- Sustainability - list.sfgreens.org

[Sustain] Free Transit Hearing - Action Alert & Talking Points For Today, Tue Mar 4, 4pm SF City Hall, Rm 400
by Eric Brooks 04 Mar '14

04 Mar '14

Having trouble viewing this email? You can see it on the web <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/mailing/view?reset=1&id=29>. VICTORY:Bikes for the People! <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=7…> On February 25th, POWER, PODER, CCDC, the SF Bicycle Coalition and our allies moved the SF Board of Supervisors to unanimously pass the "Unclaimed Bicycle Ordinance." *Watch POWER in the news.* <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=7…> Introduced by Supervisor John Avalos, the ordinance changes the SF Police Code to allow community organizations to repair & distribute unclaimed bicycles to low-income youth and families across the city. Over the last year, community bike builds have distributed over 800 bicycles and conducted bicycle safety trainings in the Bayview, Mission, & Excelsior. Thank you to the American Heart Association: Voices for Healthy Kids and SF Heal Zone for supporting this critical program! * * Last week, the San Francisco Mayor's Office announced that Google is donating 6.8 million dollars for the next two years to the SF MTA, specifically to fund the Free Muni for Youth program <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=8…> providing free Muni passes to low- and moderate-income youth. This was not a gift, but as Causa Justa Director Maria Poblet put it, "a way overdue reimbursement to working class San Francisco, won by POWER and allies at the grassroots, and by the city-wide movement against displacement." Despite the donation from Google, there is no commitment yet from the MTA about the future of Free Muni for Youth after the Google donation runs out. <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=7…> Our community coalition responded by applauding Google for this first step towards supporting low-income communities in San Francisco, *but also calling on Google and all tech companies to do more to support community driven solutions to the displacement crisis including better tenant protections*. *Watch POWER in the news.* <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=7…> Today, on the heals of this news, we are mobilizing to the MTA Budget Hearing to *call on the MTA Board <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=8…>* to 1) ensure that the Free Muni for Youth will become a permanent program; 2) expand the program to include 18 years; and 3) stand with seniors and people with disabilities who are also in need of free Muni. *Join us today - Tuesday, March 4th!* *MTA Hearing* *4pm* *SF City Hall, room 400* *** Can't come in person? Send a message to the MTA Board by signing our petition here. <https://power.ourpowerbase.net/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=8…>* Today, we need to send a strong message to the city that Free Muni for Youth must be made permanent so that it continues regardless of corporate donations or future budget cycles. The MTA has also not yet decided whether to expand the program to include 18 year olds, seniors and people with disabilities. With the new funds from Google we have a great opening to push the MTA to expand the program. Let's make it happen!!! POWER 2145 Keith St San Francisco, CA 94124-3230 -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] Reminder! Free Transit Hearing! Tue Mar 4, 4pm SF City Hall, Rm 400 - PLEASE ATTEND!
by Eric Brooks 04 Mar '14

04 Mar '14

Reminder! Free Transit Hearing! Tue Mar 4, 4pm SF City Hall, Rm 400 - PLEASE ATTEND! Hi all, Our first opportunity this year has arrived, to join in strong solidarity with the social justice community, and at the same time strike a key blow to reverse the climate crisis. It is such joining of our movements together toward common objectives that gives us the most power in numbers to make change! **Tomorrow, on Tuesday, March 4, 4pm, SF City Hall, in Room 400, a key hearing is being held on extending and expanding the free youth transit program in San Francisco.** POWER and other social justice and people-of-color organizations are working to permanently expand free transit to more youth, with the ultimate goal of eventually extending free transit to -all- San Francisco riders. It is vital to reversing the climate crisis that we make San Francisco a car free city within the next two decades and the free youth transit program is the first crucial step. POWER has asked us to show up in force to next Tuesday's hearing to show the Municipal Transit Agency (MTA) that the community demands free Muni to be expanded as quickly as possible, starting with all San Francisco youth. PLEASE ATTEND! And please forward this message. Here are the details: -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fwd: Free Muni for Youth Update for Allies - upcoming decision Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:06:06 -0800 From: jane martin <jane(a)peopleorganized.org> To: Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)earthlink.net> Begin forwarded message: > > *Free Muni for Youth update for allies* > > *March 4th MTA Hearing on the future of the program* > Free Muni for Youth was initially approved a pilot program that will > end in June of this year. On March 4th the MTA Board will be > considering the future of the program deciding whether is ends in June > or continues as a permeant program. We need to organize a strong show > of support at this hearing!!! The hearing is set to begin at 1pm, but > we have asked that the MTA Board accommodate youth coming after school > by allowing youth to arrive > & testify after 4pm. > > *Mayor Lee in support* > This what Mayor Lee said in his state of the city address, /"And > there's one more thing we can do for our working families who rely on > Muni. Last year, the SFMTA, at the urging of Supervisor Campos and > many in the community, began a pilot program to fund free Muni for > low-income youth. The results are in. It's a hit! And our kids need > it. It's time to make it permanent, and I call upon the SFMTA to do > just that in its next two-year budget."/ We did such a good job > organizing last year and enrolling students in this program that the > need for it to continue could not be more clear. Now we to show up > and make sure that the MTA Board does the right thing. SF Chronicle > <http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-Ed-Lee-s-Sunday-parking-pitch-b…> > > *18 year olds* > The one serious flaw in the pilot program was that students who turned > 18 in the middle of their senior year were suddenly no longer eligible > and had to pay full fare to get to school. The community has raised > this concern and convinced the MTA Board to considering whether or > not to expand the program to include 18 year olds. One of the main > reasons that we need a strong show of support on March 4th is get the > MTA to include 18 years olds. If you or someone who know has been > impacted by the exclusion of 18 year olds please come to the hearing > to tell your story. > > *Free Muni for low-income seniors also being considered!* > The MTA Board will be making decisions about the future of Free Muni > for Youth as part of a series of decisions about what to include in > their budget. We need to make sure the voices of Muni riders are heard > so that we win a budget that provides the quality, affordable > transportation that our communities need. There are both good and bad > proposals on the table. MTA Budget Presentation > <http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2-4-14%20FY15%20and%20…> > > *Some of the good proposals include: * > - Continuing Free Muni for Youth > - Expanding Free Muni for Youth to include 18 years olds > - Free Muni for low-income seniors and people with disabilities > - Increased Muni service to restore service cuts and ensure that buses > come more often > - More maintenance so buses don't break down as often > > *Some of the bad proposals include:* > - A one dollar surcharge during rush hour on some bus routes > increasing the fare at those times to $3 > - Making it so that you can't use your fast pass during rush hour > unless you buy the more expensive BART + Muni fast pass > - Increasing the youth and senior cash fares > > *Transit Equity* > The MTA will be going to the voters next fall to approve millions in > new revenue for transportation. Member organizations of the Free Muni > for Youth Coalition have been working with other transportation > advocates and Supervisor John Avalos to draft the Transportation > Equity Charter Amendment > <http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Transit-Equity-Charter…> that > would require the MTA to address existing service disparities (worse > service in low-income neighborhoods) with any new transportation > funding. It also requires the MTA to continue the Free Muni for Youth > program and limits fare increases to no more that the cost of living > increase. Please let us know if your organization can endorse this > effort. CBS > <http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/20/supervisor-proposes-prioritizin…> > -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] URGENT ACTION! Demand CEC Reject New Coal Plant in California!
by Eric Brooks 26 Feb '14

26 Feb '14

URGENT ACTION! Demand CEC Reject New Coal Plant in California! Sierra Club Sierra Club - Explore, enjoy and protect the planet *Don't let a dirty coal plant get built in California! <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=DgBcpYMy-owCtxHYQNACPA>* *Tell the CEC to turn down this dirty proposal. <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=wu64q4v5BQz0LzkUdisa1w>* Don't let coal invade California <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=BVBCTiU6u5WYblABrIwCGg> Send Your Letter <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=4QBC4AoH-C2Z2lqLpLpdLQ> California has made great strides to wean itself off dirty coal. Last year, Los Angeles announced it would be coal free. Other utilities are going coal free, too, and California is on pace to eliminate coal entirely over the next ten years. The efforts to ditch coal have ramifications for the country: as California goes, so goes the nation. *Now, all that progress to move California beyond coal is at risk, as the California Energy Commission considers building a new coal power plant outside Bakersfield, a region with some of the dirtiest air in the country.* *Email the California Energy Commission (CEC) now and urge them to reject this dangerous proposal. <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=XuSuRJRB9Y_zYvWYaUH2WA>* This new coal plant would bring in coal from a strip mine in New Mexico by diesel train to Kern County. The coal would be trucked to the plant (300 trucks per day!) where it would be turned into gas to power the plant. The project would use unproven, risky technology to attempt to capture 90% of the CO2 and inject it into the ground in a neighboring oil field, helping push out the remaining oil from the depleted field (you have to love the irony of capturing carbon just so we can burn more). *Even if the project only emits 10% of the CO2 produced, the project is so massive and coal-intensive, it would be one of the 60 largest sources of carbon pollution in the state! * *Tell the CEC that dirty coal has no place in California's energy mix! <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=KjKULjUS0ajX_W4ES6lcmA>* The coal industry is bending over backwards to call this a clean project, but the truth is anything but. The project would increase the dangerous pollutants that cause asthma, emphysema, and even heart attacks in a region that already can't come close to meeting the standards of the Clean Air Act. The project has issues beyond just dirty air. It will suck up 2.4 billion gallons of water each year, using water that would otherwise be used by local farmers. *You can stop it. You can keep dirty coal out of California. Contact the CEC today. <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=NSN-bzV9F0t4vWnB8AzXJg>* Thanks for all you do to protect the environment, Evan Gillespie My Generation Campaign Sierra Club P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=OxscSN3zVZqyW8kId-aEnA> to your friends and colleagues! Share this page on Facebook <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=0QpDZxK-KmUljReqsDLPAQ>Share this page on Twitter <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=qotjJ9GdfpNRgvTcPnJMNw>Share this page with other services <http://action.sierraclub.org/site/R?i=8OWgjp-coxx8yvuRFTuQag>

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[Sustain] IMPORTANT! Free Transit Hearing! Tue Mar 4, 4pm SF City Hall, Rm 400 - PLEASE ATTEND!
by Eric Brooks 26 Feb '14

26 Feb '14

Hi all, Our first opportunity this year has arrived, to join in strong solidarity with the social justice community, and at the same time strike a key blow to reverse the climate crisis. It is such joining of our movements together toward common objectives that gives us the most power in numbers to make change! **One week from today on Tuesday, March 4, 4pm, SF City Hall, in Room 400, a key hearing is being held on extending and expanding the free youth transit program in San Francisco. (See attached flyer.)** POWER and other social justice and people-of-color organizations are working to permanently expand free transit to more youth, with the ultimate goal of eventually extending free transit to -all- San Francisco riders. It is vital to reversing the climate crisis that we make San Francisco a car free city within the next two decades and the free youth transit program is the first crucial step. POWER has asked us to show up in force to next Tuesday's hearing to show the Municipal Transit Agency (MTA) that the community demands free Muni to be expanded as quickly as possible, starting with all San Francisco youth. PLEASE ATTEND! And please forward this message. Here are the details: -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fwd: Free Muni for Youth Update for Allies - upcoming decision Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:06:06 -0800 From: jane martin <jane(a)peopleorganized.org> To: Eric Brooks <brookse32(a)earthlink.net> Begin forwarded message: > > *Free Muni for Youth update for allies* > > *March 4th MTA Hearing on the future of the program* > Free Muni for Youth was initially approved a pilot program that will > end in June of this year. On March 4th the MTA Board will be > considering the future of the program deciding whether is ends in June > or continues as a permeant program. We need to organize a strong show > of support at this hearing!!! The hearing is set to begin at 1pm, but > we have asked that the MTA Board accommodate youth coming after school > by allowing youth to arrive > & testify after 4pm. > > *Mayor Lee in support* > This what Mayor Lee said in his state of the city address, /"And > there's one more thing we can do for our working families who rely on > Muni. Last year, the SFMTA, at the urging of Supervisor Campos and > many in the community, began a pilot program to fund free Muni for > low-income youth. The results are in. It's a hit! And our kids need > it. It's time to make it permanent, and I call upon the SFMTA to do > just that in its next two-year budget."/ We did such a good job > organizing last year and enrolling students in this program that the > need for it to continue could not be more clear. Now we to show up > and make sure that the MTA Board does the right thing. SF Chronicle > <http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-Ed-Lee-s-Sunday-parking-pitch-b…> > > *18 year olds* > The one serious flaw in the pilot program was that students who turned > 18 in the middle of their senior year were suddenly no longer eligible > and had to pay full fare to get to school. The community has raised > this concern and convinced the MTA Board to considering whether or > not to expand the program to include 18 year olds. One of the main > reasons that we need a strong show of support on March 4th is get the > MTA to include 18 years olds. If you or someone who know has been > impacted by the exclusion of 18 year olds please come to the hearing > to tell your story. > > *Free Muni for low-income seniors also being considered!* > The MTA Board will be making decisions about the future of Free Muni > for Youth as part of a series of decisions about what to include in > their budget. We need to make sure the voices of Muni riders are heard > so that we win a budget that provides the quality, affordable > transportation that our communities need. There are both good and bad > proposals on the table. MTA Budget Presentation > <http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/agendaitems/2-4-14%20FY15%20and%20…> > > *Some of the good proposals include: * > - Continuing Free Muni for Youth > - Expanding Free Muni for Youth to include 18 years olds > - Free Muni for low-income seniors and people with disabilities > - Increased Muni service to restore service cuts and ensure that buses > come more often > - More maintenance so buses don't break down as often > > *Some of the bad proposals include:* > - A one dollar surcharge during rush hour on some bus routes > increasing the fare at those times to $3 > - Making it so that you can't use your fast pass during rush hour > unless you buy the more expensive BART + Muni fast pass > - Increasing the youth and senior cash fares > > *Transit Equity* > The MTA will be going to the voters next fall to approve millions in > new revenue for transportation. Member organizations of the Free Muni > for Youth Coalition have been working with other transportation > advocates and Supervisor John Avalos to draft the Transportation > Equity Charter Amendment > <http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Transit-Equity-Charter…> that > would require the MTA to address existing service disparities (worse > service in low-income neighborhoods) with any new transportation > funding. It also requires the MTA to continue the Free Muni for Youth > program and limits fare increases to no more that the cost of living > increase. Please let us know if your organization can endorse this > effort. CBS > <http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/11/20/supervisor-proposes-prioritizin…> > -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] Fwd: Fracking Action: Tell Gov Brown His New Draft Fracking Rules Don't Cut It
by Eric Brooks 21 Nov '13

21 Nov '13

Note that Brown released his new draft fracking rules on a Friday, which is a common government ploy to minimize news coverage. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Are you joking? Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:19:49 -0600 (CST) From: Brenna Norton, Food & Water Watch <act(a)fwwatch.org> Reply-To: Brenna Norton, Food & Water Watch <act(a)fwwatch.org> Organization: Food & Water Watch To: brookse(a)igc.org Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=l_GrETb9qsqIRymZeBhc0A> California's New Draft Fracking Rules Are BAD. Tell Governor Brown: weak regulations won't cut It. We need a ban! <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=X39ZKpI0wU9AJ9DXOW3idA> Regulations don't make fracking any safer Culver City Fracking Rally.jpg Me, speaking at a rally in LA Tell Governor Brown to protect Californians and ban fracking now! <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=421VMh5YVbdEPUp-y1H1fQ> Dear Eric, On Friday, Governor Brown's administration released draft fracking regulations. *They're a joke.* If implemented, they would allow oil and gas companies to frack all over our state, polluting our air and water. Tell the Brown administration that these weak regulations are unacceptable --- and nothing short of a ban will protect us! <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=FQA57k_eCyAlG_zxGi_9Lw> Since fracking is exempt from nearly all of our federal protections, it is truly up to the state to protect millions of Californians. But the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) proposed regulations just won't do that. The regulations will not: * protect a *single child* living near fracked wells from highly dangerous air pollutants that increase risks of cancer and respiratory illness. * protect a*single worker *from chemical exposure. * protect *families* from contamination of our precious water from the large volume of toxic wastewater that fracking produces. * protect our *planet* from moving toward *climate crisis* that will make most of our planet uninhabitable. Regulations don't make fracking any safer. Tell Governor Brown to Ban Fracking Now! <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=3MVfkKusnGDD0iWwtzQhgw> The agency in charge of the new regulations is asking for public comments on the new proposal. Let's beat all of the public comment record numbers to show that we will never let up. Submit your public comment today to tell Governor Brown to protect California and ban fracking. <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=wiuLaIHp0ZIYulX3yoodog> I have seen incredible opposition to fracking growing across the state. It's clear by the Governor's recent statements that he is aware of our powerful movement --- and he's on the defensive. **In the past few weeks, top scientists around the world have called on the Governor to impose an immediate halt on fracking. And Californians have been showing up to his public appearances to greet him with the message that climate leaders don't frack!* Governor Brown is trying to rationalize his policy on fracking. But he is definitely feeling the heat! **We can't give him an inch --- make sure he gets the message today!* <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=3cBJbuRYAPIJ7qUF3axN1g> Submit your public comment against fracking today: http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=1010 <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=7-WyzsOkRj7pRPPe_kbBew> Thanks for taking action, Brenna Norton Southern California Organizer Food & Water Watch act(at)fwwatch(dot)org Donate » <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=LhKsdYifpVsL7BtiAbDFSg> View Online <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=La9N6WjSRfFeow7LTI11dA> . Visit Our Website <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=NIENTceEgcNmi2UNFlxOug> . Contact Us <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=M3t1ad44u9TaKvCdqOS2kA> . Share This: On Facebook <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=d5xQX8MpBdHvigprz6OvQw> On Twitter <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/R?i=VEm-1Eh6-iM0i6ScZsNLGg> Food & Water Watch . 1616 P Street NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 . Tel: (202) 683-2500 Manage your subscription or unsubscribe <http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/CO?i=Fn99f4_euThsVDKQC0By90V-tZopP5x4…>

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[Sustain] IMPORTANT: Bring Wet Weather Gear To Tomorrow's Toxic Sea Rise Event - There Is A 40% Chance Of Rain
by Eric Brooks 21 Sep '13

21 Sep '13

Hi all, Just a heads up to let you know that our noon Toxic Sea Rise event now has a 40% chance of rain, so bring good wet weather gear just in case. See you tomorrow regardless! Eric Brooks 415-756-8844 On 9/19/2013 4:39 PM, Ildiko Polony wrote: > Hi all, > > Just in case you haven't seen this, please forward it to all your > friends and invite them to our Draw the Line Event on Saturday. Also, > please RSVP at the link provided if you haven't already. > > See you Saturday! > > Ildiko > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *350 Bay Area.org* <info(a)350bayarea.org > <mailto:info@350bayarea.org>> > Date: Thu, Sep 19, 2013 at 1:49 AM > Subject: Draw The Line for the Climate - 4 Events Across the Bay Area > Fri/Sat > To: Ildiko Polony <ildiko.polony(a)gmail.com > <mailto:ildiko.polony@gmail.com>> > > > 350 Bay Area > <http://www.350bayarea.org/?e=27858675bd50d796f020a9446949600fc89b810b&utm_s…> > > > > 350 Bay Area > > <http://www.350bayarea.org/?e=27858675bd50d796f020a9446949600fc89b810b&utm_s…> > > > Ildiko -- > > 350.org <http://350.org> has called for events nationwide this weekend > to /Draw The Line/ against the Keystone XL pipeline and dirty fossil > fuel carbon pollution that threatens our climate. There are 4 events > sponsored by local 350 groups (check for others at 350.org > <http://www.350bayarea.org/r?u=https%3A%2F%2Fact.350.org%2Fevent%2Fdraw_the_…>) > - There is one near you! Spread the word (talk, email, Facebook, > tweet, etc.) -- click for more info and to RSVP! > > > Friday 4pm: OAKLAND- *Draw the Line for the Next Generations > <http://www.350bayarea.org/dtl_next_gen_9_20?e=27858675bd50d796f020a94469496…> > * > > 350 Bay Area/No Tar Sands: Draw the line against dirty tar sands > energy and for the health and power of the generations to come! Bring > pictures of the young people you care about, and let your community > know how the Keystone pipeline and tar sands refining our threatening > kids (and grown ups) health in the Bay Area and beyond. Elders will be > holding a "line" for the young ones, youth will be chalking lines of > poetry, and people of all ages are welcome to come, learn more about > the issues, get involved in the campaigns, and spread the word > > > Sat. Noon: SAN FRANCISCO - Draw the Line Against Toxic Climate > Crisis Impacts > <http://www.350bayarea.org/san_francisco_is_on_the_line_lets_draw_the_line?e…> > > > Call attention to how SEA LEVEL RISE due to Climate Change will impact > SF's local neighborhoods, and say no to the KXL pipeline. Large tracts > of Bayview Hunters Point and Treasure Island are at sea level and are > also situated on or next to toxic and radioactively contaminated > sites. This will be a fun, get to know your community event bringing > residents and environmental organizations together to draw the line > against climate change and environmental racism, for air we can > breathe, water we can drink, and healthy communities. > > Sponsors: Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice, 350 San > Francisco/350 Bay Area, Treasure Island Health Network, San Francisco > Green Party, Our City > > > Sat. 1pm: SAN ANSELMO - Draw The Line Marin > <http://www.350bayarea.org/draw_the_line_marin?e=27858675bd50d796f020a944694…> > > > 350 Marin: Speak out! YES to a carbon tax. YES to renewables. NO to > tar sands oil. Join us on September 21 as we add our voices to those > of thousands of others around the world to DRAW THE LINE. Meet at > Redhill Shopping Center and bring posters, banners and signs. We'll > march from there to the Hub to rally for an hour. > > > Sat. 1pm: PALO ALTO - Draw the Line - Rising Tide > <http://www.350bayarea.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.350siliconvalley.org%2Fdraw_…> > > > 350 Silicon Valley: We will be drawing a human water line in a Palo > Alto neighborhood that will be underwater with just 1 foot of sea > level rise. Many areas in the Peninsula/South Bay are at > risk including SFO, most of Foster City, Moffet Field, Alviso, large > stretches of 101 and neighborhoods in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. > > Thanks for all you do! > > 350 Bay Area.org > http://www.350bayarea.org/ > <http://www.350bayarea.org/?e=27858675bd50d796f020a9446949600fc89b810b&utm_s…> > > > 350 Bay Area · San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States > This email was sent to ildiko.polony(a)gmail.com > <http://ildiko.polony@gmail.com>. To stop receiving emails, click here > <http://www.350bayarea.org/unsubscribe?e=27858675bd50d796f020a9446949600fc89…>. > > You can also keep up with 350 Bay Area.org on Twitter > <http://www.350bayarea.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2F350BayArea&utm_cam…>. > > > Created with NationBuilder > <http://www.350bayarea.org/r?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnationbuilder.com&utm_campaign=d…>, > the essential toolkit for leaders. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "350 SF" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send > an email to 350SF+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to 350SF(a)googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/350SF. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- "I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves." Che Guevara

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[Sustain] MEDIA ADVISORY - Sep 21, SF, CA Press Conference - Sea Rise & Toxics Perfect Storm, Bayview & Treasure Island - 350 Bay Area, Greenaction
by Eric Brooks 18 Sep '13

18 Sep '13

Please pass this on to spread the word: MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 18, 2013 - Event September 21, 2013 Contact: Eric Brooks, (415)-756-8844 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & CLIMATE ACTIVISTS TO DRAW THE LINE CONNECTING SEA LEVEL RISE, EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI DANGERS, & LOCAL TOXIC WASTE SITES PRESS CONFERENCE, PHOTO/VIDEO OPPORTUNITY WHO: Organizers from Greenaction, 350 Bay Area, Treasure Island Health Network (TIHN), SF Green Party, Our City, & Residents of the Bayview Hunters Point & Treasure Island VISUALS: Rally Signs with Climate Crisis Messages, and Large Banner reading: STOP CLIMATE CHANGE! SEA RISE + TOXIC SITES = DESTROYED NEIGHBORHOODS SPEAKERS: Greenaction, 350 SF, TIHN, Bayview & Treasure Island Residents, SF Green Party WHERE: Entrance to Heron's Head Park, Jennings Street & Cargo Way (near 3rd & Evans Muni T-Line Stop), San Francisco, CA WHEN: Saturday, September 21, 12 NOON DETAILS: In San Francisco, on September 21, 2013, at noon, environmental justice and climate activists will convene at the entrance to Heron''s Head Park with residents of Bayview Hunters Point and Treasure Island as part of a global day of action to ''Draw The Line'' to highlight severe local climate crisis impacts that will hit vulnerable neighborhoods all over the world. Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice will join with 350 Bay Area, Treasure Island Health Network, San Francisco Green Party, Our City, and residents of Bayview Hunters Point and Treasure Island, to sound a warning on how the dangerous acceleration of climate warming will impact San Francisco''s local neighborhoods that are most vulnerable to sea rise caused by climate change. Cities all over the U.S. and the world will hold similar actions to call attention to their own looming local climate and sea rise impacts. THE LOCAL ISSUE: Because vast tracts of San Francisco''s Bayview Hunters Point and Treasure Island are at sea level on the San Francisco Bay and are also situated on or next to toxic and radioactively contaminated sites, as climate change progresses, these neighborhoods will be at high danger of a perfect storm of disastrous interactions between sea rise, earth quake liquefaction, tsunami vulnerability, and the toxic and radioactive contamination. For more information see: https://act.350.org/event/draw_the_line_attend http://greenaction.org/campaign-bvhp-cleanup http://tinyurl.com/TreasureIsland-Radiation ###

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[Sustain] Fwd: When a Wave of Protest Swamped a Nuclear Fuel Project In China
by Don Eichelberger 03 Aug '13

03 Aug '13

This is an interesting story about the growing democracy in China. It tells of a governmental effort to site a uranium processing facility. After the site was selected and cleared by the local bureaucracy for construction, the government undertook a mandatory "social stability assessment", to check on social acceptance for the project. During the assessment, the local community discovered it was to be a nuclear processing facility, information withheld to this point in the siting process. When they found it out, the local version of Twitter took over and mobilized local protests, which resulted in the government cancelling the project. If only it were that easy in this bastion of freedom! I like the idea of a "social stability assessment"; should be part of every EIR! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: When a Wave of Protest Swamped a Nuclear Fuel Project In China Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2013 11:36:55 -0700 From: Steve Zeltzer <lvpsf(a)igc.org> To: NFC NFC <Nirs(a)sanonofre.com> When a Wave of Protest Swamped a Nuclear Fuel Project In China http://english.caixin.com/2013-07-31/100563607.html 07.31.2013 19:59 When a Wave of Protest Swamped a Nuclear Fuel Project Local officials followed orders by checking how a proposed uranium processing facility would affect social stability, but they still ran into public opposition By staff reporters He Xin and Tian Lin A Jiangmen's deputy mayor, Wu Guojie, tells protesters the project has been canceled (Jiangmen) – In mid-July, officials in Jiangmen, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, found it impossible to stop a protest against a massive nuclear fuel project planned for the western part of the Pearl River Delta. Officials had carefully planned their every step to avoid angering the public, including a using new mechanism to evaluate the risk to social stability that a project poses, but the facility still ran into a storm of public protest. "No one would listen," an official in Jiangmen complained. This was the second time this year that a civilian nuclear project in China was canceled due to public disagreement. In February a project in Guangxi Province was halted for similar reasons. The planned 37 billion yuan uranium processing facility in Jiangmen was being built by the China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), a state-owned company. In the past, when CNNC was an arm of the government, it developed the country's atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and nuclear submarines. Local officials say the uranium-processing facility was based on mature technology and vouched for by foreign and domestic experts, meaning it would have been safe to operate. By end of February, CNNC had completed a range of evaluations on issues including engineering, risks regarding earthquakes and flooding, and impact on nearby mines. Based on these reports, CNNC received approvals from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the economic planner's Guangdong branch. CNNC already operates inland fuel-processing plants in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, and Yibin, Sichuan Province. The Jiangmen project would be the third plant on the coast to take uranium from mines overseas that CNNC had acquired. CNNC says the fuel-making process does not involve nuclear fission or fissile materials, and the yellow cake uranium fuel was so safe it could be held by hand. Clearing the Way Nuclear plants are not new to Guangdong. Heshan, a county-level city administered by Jiangmen, where the facility would have been located, is close to the four nuclear power plants operating around the Pearl River Delta. They are all owned by the Guangdong branch of state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN). CNNC chose the location in Guangdong due to heavy lobbying by officials from the coastal province who wanted to boost their economy. Before CNNC picked Heshan over Tianjin and the Jiangsu cities of Wuxi and Kunshan, the Heshan government had already secured the provincial government's approval. After CNNC obtained the risk assessment results, it was the Jiangmen and Heshan governments' turn to do their job: get land from local residents and evaluate the possible hazards to social stability. Since last year, a regulation issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, requires large infrastructure projects to undergo not only environmental impact and safety evaluations but also be assessed for potential to cause social disturbances. In February, the NDRC published rules requiring all domestic infrastructure projects to be assessed for the risk they pose to social stability. This is to be done after the projects receive NDRC approval but before construction starts. Land clearing for the Longwan Industrial Park, where the nuclear fuel project was to be built, went smoothly. The government sent notices to residents in four villages to relocate at the end of April. They received their compensation within two to three weeks. Critically, villagers were told that the land would be used to build an industrial park. The next step was the social stability assessment. The Heshan government had some difficulty finding a consulting firm to do it because the rules were new and unfamiliar. The government settled on Jiangmen Nuocheng Engineering Consulting Co., the only NDRC-certified engineering consultancy in Heshan, which subcontracted a study from a firm in Guangzhou. Then Nuocheng assembled experts to comment on the study. It surveyed and interviewed residents. This sounds good, but there is a built-in problem with the arrangement. An employee at Nuocheng told Caixin that if the risk is assessed as high, regulators will halt the project. The project operator usually pays for the assessment, and few consultants want to kill their client's project, the employee said. The Nuocheng report identified six major risk areas and corresponding remedies, and posted the report along with findings and recommendations on the Jiangmen government's website on July 4. The public was given 10 days to comment. Nuocheng said this period was based on prior projects. Heshan officials, however, did not anticipate the outpouring of public resistance that ensued. The Tide Rolls In News of the project spread quickly on Sina Weibo, the country's version of Twitter. Residents expressed concern, then alarm. Villagers were surprised that the "industrial park" they had been told about was going to process radioactive fuel. Area residents complained that the government had signed a deal with CNNC before even seeking their input. Five days later, color fliers appeared under villagers' doors. The fliers included a news article that expressed doubts about the project and pictures of victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. Villagers were asked who would want to work in Heshan or buy local products after the plant was built. On July 12, more than 1,000 protesters descended on the offices of the Heshan city government, including many people from nearby cities, to oppose building the project. Heshan and Jiangmen officials hastily called a press conference and promised to run more TV programs to educate the public. They also arranged for journalists from mainland media and from Macau and Hong Kong to tour CNNC's facilities in Yibin. The Heshan government also announced a 10-day extension to the public comment period. Deng Weidong, director of Heshan's development and reform commission, said at the time that the city fully complied with the NDRC rules concerning the social stability risk assessment. A day after the demonstration, however, a notice that the project had been canceled was posted on the Jiangmen government's website. It said the decision was made out of respect for the wishes of the people. Privately, Heshan and Jiangmen officials lament the loss of a project that would have been a major generator of tax revenue. They had a litany of reasons for what went wrong. Some blamed old bureaucratic habits for alienating the public. Another pointed to the fact officials and party committees lacked Sina Weibo accounts that could have been used to get their side of the story across. Some were at loss to explain what the scope of the social stability assessment should be. Meanwhile, nuclear industry insiders said the cancellation raised fresh concerns about issues related to educating the public and the different interest groups involved. Another insider says the solutions to these difficulties might be found in Taiwan, where parties are directly compensated, and France, where the nuclear power industry provides direct benefits to the local community. In China, however, citizens must wait for the local government to convert tax revenues from the nuclear power into tangible benefits, the source said. Officials in Heshan tried to explain the benefits to come, but, as one Heshan official said: "The more we explained, the more people believed we were deceiving them."

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[Sustain] CEQA: ALERT! Contact Supervisors Today To Support Our Ability To Appeal Modifications Of Projects
by Eric Brooks 22 Jul '13

22 Jul '13

Hi all, Please see below the CEQA message that I just emailed to the Board of Supervisors, and then email similar individual and group communications to our two key swing votes on this issue, Supervisors Malia Cohen and London Breed at: Malia.Cohen(a)sfgov.org london.breed(a)sfgov.org Hi Supervisors and staff, Tomorrow you will be deciding on a piece of trailing legislation to the CEQA procedures that you passed on first reading last week. This important trailing legislation is agenda item 65, #130464. Please know that this trailing legislation embodies a -vital- assurance that members of the Community CEQA Improvement Team must have, in order to support of the overall agreement on CEQA procedures that you began putting into place last week. Specifically, because the main legislation now requires that CEQA appeals must be filed after the -first- approval of a project, the public will completely lose the ability it now has, to appeal any project that substantially changes after its first approvals (when the Environmental Review Officer determines that the project change does not require a new environmental review). The Community CEQA Improvement Team considers it absolutely essential that the public have the right to seek a public hearing with the Environmental Review Officer in cases in which we feel that the Environmental Review Officer has erred in deciding that a substantial change does not warrant a new environmental review. Such a right is the backstop that the public needs, to prevent projects from becoming harmful to the environment and San Francisco neighborhoods due to error, neglect, or bad action. It is very important to note that because this new appeal procedure is merely administrative, and not an appeal under CEQA law itself, such appeals of project modifications will not in any way delay projects moving forward during the appeal period. Because this trailing legislation will give us an assured ability to challenge significant project changes, in return we feel we can support the full package of CEQA procedures legislation and trailing legislation together. This at last, after a 10 year delay, will form a groundbreaking compromise that will ensure vast improvements in CEQA procedures in San Francisco so that they are better for both project sponsors and project appellants. We strongly urge you to vote 'Yes', and show your support for this crucial trailing legislation, so that all parties to these CEQA procedures negotiations can finally reach a fair and productive compromise. Thank you, Eric Brooks Coordinator, Community CEQA Improvement Team 415-756-8844

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[Sustain] CEQA: Please Contact Commissioners -Today- To Support Our Ability To Appeal Modifications Of Projects Exempted Under CEQA
by Eric Brooks 16 Jul '13

16 Jul '13

Hi all, Please see this message that I just emailed to the Historic Preservation and Planning Commissions via their commission secretaries at tim.frye(a)sfgov.org and Commissions.Secretary(a)sfgov.org Please email similar individual and group communications to them right away. The more comments they receive, the more likely we are to win on this key point: Hi Tim, Jonas, Please forward this communication today, to your respective Commission members (Historic Preservation and Planning) so that they can consider it before their decisions tomorrow and Thursday on their agenda items 10 and 8 respectively. thanks, Eric Brooks, Community CEQA Improvement Team Dear Historic Preservation and Planning Commissioners, Your support is urgently needed. This Wednesday and Thursday you will be making a recommendation on a piece of trailing legislation to the CEQA procedures rules (which are likely to pass today at the Board of Supervisors). Note that this trailing legislation, originally sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim, is planned to be amended by Supervisor David Chiu to reflect recent negotiations between parties effected by the CEQA procedures changes. By now you should have received communications from Supervisor Chiu on the nature of the new amendments. Please know that this trailing legislation embodies a -vital- assurance that members of the Community CEQA Improvement Team must have, in order to support the overall agreement on CEQA procedures that has been brought to the Board. Specifically, because the main legislation now requires that CEQA appeals must be filed after the -first- approval of a project, the public will completely lose the ability it now has, to appeal any project that substantially changes after its first approvals, in the case that the Environmental Review Officer determines that the project change does not require a new environmental review. The Community CEQA Improvement Team considers it absolutely essential that the public have the right to seek a public hearing with the Environmental Review Officer in cases in which we feel that the Environmental Review Officer has erred in deciding that a substantial change does not warrant a new environmental review. Such a right is the essential backstop that the public needs to retain, to prevent projects from becoming harmful to the environment and San Francisco neighborhoods, due to error, neglect, or bad action. The trailing legislation, as amended by Supervisor Chiu, will give us this assured right, and in return we feel we can support the full package of CEQA procedures legislation and trailing legislation together. This at last, after 12 years, will form a groundbreaking compromise that will ensure vast improvements in CEQA procedures in San Francisco so that they are better for both project sponsors and project appellants. We strongly urge you to show your support for this crucial trailing legislation, so that all parties to these CEQA procedures negotiations can finally reach a fair and productive compromise. Thank you, Eric Brooks Coordinator, Community CEQA Improvement Team 415-756-8844

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