the picket with significant labor support.  Local 10 and the San Francisco and Alameda County Central Labor Councils have already condemned Israel's seizing of the Freedom Flotilla and the outrageous killing of unarmed civilian solidarity activists.

It was recalled at the meeting that the successful pickets and boycotts of South African ships in 1984 in S. F. played a critical and catalytic role in the international movement to end legal Apartheid.  Once again the Bay Area can play a leading role in a key global struggle for social justice and human rights.

TIME: 5:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Sunday, June 20, 2010

Location: Port of Oakland, Berth 57, Middle Harbor Rd

For list of sponsors and additional information:
www.answersf.org and www.transportworkers.org.

Come out to the Port of Oakland this Sunday!  Inform and mobilize your networks!

Lift the Blockade Now - Let Gaza Live!

In solidarity,

Jonathan Nack, Ellen Schwartz, and Steve Willett, for the Northern California Coordinating Committee

Image: Gaza Border sign, thanks to Sacramento Area Peace Action and Because People Matter, July-August 2006

June 8 Primary: Ballot Proposition Recommendations

The Northern California CCDS Coordinating Comittee has taken the following positions on propositions on the June 8, 2010 Primary ballot (the descriptions are the official titles of the propositions, which are sometimes misleading).  The post below this shows CCDS members who are running for office and will appear on the June Primary ballots.  

Prop 13: Limits on Property Tax Assessment. Seismic Retrofitting of Existing Buildings. No POSITION

Prop 14: Elections. Increases Right to Participate in Primary Elections. – VOTE NO. This measure would virtually eliminate the third parties, and even weakens the Democrat and Republican parties, as elections become more “candidate-driven.”

Prop 15: California Fair Elections Act. – VOTE YES with reservations.  This is a pilot program for public funding of Secretary of State candidates in 2014 and 2018. There is a conflict in wording with Prop 14. If Prop 15 passes with a higher majority, it may cause Prop 14 to be nullified, which would be a desirable outcome. But Prop 15 itself is deeply flawed in giving Democrats & Republicans more money than the other party candidates: how much money is based on what party you belong to. The four smaller parties have to fulfill the same qualifications, but get half the money. If they raise ½ the signatures and contributions as the two larger parties, they get ¼ the funding. We are in favor of completely publically funded elections, including equal funding for third parties. Prop 15 would end the existing ban on public funding and potentially open the way for fuller access. 

Prop 16: Imposes New Two-Thirds Voter Approval Requirement for Local Public Electricity Providers. VOTE NO. This proposition would require a 2/3 vote for a local public electric utility to be established.  Requiring a two-thirds vote of approval would make it nearly impossible to create new public utilities. 

Prop 17: Allows Auto Insurance Companies to Base Their Prices in Part on a Driver's History of Insurance Coverage. VOTE NO. This proposition would permit insurance companies to impose a surcharge for people with gaps in coverage even if they hadn’t been driving (e.g., because of illness, military service). 

June 8 Primary: Candidates

We are not making endorsements for these (or other) statewide races; past experience shows that our members want to make up their own minds. But to help you evaluate the candidates, we want to let you know of several of our members who are running for office in the June Primary. If there are other CCDS members who are running for office in California, please let us know!

C.T. Weber, CCDS Northern California Coordinating Committee member is running for Lt. Governor on the Peace & Freedom Party ticket.

Former member William Balderston is running for state Insurance Commissioner on the Green Party ticket.  Bill wrote an article for our newsletter last September on the state budget, "The Budget's In, Our Needs Are Out."

Socialists Under the Bed!! Smear campaigns target ACORN, Van Jones

Catch our November 5 forum at La Peña Cultural Center— 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley,
CA. Socialists Under the Bed: Smear Campaigns Target ACORN and Van Jones. Forum and community discussion, including a speaker from Oakland ACORN. 7pm. Sliding scale $5-$20.