SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 7/7/05 - 7/14/05 This Week: ********************************************************** ************************************************** News: 7/1: Medea Benjamin Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize 7/5: A Lawsuit On Behalf of the Children of SFUSD 7/7: Divisadero Chain Stores On Endangered List ********************************************************** - 7/7: Speakers Needed at Public Comment - 7/8: California Minimum Wage - 7/8: Spoken Word Show - 7/9: The World Can't Wait Forum - 7/10: Green Sunday - 7/11: Campaigns and Issues Working Group Meeting - 7/11: One-Woman Play: A Fool Runs For Congress - 7/14: Book Release and Art Show ********************************************************** More Events: - Walk San Francisco's Peak to Peak Walk ********************************************************** Announcements: - Joke of the Week - Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** ********************************************************** News ***************************************** 7/1: Medea Benjamin Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize www.codepink.org Medea Benjamin is among the 1,000 women collectively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. These courageous women from 150 countries are honored for their daily commitment to fostering peace and bringing justice to all corners of the globe. These women lead by example; they offer us a path to change and often under dire circumstances. Peace is more than the absence of war; it is human security, equality and opportunity. These basic ideals don’t come easily, if at all, to most of the world’s people. The 1,000 brave women being honored spend their lives trying to make the culture of peace a global reality. “This is a great honor for me, and also for all the women of CODEPINK who've been working so hard for peace over the last three years. And this is an amazing opportunity to promote the work of all 1,000 women on this list, who in their own special ways are pushing and striving and protesting for peace and justice,” was Medea’s response after hearing the news. Forty of the 1,000 women nominated are from the US. In addition to Medea, five of the women nominated are contributors to CODEPINK’s newest book Stop The Next War Now, Barbara Lee, Cynthia McKinney, Elise Marie Biorn-Hansen Boulding, Noeleen Heyzer and Holly Near. Dana, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Medea, Nancy, Rae, and Tiffany P.S. Join Arundhati Roy and the Jury of Conscience from the World Tribunal in Iraq, endorse their findings and recommendations and read more about this historic event. ********************************************************** 7/5: A Lawsuit On Behalf of the Children of SFUSD by Kim-Shree Maufas It was just last November when San Francisco Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman received a raise from $223,526 to $250,000 plus at a “special” Friday evening meeting after Veterans’ Day. The public was given only 22 hours notice – all SFUSD public meetings require 72 hours notice to the public – and her contract was approved by a 4-3 vote. School Board Commissioners Eric Mar, Mark Sanchez and Sarah Lipson voted no, while fellow Commissioners Dr. Dan Kelly, Eddie Chin and Jill Wynns voted yes for the raise, with the deciding fourth vote being cast by exiting mayoral appointee Heather Hiles. Hiles had suffered a crushing defeat at the polls just a week before in her attempt to be elected to the School Board. ........ The legality of the meeting and consequently of Ackerman’s pay raise is questionable – and unconscionable – because of a state law stating that a county superintendent can only receive an increase in his or her salary or benefits at a “regularly scheduled public meeting of the board.” The School Board and Ackerman are responsible to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). Law firm Gonzalez & Leigh LLP, comprised of former Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez and his long-time associate Whitney Leigh, have filed the suit on behalf of plaintiffs Alan Wong, a student; Tami Bryant, a parent; first grade teacher Jeremiah Jeffries; and concerned citizen Jacques Fitch. Leigh is African-American, and the firm is taking on the case pro bono (free). Read the full article at: http://sfbayview.com/062905/lawsuit062905.shtml *********************************************************** Divisadero chain stores on endangered list By Justin Jouvenal Staff Writer For 11 years, Mike Zagha has worked to build Bean Bag Coffee House into a neighborhood spot with local flavor. He has created a loyal following and business is good, but he still fears one thing: a large coffee chain, such as Starbucks, moving in nearby. "I believe in capitalism, but unfortunately I would not be able to compete," Zagha said of his business on Divisadero at Hayes Street. "We don't have the same money to spend on advertisement. They can also go cheaper than us. We buy 20 pounds of coffee, but they buy 2,000 pounds." Seeking to help small businesses like Zagha's, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has proposed an ordinance that would make it more difficult for chains to locate on a nine-block stretch of Divisadero Street between Hayes and Turk streets in the Western Addition. The ordinance follows a similar initiative in Cole Valley, as well as bans on chain stores in North Beach and Hayes Valley last year. The new ordinance requires any chains with 11 or more stores that maintains standardized merchandise and esthetics to get a special waiver, known as a conditional use permit, from the Planning Commission to locate on the stretch. Supporters said it is a way to maintain one of the most charming features of San Francisco ‹ its diverse mom-and-pop businesses and distinctive neighborhoods, which they believe chains might undermine and homogenize. Mirkarimi said his legislation allows the neighborhood to have a chain if it truly wants one, but only after a rigorous process. "It empowers the community, while giving it an exit strategy as well," Mirkarimi said. Read the full story at: http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/07/06/news/2005070706_ne03_chains.pr... *********************************************************** *********************************************************** **************************************************** Events ************************************* Public Speakers Needed at SF Board of Supervisors Meetings Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8 Various times 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlet Pl. (SF City Hall) For More information on these issues, contact Bruce Wolfe (Bruce@Brucewolfe.net) THURSDAY: RULES COMMITTEE @ 1:00pm in Room 263 SUPPORT 4. 050818 [Charter Amendment - Dividing appointments to the Municipal Transportation Agency's Board of Directors between the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors] Supervisor Ammiano Charter amendment (Third Draft) to amend Section 8A.102, to divide appointments to the Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors between the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors. SUPPORT 5. 031567 [Charter Amendment - Establishing an Emergency Health Care Services Fund and baseline funding for the Fund] Supervisor Daly Charter Amendment (Fourth Draft) to add Section 16.126 to increase the fiscal authority of the Health Commission and establish a stable baseline funding level for the Department of Public Health to ensure the continued operation of San Francisco public health services. FRIDAY: SPECIAL RULES COMMITTEE @ 1:00pm in Room 263 OPPOSE 1. 050925 [Charter Amendment - Minimum qualifications for members of City bodies that oversee and administer election, campaign finance, lobbying, conflict of interest, open meeting and public records Supervisor Alioto-Pier Charter Amendment (Second Draft) to add Section 15.104 to create minimum qualifications for members of City bodies that oversee and administer election, campaign finance, lobbying, conflict of interest, open meeting and public records laws. SUPPORT 2. 050928 [Charter Amendment - Ethics Commission Charter Amendment] Supervisor Mirkarimi Charter Amendment (Second Draft) to amend Section C3.699-14 to establish a budget process for the Ethics Commission and add Section C3.99.15 to authorize the hiring of outside counsel for specified conflicts. FRIDAY: LAFCo MEETING @ Noon in Room 250 SUPPORT CCA (Speak to Supe Mirkarimi's office and/or members of CCA Coalition inc Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Women's Energy Matters, Local Power, Our City, etc) 3. Status of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Community Choice Aggregation Implementation Plan. (Discussion and Action Item) (Continued from June 17, 2005). 4. Recommendation of Amendments to the Community Choice Aggregation Implementation Plan Submitted to the Board of Supervisors (Discussion and Action tem) (Continued from June 17, 2005). 5. Resolution on Policy and Program Recommendations for Community Choice Aggregation Implementation Plan (Discussion and Action) 6. Policy Discussion and action regarding prevention of any barriers towards full implementation of Community Choice Aggregation (Discussion and Action Item) (Continued from June 17, 2005). *********************************************************** California Minimum Wage Friday, July 8th 1:00- 3:30pm 555 Ellis St., SF Join us on July 8th as members of the religious community, organized labor, Green Party, Democratic Party and community/non-profit organizations come together to prepare for a California Minimum Wage Ballot Measure For November 2006. It will be an opportunity to meet other advocates, lay out a calendar for developing a minimum wage initiative for the November 2006 ballot, identify tasks that need to be accomplished and establish working groups. The California legislature is currently considering legislation to raise the minimum wage, which the governor will most likely veto. To qualify for the November 2006 ballot, legislation must be drafted by September so that we can begin gathering signatures by November of this year. Space is limited so please RSVP. Contact: Barry Hermanson 415-664-7754 (Home/office) 415-255-9494 (Cell) barry@hermansons.com ********************************************************** Spoken Word Show Friday, July 8th 7pm. Phoenix Books, 24th Street @ Vicksberg, Noe Valley San Francisco This Friday, June 8th please join us for a very special reading at Phoenix Books. New York City's Dewayne Dickerson is the headliner. Dewayne is a powerhouse reader, author of the book Chubby on V52 Books, has a film made about him, and will just rock the house down. Don't miss him! It might be awhile until he returns to this coast. Also, Melissa Klein will read accompanied by Sara Shortt on guitar. Melissa is the creator of Inkling Magazine and has a piece in the "It's All Good" anthology from Manic D Press. ********************************************************** The World Can't Wait Forum Saturday, July 9th 3:00-6:00pm Valencia Street Books, 569 Valencia St. (btwn. 16th and 17th Sts.), SF Come to a forum on Saturday and hear: Larry Everest, correspondent for Revolution newspaper, author of Oil, Power, and Empire, Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda-- Reporting back from the World Tribunal on Iraq which just concluded in and which found GW Bush guilty of crimes against humanity... C. Clark Kissinger, writer for Revolution newspaper, Coordinator of the 2002 Not in Our Name Statement of Conscience and one of the initiators of the campaign to Drive Out the Bush Regime (2005). Kissinger will talk about torture and the Bush regime drive to transform the legal system to serve its ends... And Travis Morales, member of the Revolutionary Communist Party and one of the initiators of the campaign to Drive Out the Bush Regime "The Bush is setting out to radically remake society very quickly in a fascist way and for generations to come. We must act now, the future is in the balance". (From the worldcantwait.org website) ********************************************************** Green Sunday Sunday, July 10th 5:00 - 6:30 pm 6501 Telegraph Ave, north Oakland Green Candidates, Green Officeholders and Lessons Learned What does it take to run a competent and serious electoral campaign rooted in Green values? What roles can Green Party activists and allies play in the campaign? What should the relationships look like between the candidate, the party and the broader progressive movement? How about once the candidate wins and is in office? What roles do (or should) Green electoral campaigns play in transforming our communities and the United States to a Green society? Join other local Greens including our presenters: Wilson Riles, former Oakland City Councilmember and mayoral candidate who joined the Green Party shortly after his Green-endorsed campaign for mayor in 2002, and John Selawsky, Berkeley Green and current Berkeley School Board member. Beverages and snacks will be provided. LOCATION: Niebyl-Proctor Library 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th in North Oakland. DIRECTIONS: One block north of Alcatraz on the West side of Telegraph, wheelchair accessible. Served directly by AC Transit routes 40, 64 & 17 with 6, 51 & 43 nearby. Ashby BART is approximately 7 blocks away. SPONSOR: Green Sundays are a series of free programs &discussions sponsored by the Outreach Working Group of the Green Party of Alameda County. They are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party of Alameda County follows at 6:45 p.m. ********************************************************** Campaigns and Issues Working Group Meeting Monday, July 11th 7:00pm- 9:00pm 1025A Howard St. (SFGP Office) Our regularly scheduled meeting for the first Monday of the month is moved back one week to accommodate the July 4 holiday. Topics include: finalizing the candidate questionnaires for Assessor, Treasurer, City Attorney, planning discussions for the General Membership endorsement of initiatives, planning informational forums around issues and candidates on this November's ballot. If you are promoting an issue or candidate for the ballot, please contact to Campaigns and Issues co-chairs to request time on our agenda to discuss the campaign. Susan King; funking@mindspring.com Marc Salomon: marc@cybre.net Charlene Smythe: cmsmythe2002@yahoo.com ********************************************************** One-Woman Play: A Fool Runs for Congress or How Green Was My Ballot Monday, July 11th 8:00pm The Marsh 1062 Valencia @ 22nd (Parking garage @ 21st/Bartlett) Admission: $7 Come see former Green Congressional candidate Terry Baum's new one-woman play, 'A Fool Runs for Congress, or How Green Was My Ballot' "The play is based on my 2004 campaign as the Green Party nominee for U.S. Congress. The July 11 excerpt describes the time I and three of my supporters were arrested for sitting in at the Department of Elections, in an effort to get the D.O.E. to count all my write-in votes." - Terry Baum ********************************************************** Book Release and Art Show Thursday, July 14 6:00- 9:00pm Urbis Artium Gallery Green Party and FIG member judy b. celebrates the publication of her fiction collection: Stories for Airports. The book is locally created, designed, and typset, and printed in an East Bay union shop on 100% recycled paper using soy-based inks. Also playing: Departure, an art show curated by the book's cover designer, Kai Haley, and featuring a bevy of local talent. Come join the party at Urbis Artium, 104 Second St., 6th Floor. For more information: http://onzeproductions.com or (415) 673-4696 ********************************************************** ********************************************************** More Events: ************************************************* ************************************* Walk San Francisco’s Peak to Peak Walk Saturday, July 23 Walk San Francisco will be holding their first annual “Peak to Peak Walk”, a 12-mile challenge that will inspire even the most avid walker. Walkers will get a unique view of San Francisco’s skyline, stairways, paths, parks, and monuments — all while raising money for WalkSF’s vital pedestrian safety and advocacy work. Visit www.walksf.org to download a registration form and for more information. REGISTRATION DEADLINE - July 15. Current WalkSF member: $65 New WalkSF member: $75 (415) 431-WALK www.walksf.org director@walksf.org *********************************** ********************************************************** Announcements: ********************** ************************************************************ Joke of the Week Submitted by Karen Fishkin How Many? How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to change a light bulb? 1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed. 2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs to be changed. 3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb. 4. One to tell the nations of the world that they are either for changing the light bulb or for darkness. 5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Haliburton for thenew light bulb. 6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor, standing on a step ladder under the banner:" Light Bulb Change Accomplished". 7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting in detail how Bush was literally in the dark. 8. One to viciously smear #7. 9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along. 10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country. ************************************************************ Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info@sfgreens.org. To send us news items (short blurb please, plain text only) for possible inclusion in the newsletter, email news@sfgreens.org. Please don't put these addresses on mailing lists; messages not specifically addressed to us won't go through.