Militarizing Peter, Dona Green named to the Coast? Tributes powerful board

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Spring-Summer More news online: 2009 www.cagreens.org/greenfocus Rotten deal Green ideas didn’t give Got can solve the voters choice budget mess (Note: The following analysis of the Water? The Green Party of California has May 19 special election was adapted recommended - for a long, long time from recommendations provided by the Special Section Inside - ways in which we can get out of the Green Party of Alameda County.) budget mess in the state. The Green Party of California urged They are fairly simply solutions, not voters to vote NO on all items on the convoluted as the Democrats and Re- ballot in the May 19 special election. publicans claim as they attempt to sell Why? their “flim-flam.” Of course, we opposed the cuts in According to the platform the GPCA, transportation, education, social ser- and as explained in a publication by vices, and other human services, that the Green Party of Alameda County, were part of this budget deal. alternatives include: We opposed this deal even though the (1) Abolish the 2/3 vote needed to politicians told us that great hardship pass the budget. (Even State Senator would result if their rotten deal failed Loni Hancock has introduced a con- to pass. stitutional amendment to do that.) And it may even be true. The current situation gives the Re- But, even more, we opposed the pro- The big question: What went wrong? publicans much more power over the cess which concluded by offering us BY KJERSTEN JEPPESEN economy is essentially sound.” budget than their numbers warrant. the “choice” of being shot in the leg or What went wrong? Like many of us, independent econo- That is obvious. What is less obvious shot in the arm, but did NOT offer us That’s the question filling the air- mists are not that sanguine. Through is that the current situation gives cover the choice of using our collective waves and print media since Septem- independent media they are drawing to the Democrats while billions of dol- wealth to meet human needs. ber ’08. As usual, the media projects the curtains back and exposing the lars are cut from services to their con- PROPOSITION 1A was a constitu- the official line: that the crash was a fraud. Creative “innovations” (deriva- stituents. But don’t blame them -- it’s tional amendment. Most of 1A was complete surprise. There may be tem- tives, credit-default swaps, hedge the Republicans' fault. part of the original budget agreement. porary outrage but it’s directed toward funds, etc.*) in investing and lending While a few states do require a The Proposition included additional their usual “culprits” and away from were actually schemes or scams ca- “supermajority” (that is, more than a parts that went far beyond the existing essential information. simple majority) to pass their budget, agreement. It echoes Bush’s assurance that “the (See Page 12 WRONG) and a few states require a supermajority Ironically, per the Legislative to raise any state taxes, California is Analyst’s Office (LAO), the provisions Green to run in 10th Congressional Special Election the only state to require both. Califor- of 1A would not affect the current bud- Green Party member Jeremy Cloward has announced his intention to run nia must change. get. Rather, bringing this measure be- against Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Alamo) in the anticipated 10th Congressional (2) Amend Proposition 13. Adopt fore the voters was the price agreed to District special election. The 10th District includes portions of Alameda, the split-roll property tax system, in by the Democrats to get the Republi- Contra Costa, Solano and Sacramento counties. which income-producing property is can votes needed for the budget deal. President Obama has nominated Rep. Tauscher to serve as Undersecretary taxed at a higher rate than primary resi- Under 1A, “unanticipated revenues” for Arms Control and International Security in the State Department. If con- dences. Amending Prop 13 should also -- revenues in excess of the ten-year firmed, a special election to replace her is expected to be held in Fall 2009. include automatic reassessments when average - would be saved in a Budget Cloward, if elected, plans to introduce legislation designed to pave the way businesses are sold. Stabilization Fund, or “rainy day fund,” toward a “more just and equal society.” More info on the Jeremy Cloward (3) Return to the notion of (See Page 15 PROPS) Congressional campaign can be found at www.jeremycloward.com. (See Page 12 RECOMMEND) Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 3 Assault onNorth Coast Mendocino Greens launch Pacific Ocean Sanctuary drive to protect coast from military, business interests BY DAN HAMBURG MENDOCINO – The Green Party of Mendocino County has launched the Pacific Coast Ocean Sanctuary Peti- tion, a direct appeal to President Obama to leave our coast alone and to work with Congress to promulgate Ocean Sanctuary legislation that will permanently protect coastal areas off California, Oregon and Washington. The effort is needed because greedy eyes are turned to the northern Cali- fornia, Oregon and Washington coast- lines as the next area for militarization and commercial exploitation. At the end of March, 100 protesters greeted the U.S. Navy in Ukiah when it presented a plan to augment naval weapons and sonar training from Puget Sound south to Mendocino County. Navy representatives listened to nearly four hours of testimony from county residents who maintain that pro- tection of marine species and the over- all health of the ocean are of paramount importance. The Mendocino County Board of WHAT COUILD BE? Supervisors voted 4 to 1 to address a This is what the North letter opposing the Navy’s encroach- ment for distribution throughout the Coast could look like, Pacific Northwest. above, with increased The BOS also made clear that they will stand with a score of environmen- militarization. And, tal organizations in the event of a law- right, a “romantic” suit intended to stifle the Navy’s plan. And, in April, hundreds gathered in view of expanded oil San Francisco to give President exploration. Obama’s new Interior Secretary, former Colorado Senator Ken Salazar, a piece of their collective mind on pro- posed Lease Sale 236. An array of state and US representa- to “compromise” with the oil industry Regulatory Commission (FERC) wants make to the upwelling of nutrients that tives, along with Senator Barbara on new domestic offshore drilling if private companies like PG&E, Chev- feed marine mammals, shifting sea- Boxer and a representative from Gov- they would support renewables. ron, Finavera and other developers to shore erosion patters, and much more. ernor Schwarzenegger’s office, made This despite the fact that energy try out new technologies. The Mendocino Greens clear that any plans to drill for oil and economists believe that the total This seems a fool’s errand. (www.mendocinocountry.com) are gas along the California coast will be amount of offshore oil produced from Technical data necessary to intelli- asking Greens up and down the coast strenuously opposed. new leases would have no measurable gently design these mammoth instal- to download, sign, have your local en- What was most strange about the San impact on gasoline prices. lations are unknown and will require dorse, and circulate the Pacific Coast Francisco hearing was that it occurred Secretary Salazar and the adminis- decades of pilot level study. Also, their Ocean Sanctuary Petition. in the first place. It was made neces- tration want to pursue wave hydroki- impacts upon the marine environment (Note: The author is a longtime Green, sary by congressional Democrats’ netic energy development off the coast. are unknown but certainly include: the former candidate for Governor, former abandonment of a 27-year old annual Rather than have the government effect upon migration patterns of ma- Congressman and former county su- moratorium on new offshore oil leases, sponsor the R&D that must precede rine mammals, their interference with pervisor) and by then-candidate Obama’s pledge commercialization, the Federal Energy the fishing industry, changes they could Page 2 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 CLEAN ELECTIONS: Vote will give Green Party a great opportunity at polls BY KJERSTEN JEPPESEN Or, by gathering 3,750 signatures and The June 2010 California ballot will donations (half that required for major include the California Fair Elections candidates), a Green candidate could Act (CFEA) as a pilot project. receive 25 percent of the baseline If passed, CFEA will provide public amount for the general election, or financing on a voluntary basis for can- $250,000. That’s still a sizable sum didates running for Secretary of State by our standards. in 2014 and 2018. If voters approve CFEA, it would provide a major opportunity for the OPINION Green Party. For the first time, Green candidates would receive public fund- Candidates could choose public ing in a general election. funding or the traditional method of “Third” party or independent candi- fundraising. If candidates choose pub- dates could be awarded public fund- lic funding, they would agree not to ac- ing in an amount formerly only cept any private funding. dreamed about. The challenge is in To qualify for the public funds, can- qualifying. didates would be required to collect a Qualified candidates would be al- tax returns and on an increase in the tion? To study the Secretary of State's specified number of five-dollar “seed lowed to place a 250-word statement registration fee for lobbyists, lobbying office thoroughly, and find the best money” contributions along with reg- in the sample ballot. This alone is a firms, and employers of lobbyists. qualified Green candidate(s)? istered voter signatures. boon for a Green, but the real prize is Presently the fee is $12.50 per year, To prepare our candidate(s), and de- The donation is to insure that each that candidates would be required to one of the lowest in the U.S. It would velop and define their positions? To signature is backed by actual support engage in two public debates in the increase to $350, the same as in Illi- establish support in preparation for the for the candidate, to discourage frivo- general election. nois. None of the funding will come donation/signature gathering and the lous candidates. Proceeds will go into If passed, CFEA will sunset in 2019. from the state’s general fund. final campaign? the public campaign fund as “seed Hopefully by then, the pilot project will Are we ready for the challenge? Shall We need to be ready. Opportunity money.” Within 24 hours, candidates have provided enough foundational we start planning now to get out the awaits.(See California Clean Money Cam- would receive matching funds to experience for the public, and Califor- vote and counter big money opposi- paign, www.caclean.org). counter an opponent’s attack. nia will go the way of other states in Major party candidates would be re- which public funding has been found Green Party needs to stay out in quired to collect 7,500 five-dollar do- to be very successful, and in which the nations and registered voter signatures majority of candidates participate. front on same-sex marriage issue for the primary election. For example, 81 percent of candi- dates in Connecticut and 85 percent in BY SHANE QUE HEE Obama’s negative position on gay “Third” parties and independents The ban on same-sex marriage, would have two options. In order to Maine were elected by public funding marriage stated in a Presidential De- only, leaving them free of obligation Proposition 8, passed in California with bate was publicized by YES on 8, but receive the full general election a 4 percent margin (492, 830 votes) and to special interests. In Arizona, 9 of 11 not his opposition to Prop 8. baseline funding amount of this win spawned a nationwide reac- candidates were elected with public There was little get-out-the NO on 8 $1,300,000, he/she would have to col- tion by LGBTs. lect twice as many five-dollar “seed funds only, and voter turnout increased vote–the NO on 8 volunteers were used money” donations and signatures by 24 percent. CFEA provides that as poll booth voter watchers and Demo- ($15,000) as that required by major public funds would come from volun- PROP. 8 ANALYSIS cratic Party poll booth cheerleaders. party candidates. tary contributions designated on state The fallout from the passage of Prop In fact, the Green Party of Califor- 8 in California continues into 2009. nia (GPCA) platform has supported Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a GREEN FOCUS Spring-Summer 2009 same-sex marriage since its establish- suit to invalidate Prop 8, and filed SUBMISSIONS/INQUIRIES: www.cagreens.org/greenfocus [email protected], ment in 1992 and the National Green briefs along with other groups for and Green Focus, Editorial Board, PO Box 2828, Sacramento, CA 95812. Party since the Nader Presidential cam- against Prop 8. paign of 2000. Representatives of the California SUBSCRIPTIONS: All sustainers (a monthly donation of any amount) receive Green However, even support by the Green Green Party attended the 500-strong Focus at no charge. Others interested in subscribing by mail please contact the Editorial Board. Party and other coalitions could not Prop 8 Summit at the LA Convention outlast the $26 million funneled into Center in January. Supportive groups CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE: Jan Arnold,Tom Bolema, Michael Feinstein, Dan backing the YES vote on 8. were encouraged to continue their edu- Hamburg, Barry Hermanson, Kjersten Jeppesen, Peggy Koteen, Sheila Laracy, Sharon Despite an early poll stating that Prop cational efforts since all of these were Peterson, Wilson Riles, Wes Rolley, Linda Salas, John Selawsky, Cres Vellucci. 8 was winning there was little outreach essential to presenting any California EDITORIAL BOARD: Michael Borenstein, Kjersten Jeppesen, Ellen Maisen, Wes to grassroots and potential allies like Supreme Court decision in the appro- Rolley, Sharon Peterson, Linda Salas, Lisa Taylor, Cres Vellucci, Alex Walker, Will Latinos and African Americans right priate manner, and to continue to make Yeager. from the start. inroads into homophobia. Page 4 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 COMMENT Oscar Grant killing puts focus on battle against injustice BY WILSON RILES racially and class biased, if-it-bleeds- His killing was caught on multiple Oscar’s killing or anything else that OAKLAND - The residents of Oak- it-leads, corporate media. cell phone cameras and, like a com- stifles their opportunity and puts them land are “rubbed raw” with the injustice These questioners are deaf-and- puter virus, was spread around the on a slippery slide to criminality. and tragedy of the Oscar Grant killing. dumb to the history of struggle in Oak- country if not around the world. Any Being able to “voice” their pain is Oakland is a unique community in land and to the fact that – other than in viewer of those videos could not help short term cathartic relief. Older com- terms of its diversity and extensive pro- parts of West Oakland or East Oakland but conclude that this was a colossal munity members, led by prominent re- gressive history. There is much for – Oakland’s crime statistics are better injustice committed by BART police ligious figures, expressed their under- Oakland residents to take pride in on than those of most U.S. communities. officer Johannes Mehserle. standing of these outbursts even though top of the City’s beauty and vibrancy. Oscar Grant was not from West or Yet, the ‘powers that be,’ the County they decried the property destruction But almost every person living in this East Oakland; he lived in Hayward. District Attorney, the BART Board of and the shift of the media attention off City has been faced with relatives and Oscar was a 22-year-old African- Directors, and many of the affluent and the Oscar Grant incident to the burn- friends asking, “Why do you continue American father of a baby girl. knee-jerk-middle-class-white-cultural- ing cars in the streets. to live in such a dangerous place?” Returning from a New Years Eve chauvinists are finding it very difficult After some “schooling” of these Often that question bursts from the party in San Francisco, he was shot in to hold this officer accountable for young rebels, it was noticed that they mouths of people who know nothing the back as he lay face down on a what he did. interacted more positively with adults about Oakland but what they hear from BART platform on January 1. Accountability is swift for poor and on the streets and with some of the brown residents even when they are not downtown businesses that they had at fault.That is the sharp, painful, cut- trashed. ting edge of injustice that has this com- Other young experienced community A violent weed: Let’s turn this munity in turmoil, again.There is no es- organizers are working hard to keep the tablished, trusted-by-all process whereby community’s focus where it needs to culture of violence around this community could fairly work be - on justice. These young organiz- through the equities in this situation. ers have a really tough job. BY SHARON PETERSON In February we marched for Gaza in San Francisco. A few days later, in Representative democracy does not They are on the front lines of the jus- Oakland, we marched for Oscar Grant, the man who was killed by police at work when those who have the money tice movement. They know the history the Fruitvale BART station on New Year's Day. Picket signs for Oscar Grant control the public agenda and have in- of West Oakland and East Oakland. appeared in San Francisco, and pickets for Gaza appeared in Oakland. ordinate influence over elected repre- They are working to build the move- More of us are getting it - police brutality at home and U.S. support and sentatives’ decisions. ment to the place where some signifi- funding of terrorism abroad are joined at the roots. Our government's wars in Our Green Party understands this cant, fundamental social justice can be Iraq and Afghanistan (with attacks on Syria and Pakistan for good measure) very well. And, the criminal justice achieved. are tendrils of the same foul weed. system has bent over backwards to These organizers still believe that it After a long wait for action from BART and from Oakland law enforcement serve the prison industrial complex. is possible; they have not given up - Johannes Mehserle is in custody and charged with murder. BART is under The situation is worse than when hope. Young people need to be listened increasing pressure to establish a civilian oversight committee to monitor Rodney King was videoed being pum- to and meetings and events need to be relations between BART police and the public. meled by L.A. police who were later consciously shaped to allow them to A new tendril sprouted on March 21, when four Oakland police officers acquitted by a jury of Simi Valley resi- be heard. We must learn to do those were shot down in the line of duty. All eventually perished from their wounds. dents – from the preferred neighbor- things which keep young people in- It was the second worst police fatality incident in California's history and the hood for Southern California cops. volved. worst ever in Oakland. The more recent extensive outpour- Cross-organizational coalitions, alli- The tragedy spurred an outpouring of support from citizens throughout the ing of official community sympathy ances, and expressions of solidarity Bay Area and beyond. Their joint memorial filled the Oracle Arena. The Oak- and mourning for four Oakland Police need to be continually renewed. Cul- land A's dedicated their first home game to the fallen officers. Department officers killed in the line tural, class, generational, racial, and While there is no direct causal connection between this latest tragedy and of duty gave those, uncomfortable with language divides can be bridged. These the shooting of Oscar Grant, it springs from the same culture. A culture that the Oscar Grant killing by their hero young organizers are teaching and supports and promotes violence. police, the opportunity to full-throat- learning and growing with experience. A nation whose taxpayers find themselves paying for prisons and weapons ily express their view of what is purely This is the precious legacy generation and bailouts for robber barons while school campuses crumble and teachers right and who is always wrong. of Oakland. pay for supplies out of pocket, a nation where illness or accident can bankrupt Outraged by the Oscar Grant inci- The Green Party of Alameda County families. Where water will soon become more valued, and perhaps rarer, than dent, various collections of community is proud of these young folks and what gold. In such a culture, all life appears cheap; for proof, just watch the news. people arose spontaneously to voice they have to give to all of us. There is one political party that stands against this overgrowth of violence their pain and anguish.Most of these We are Oscar Grant, Bobby Seale, – non-violence is one of its Ten Key Values. It is not your typical political collections of people were Elaine Brown, Bill Wahpepah, William party, run by leaders who tell their members what to think, and what to do. multicultural. Many young warriors, Wong, and we are many more and we The Green Party is run by grassroots volunteers, ordinary people who un- the frequent target for injustices, were will not die. derstand that democracy needs workers ... if it's going to work at all. not able to control their rage. They have no expectation that the “system” will (Note: Wilson Riles served on the Oak- Your nearest Green Party chapter can be found at cagreens.org/locals/ . land City Council from 1979 to 1992 and Please join us. Let's turn this culture around. ever make the fundamental changes necessary to even approach justice for ran for Mayor of Oakland in 2002.) Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 5 the Governor, the Senate Rules Com- candidate. While he has not commit- mittee, and the Speaker of the Assem- ted to running, if he did run and were Green Party leader bly. Six are locally elected officials and elected, it would be the largest U.S. six are appointed from the public at City in which there is a Green mayor. large. In this first Coastal Commission Ross Mirkarimi named Mirkarimi was chosen as the repre- meeting he fought hard but lost on a 7- sentative of the North Central Coast 4 vote against an effort by Governor region, which includes Marin, San Arnold Schwarzenegger and Southern to Coastal Commission Francisco and Sonoma counties. California Edison to overturn the Ox- BY MIKE FEINSTEIN energy independence" said Mirkarimi Mirkarimi was also nominated by the nard City Council’s denial of a pro- SAN FRANCISCO – Ross Mirka- upon his appointment. Boards of Supervisors of all three coun- posed natural gas-fired peaker power rimi, twice elected to the San Francisco “From the perspective of a sensible ties, as well as the California League plant there on Mandalay Bay, and al- Board of Supervisors, was appointed environmentalist and/or a progressive, of Cities nominating committee. low the construction of the first new in March to the 12-member California the score card optics of the Commis- In San Francisco, Mirkarimi’s record coastal power plant in California in Coastal Commission, one of the most sion over the last ten years is not good. as supervisor has been broad and im- more than 30 years. powerful public agencies in the state – As the newest commissioner, I'll do my pressive. In a little over one term, he’s “This was a clear case of environ- making Mirkarimi the holder of the best to change it.” made great progress fighting for ac- mental racism that will particularly highest office for a California Green. California has 840 miles of some of countable community-based policing negatively impact the local Latino “Mr. Mirkarimi brings much experi- the most beautiful coastline in the and violence prevention programs, ten- community,” said Mirkarimi. “A small world. At the same time, there are in- ant protections and housing reparations city like Oxnard that has two power credible strains and pressures on it. The for local African-American and Japa- plants, a toxic waste site and three land- overwhelming majority of the state’s nese-American populations due to mis- fills doesn’t need more dirty industry population lives within 50 miles of the guided redevelopment. in the public’s name.” coast, and the state has several major He authored the nation's first man- ports, commercial fishing facilities, dated law on private company reim- offshore petroleum and gas develop- bursement for commuters using tran- ment, refineries liquefied natural gas sit, the nation's first law banning plas- Green Party official facilities, electrical generating facili- tic bags and the nation’s strongest mu- ties and extensive coastal-dependent nicipal climate change protocol. And Daniel Brezenoff development. in a first for progressive San Francisco, tabbed as aide To address this tension, California he authored a law furnishing dedicated voters passed Proposition 20, The housing for LGBTQ and Homeless se- BY MIKE FEINSTEIN Coastal Initiative, in 1972 with 55 per- niors. LONG BEACH - Following a path cent of the vote. It established the Mirkarimi’s Green involvement goes where his increasing Green activism Ross Mirkarimi Coastal Commission for four years. back to 1985, attending the first local built a reputation of respect and cred- ence in grappling with complex land- Then in 1976 the commission was Green organizing meetings in the Bay ibility in his community, former Green use decisions in San Francisco. I look made permanent as an independent, Area. In 1990 he helped co-found the Party Congressional candidate and forward to him bringing this expertise quasi-judicial state agency by the Leg- Green Party of California and played a state party spokesperson Daniel to his work on the Coastal Commis- islature through adoption of the Cali- major role in the successful 1990-1992 Brezenoff was selected May 5 as Leg- sion” said State Senate President Pro fornia Coastal Act of 1976. ballot drive. In 2000, he was the Cali- islative Director to Robert Garcia, Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacra- Part of what makes the Commission fornia coordinator of the Ralph Nader/ newly elected City Councilmember in mento), Chair of the Senate Rules so powerful is that in pursuit of that Winona LaDuke presidential cam- Long Beach's first district. Committee, when he appointed Mirka- mission, it holds great sway over land paign. “I am grateful to have been able to rimi. use decisions near the coast. Specifi- Among several other ‘firsts’, in 2004 advance a Green agenda through my The mission of the Coastal Commis- cally the Commission addresses “de- Mirkarimi became the first U.S. Green activities with the Green Party in the sion is to “protect, conserve, restore, velopment activities,”which are elected under Instant Run Off Voting, last several years. I now look forward and enhance environmental and hu- broadly defined by the Coastal Act to winning in District 5 with its 3,000 to supporting Councilmember Garcia man-based resources of the California include construction of buildings, di- Greens and 20,000 Democrats. In 2007 in his efforts to realize a clean envi- coast and ocean for environmentally visions of land and, perhaps most sig- he was easily reelected to a second ronment, a healthy economy and an ef- sustainable and prudent use by current nificantly, activities that change the term, at the conclusion of which he ficient and responsible local govern- and future generations.” intensity of land use or public access must step down because San Francisco ment in Long Beach," said Brezenoff. Mirkarimi’s appointment was a to coastal waters. has term limits. In August 2007 Brezenoff ran a spir- strong statement in terms of this bal- The coastal zone, which was specifi- Mirkarimi replaced fellow Green ited Congressional special election ance, with the Commission gaining a cally mapped by the Legislature, cov- Matt Gonzalez in District 5, who was campaign in Congressional District 37 new strong voice in favor of public ers an area larger than the State of elected in 2000 and chose not to run (Long Beach, Compton, Carson) where access, affordable housing, public tran- Rhode Island, and includes areas in 15 for re-election. It was Gonzalez who he made a name for himself with force- sit and a clean and healthy environment counties and over 110 cities. On land introduced IRV within the Board and ful debate performances that impressed in the coastal zone. the coastal zone varies in width from worked hard along with numerous many observers, even including those "This is one of the strongest land-use several hundred feet in highly urban- Greens for its successful passage on the supporting other candidates. bodies in the country. It's safe to say ized areas up to five miles in certain March 2002 ballot. Brezenoff, who served as a state- that the ‘beach-head politics’ deliber- rural areas, and offshore the coastal Mirkarimi’s Coastal Commission wide spokesperson for the Green Party ated here could serve as a bellweather zone includes a three-mile-wide band term is for two years, ending in 2011. of California, is a clinical social for U.S. policy on issues pertaining to of ocean. That’s also the year of the next San worker. He is to be a point person for a our response to climate change, envi- Of the Commission’s twelve voting Francisco Mayoral election and Mirka- legislative focus on environmental ronmental/maritime degradation and members, four each are appointed by rimi is often mentioned as a potential sustainability and LGBT issues. Page 6 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 A new state Constitutional Convention? New analysis shows push for another California Constitutional Convention could benefit voter independence, Green Party BY MIKE FEINSTEIN vention is trying to solve” and from vention offers the opportunity to pro- disincentivized them – the Legislature When most of us hear the term “Con- that, define its scope. vide an integrated package of reforms would likely be five percent to 25 per- stitutional Convention,” we think of For many, the state is structurally un- that are stronger if all passed. In addi- cent Green, based upon the experience white men in wigs in Philadelphia in governable, in perpetual structural fi- tion, qualifying several ballot measures of Greens around the world in more 1787, drafting the U.S. Constitution. nancial deficit and the legislature has takes an enormous amount of human representative electoral systems. This But California has had its own Con- not passed a budget on time in 23 out and financial resources, which could in turn could have a major positive ef- stitutional Convention – actually two. of the last 32 years. Therefore a Con- be combined simply to qualify the No- fect on public policy by broadening the Now there is talk of a third, possibly vention should be narrowly focused on vember 2010 Convention ballot mea- range of issues, policies and possibili- as soon as 2011. What could this mean reform of the budget and legislative sures and then work to pass the ties discussed in the state. for our state and for the Green Party? process, ballot initiatives and perhaps Convention’s recommendations upon On their own, the Legislature’s The California Constitution gives the a few other specific aspects of how the its conclusion. Finally, whereas indi- Democrats and Republicans have little legislature the ability by a 2/3 vote, to state is governed and financed. For this vidual ballot measures are seen as the reason to change a system that rewards reason, there is general sentiment to them with a disproportionately greater limit the Convention to structural re- number of seats than their share of the forms and not address social issues and popular vote merits. Conversely, a Con- individual rights. vention could present a once-in-a-life- The budgetary issue that appears to time opportunity to reform how the unite Convention enthusiasts the most Legislature is elected to a more fair is eliminating the 2/3 requirement nec- system. essary for the Legislature to approve a Not only would this be better for the budget, followed by eliminating the 2/ state as a whole, because it would more 3 requirement to institute a new tax and accurately represent our diversity; but amending Proposition 13 to provide for there is every indication that within it, a residential/commercial property tax the Green Party in California would split roll. There is also a desire to re- also thrive. dress the fiscal relationship between Second, one 2010 Green strategy is place before the voters whether there the state and cities, how education is product of interest groups, a Constitu- to run a slate of State Assembly candi- should be a Constitutional Convention. funded and implement a two-year bud- tional Convention is by design meant dates on a common platform on key If passed by a majority, “the Legisla- get cycle. to bring together a body reflective of statewide issues, and show the party ture shall provide for the convention,” On the legislative side, there has been the entire state, without a predestined has practical alternatives and can help after which the Convention would meet strong interest in a unicameral legisla- political agenda. govern the state. and the changes it recommends be ture, and with it, increasing the num- Of course the Legislature could put If support for the November 2010 placed on the ballot as a single mea- ber of legislators to provide for smaller something on the ballot. But the lack Convention ballot measures were part sure for a majority vote. This is how legislative districts with fewer voters of confidence in the Legislature’s will- of this platform, it would identify the the California 1878-79 Convention was per representative. This has been joined ingness to confront systematic struc- Greens as in favor of giving a greater convened, and its original 1848 Con- tural reform is part of what has given voice to the people and distinguish stitution revised. birth to today’s Constitutional Conven- them from most Republican and Demo- Today with the legislature unlikely tion movement. What if the threat of a cratic candidates. It would provide a to place such a measure before the vot- Constitutional Convention forced the critical early platform to promote ers, a new path is being explored that Legislature to act? That is the angle which reforms need to be considered would involve two simultaneous No- being played by some. While such an by the Convention. vember 2010 ballot measures – one to approach could lead to some good, it Finally, the people may be empow- give ‘the people’ the power to call for doesn’t warrant delaying organizing to ered by all this. Perhaps on the macro a convention themselves through a bal- wait for it. Furthermore, it is very pos- level, the Constitutional Convention lot measure, and one that would autho- sible that the Legislature will try and provides a rare opportunity for ‘the rize a specific convention with a spe- co-op the Convention by offering people’ to make systematic change cific focus. If both passed, the conven- by advocates of proportional represen- some, but not enough reforms to truly through direct, democratic means. tion could convene in 2011, and its rec- tation and instant run-off voting, in- address the crisis the state is in. A movement that empowers Califor- ommendations on the ballot as early as cluding many Greens, who see an op- nians in this way will also help them November 2012. portunity for a legislature more truly Role for Green Party to feel freer to vote for alternatives they Many people think that once a con- representative of the state’s diversity The possibility of a Constitutional believe in. vention is called, “everything is on the and with it, perhaps policies and prac- Convention offers multi-level opportu- Combined with a system of propor- table.” This is not necessarily so. Un- tices that are more likely to work for nities for the Green Party. tional representation, this could even der the scenario above, the ballot mea- California. First, proportional representation. If lead to a California renaissance of de- sure authorizing the Convention would Why not approach California’s prob- California had a system of proportional mocracy, with more people involved, establish its scope. Therefore the ques- lems with individual ballot measures? representation — which rewarded and having a much greater chance of tion is “what are the problems the Con- Perhaps the main reason is that a Con- Green voters rather than being heard. Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 7 California’s water systems are broken; the blame is on the SPECIALSPECIAL SECTIONSECTION bureaucrats BY WES ROLLEY California's water systems are broken. In some cases, it is the physical system such as the long delayed upgrade and seismic retrofit of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct or the many miles of threatened levees in the Sacramento - San GOGOGOTTT Joaquin River Delta. But mostly, the breaks are in the bureaucratic processes by which water is governed, metered out, charged for and frequently fought over. California's Little Hoover Commission has previously issued reports on water. The most WWWAAATER?TER?TER? recent, in January 2009 was Clearer Structure, Cleaner Water Improving Performance and Outcomes at the State Water Boards. Its conclusions start with the recognition that California has an outdated system for dealing with a crumbling infrastructure, a growing demand and a raft of threats to clean water. Their solution involved a total re-structuring of the system of State and Regional Water Control Boards, making them appointed by and responsible to the Governor. Following that, the Commission has taken on the challenge to change the total governance of water in California beginning with a new hearing that was held April 23, 2009 in Sacramento. At that hearing, Phil Isenberg, Chair of the Delta Vision Foundation, testified that the sum total of documented water rights in California is 8.4 times the average water flow through the Delta. Even if the State Legislature were willing to undertake the task of reforming water gover- Photo by Chris Austin nance, no matter what it decides to do, someone process of dealing with water issues. California needs the active involvement of will challenge it in court. California's bureaucra- While Resolution authorizes action by the Greens who will take bioregional approaches to cies have some 200 different agencies and EcoAction Committee, GPUS, this will not the management of watersheds, who will involve boards involved in the process of managing our happen without Greens everywhere becoming the public in the decision making rather than water resources. involved. We must all become active partici- relying on entrenched bureaucracies and special Much of the power over water use is devolved pants in solving California's problems. interests to determine our future. into a long list of local water districts, each with We have seen that the California State Legisla- Join the GPCA and the GPUS EcoAction its own set of directors and regulations. As far as ture is incapable of coming to any hard decision Committee in creating fundamental change. I know, there are only four greens on any of regarding anything of importance. If they can EcoAction has set up The Green Party Water these water district boards in the State of Cali- not enact a budget on time, how will they be Works, a public blog at http://gp.org/commit- fornia. If there is any office that may be attain- able to deal with the restructuring of priorities tees/ecoaction/blog/ That is one place to start. able, and which might have a long lasting effect between Central Valley Agriculture and South- Another is to contact local Green Party councils on life in California, it is that of Director of a ern California urban users. and to tell them that you are willing to help Water District. The problems associated with water, its protect California's future. The Green Party of the United States recently management and its governance in California It is clear that neither major political party is passed a resolution (#380) that outlines a new cry out for Green solutions. going to do that. Page 8 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009

BY WES ROLLEY I have never driven down the Central Valley without seeing sign after sign that reminded me that “Food Grow Where Water Flows”. They are posted along both I-5 and Rte. 99, covering old tanks and stacks of cotton bales. There is a truth in that statement that we all understand. California's major food produc- Food Grow ing areas are all valleys: Imperial Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Salinas Valley. They all rely on irrigation. It is mostly through irrigation that California has become the number 1 agricultural state in the country, producing $36.6 Billion in revenue in 2007. Water F That is a big argument for maintaining the status quo. In fact, we a growing population to feed, there is pressure to extend agricul- ture in to ever more lands, some of which are totally unsuitable. The environmental consequences of that are routinely ignored. The only problem is that nothing can maintain the status quo. Things are always changing, becoming something different. That is the lesson of ecology, a lesson that Greens have learned even if others have not. We all live in a complex system of things that are created Or N and things that die. Our hope is that we are not the ones who will die. Currently the major change is climate. The most recent forecasts indicate that we may not be able to avoid a temperature increase of 6° C. by 2100. Such a change would entirely disrupt all of our natural systems and California's agricultural industry is rather ground zero in this. That is why I call attention to those signs. / Food Grows Where Water Flows/. They are no longer a simple description of California's agribusiness. They are a political slogan. Perhaps they always were. You will hear the same story repeated again and again. California's Agriculture needs water. The environmentalists think a fish is more impor- tant than people. Let's set aside the environ- mental laws so we can build more, develop more, pump more, grow more. It is never that simple. There is not going to be much more water. The water that we will get will not be stored in the mountain snow pack to melt for summer use. Building more damns and more canals to store and carry less water does not make sense, but that is what almost every politi- This is Owens Lake now. It has not always been this way. When miners were exploiting the silver, it was cian in the San Joaquin Valley wants to do. before the Metropolitan Water District bought up the rights to most of the water in the Owens Valley. By The campaign to flush the San Joaquin is slowly being restored. The prospect of climate change driven drought may mean that is will never come Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 9 Valley with Delta Water is well organized and picking up more force every week. It has now taken on the overtones of ethnic con- flict. The California Latino Water Coalition are doing all that the land owners ask, showing up at organized protests as though Cesar Chavez were still leading them. This has the s Where makings of a major split between the inter- ests of farm workers and urban dwellers, though both are Hispanic. California's State Legislature has failed time and again to make the substantive changes in how we deal with water. Each time the problem is recognized, they end up lows. negotiating some compromise like Cal-Fed that solves nothing. Cal-Fed was billed as a compromise and promoted as such by Sena- tor Feinstein. In reality, it was a capitulation to agribusiness interests. In a similar manner, the Delta Vision process initiated by Governor Schwarzenegger was directed to define a comprehensive solution for our water needs with a concentrated focus on the Delta. Once delivered, every interest group ot. is picking and choosing from a menu of solutions, choosing only those that they were looking for at the beginning and ignoring the rest. Schwarzenegger wanted the peripheral canal. San Joaquin Valley Agribusiness wants more guaranteed water. The Metropolitan Water District wants to keep supporting unlimited growth. We can't have it all. There is not now enough water to do that, even in a good year and we have had three dry years in a row. Unless the people of California decide to tell their legislature to get serious about our future, we won't have a very good one. If our legislature is not ready to apply real science and ecological systems planning to the management of our watershed, then it is time to elect someone who will. Two Green Party candidates for the State Assembly, Lisa Green (53rd AD) and Jack Lindblad (39th AD), have started their campaigns with strong positions about the changes needed in our water management systems. The California Green Party is the only real option if we want to secure a future before shipped across the lake by steamboat to meet a railway on the Western Side. That, of course, was long 2000, you could drive through the areas and watch the dust devils swirl across the old lake bed. Now, it our economy dies of thirst. e all the way back. Photo by Chris Austin Page 10 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 YYOUOU AREARE WHAWHATT YYOUOU EAEAT?T? Research shows we waste most water at the ‘dinner table’

BY PEGGY KOTEEN In the U.S., half of all water re- water-polluting process. Animal waste farms in Maryland and North Carolina You’re warned about not watering sources, plus 70 percent of all grains, from large factory farms threatens the have washed into the Chesapeake Bay your lawn as much, and not to take long 80 percent of all agricultural land, and water we drink and swim in, and the and North Carolina rivers, triggering showers - but it’s quite possibly what one-third of all fossil fuels are used to future of our rivers, lakes, and streams. outbreaks of the toxic microbe you do at the dinner table that wastes raise animals for food. A legislative The U.S. Environmental Protection pfiesteria that have sickened people the most water. Agency has stated that the runoff from and killed millions of fish. In fact, our water supply is ineffi- factory farms pollutes our rivers and (For many more examples of water ciently used and is tremendously pol- lakes more than all other industrial pollution by cow, pig, or chicken luted by the animal farming industry. sources combined. farms, see http://ecosyn.us/ecocity/ It’s not even a debate any longer. Livestock produce an enormous Links/My_Links_Pages/ Growing all food requires water. amount of waste.In the U.S. every sec- Hog_Pollution.html_ (http://ecosyn.us/ However, raising animals to eat uses ond, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows ecocity/Links/My_Links_Pages/ water that could otherwise be used to in factory farms produce nearly 89,000 Hog_Pollution.html) ) raise crops to feed humans. pounds of excrement, which is con- While millions of people across the Large amounts of water are used to taminated with the antibiotics and hor- globe are faced with droughts and wa- irrigate corn, soy, and oat fields that mones that are pumped into these ani- ter shortages, much of the world's wa- are required to feed farmed animals. mals. ter supply is diverted to animal agri- The farmed animal industry places a Corporate livestock industry's waste culture. serious strain on our water supply disposal practices - spraying it onto It is clear that raising animals for from the necessity of watering the croplands or storing it in open-air waste food puts a tremendous strain on our crops that farmed animals eat, provid- pits called lagoons, as large as several already limited water supply, and wa- ing drinking water for billions of ani- football fields - often result in leaks, ter is used much more efficiently when mals each year, and cleaning away the spills and runoff that pollute ground it goes toward producing crops for hu- filth in factory farms, transport trucks, and surface water and create a health man consumption. and slaughterhouses, risk to people and wildlife. Every time we sit down to eat, three According to author John Robbins, An example of this contamination or six times each day, we get to choose it takes 5,000 gallons of water to pro- Photo by Chris Austin seen in CA is when the California Fos- whether to eat chicken, beef, pork, fish, duce 1 pound of meat, while growing Meat Patty = 616 gallons of water. ter Farms Poultry plant in Merced dis- and other animal-derived foods that 1 pound of wheat only requires 25 charged approximately 11 million gal- devastate our water supply or to eat a gallons. committee estimated nearly 80 percent lons of storm water polluted with de- diet based on a variety of grains, fruits A totally vegetarian diet requires of all water used in California is used composed chicken manure into the San and vegetables. only 300 gallons of water per day, in animal agriculture, one way or the Luis National Wildlife Refuge be- As we talk and debate about water, while a meat-eating diet requires more other. tween December 1994 and April 1995. its uses and shortages, our eating hab- than 4,000 gallons of water per day. Raising animals for food is also a Chicken and hog waste from factory its need to be part of that discussion.

media to do that for us. tection and Augmentation of Water The result is that our community, no When newspapers cut reporters, they Supplies – 2009 and to explain its Rec- matter how broadly we define that term Parting Shot lose more than the salaries. When term ommended Groundwater Production is not well served. We see many sto- limits force out legislators, we lose Charges for Fiscal Year 2009-2010. ries about the fact that farmers are not Why we don’t get true story their experience. It becomes increas- The problem was that I was not able going to get any water this year and (The following is excerpted, leaving ingly difficult to understand just how to attend the public hearing. Neither many of these stories contain the fram- much out. For that, we apologize). the governance of the local water dis- was it reported in the local paper. The ing of jobs vs. fish. Nothing could be BY WES ROLLEY tricts are failing us when all you hear fact that I was not there, in itself, has further from the truth. Were the ques- I write a column for my local paper is about cutbacks in water supply or consequences beyond the fact that I tion of term limits brought to the vot- and always find it interesting to see that the rates are going up. may have missed important updates to ers here, I am not sure what I would how the editor writes the headline. In But, in spite of this, I recommended the document they provided. Surely, the do. In a certain sense, the Directors the May 8 edition of Morgan Hill a full house cleaning of the Board of presenters must have commented on the need to acquire that same institutional Times (www.morganhilltimes.com), Directors for the Santa Clara Valley fact that a San Jose judge has ruled that knowledge, of course with an informed the headline was "Institutional Knowl- Water District. These pseudo govern- the current method of computing and col- media that can hold their feet to the fire. edge needed to make decisions.” ment districts are failing us and they lecting groundwater charges is not con- I can say I would not support the re- That is not what I would havesaid, but get by due to voter apathy and the lack stitutional in California. election of any of the current directors; on re-reading it, maybe he got the point. of a media that knows enough to hold However without media coverage, those who have allowed an unconstitu- We expect little more from our wa- their feet to the fire. maybe no one tied this together. Un- tional method of charging out costs to ter districts than to open a faucet and That is where I learned at a recent derlying this is another thought, one continue un-questioned for years, and have the water flow. There is much session at the Morgan Hill Community concerning the role of the media, es- those who failed to provide adequate more to it than that and most of us are Center at which the Water District pre- pecially in the coverage of our govern- long term, ecologically-sound planning not paying attention. We expect the sented its Annual Report on the Pro- ment and local issues. for meeting our true water needs. Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 11 IN MEMORIAM Remembering a ‘Dangerous Man:’ Dona Spring: Irreplaceable Green, Peter Miguel Camejo (1939-2008) held office longer than any other

shared their personal memories. Dan BY JOHN SELAWSKY Ratner produced a slideshow of Peter BERKELY - Dona Spring died on Camejo’s life, which played against the July 13, 2008. For the past thirty-five stage backdrop. Mementos from politi- years she courageously battled rheuma- cal campaigns and copies of his books toid arthritis, which progressively took lined the back wall of the large Span- away her mobility, her stamina, and her ish-style hall. health, but never her dignity and integ- Morella Camejo said, “He couldn’t rity. stop coming up with ideas. His mind Dona served on the Berkeley City was restless, forever making plans for Council, representing District 4, for 16 the future.” years. This is the longest term for any Antonio Camejo said of his brother, elected Green in the state of Califor- “He firmly believed that we would rally nia, and the second longest in the coun- the American people around just try. causes.” Her longevity in office is attributable Peter Camejo was perhaps best to her persistence, intelligence, and known for his runs for president on the compassion as a representative on BY SHARON PETERSON Socialist Workers Party, Green Party state, national, and international issues moved to Piedmont, only 5 miles from BERKELEY - On November 23, and independent tickets, and for Gov- and on the day-to-day issues that im- Berkeley, to be near her daughter dur- 2008, an unseasonably sunny Sunday ernor of California on the Green Party pacted her constituents in District 4: ing the last few years of Dona’s life. afternoon, over 400 family members, ticket. In the 2003 gubernatorial recall street sweeping, stop signs and traffic My own experience and relationship friends, colleagues and occasional op- election campaign, Camejo’s incisive lights, traffic calming, disability ac- with Dona goes back over 15 years. We ponents packed UC Berkeley’s Inter- remarks during the debates received cess, public works, and other city ser- met first as Green Party activists; she national House auditorium. national attention and brought higher vices. She was accessible, available, had already been elected to her first They came to remember and cel- measures of visibility and respectabil- intelligent, and responsive. She was a term as a Berkeley City ebrate the life of activist, politician, ity to progressive thought. rare public official in so many ways. Councilmember in 1992 (she ran financial manager and family man, He was a friend of Malcolm X, and We will remember Dona Spring for against and defeated in a mild upset a Peter Miguel Camejo, a man whom he marched in Selma with the Rev. many things: zipping through her Dis- well-known and respected environ- then-Gov. Ronald Reagan called one Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a pio- trict 4 to attend a neighborhood meet- mentalist in his own right, John of the “10 most dangerous men in Cali- neer advocate for immigrant rights and, ing or to City Hall in her motorized Brauer). fornia.” after 9/11, worked for civil rights and wheelchair and her tireless advocacy She appointed me to Berkeley’s Camejo died from a recurrence of freedom from hate for Muslim citizens. of social justice issues — for people Community Environmental Advisory lymphoma on September 13, 2008, at Camejo wrote books on political ac- with disabilities and the need for fund- Commission in 1995, on which I served the age of 68. tivism, American and Californian his- ing a new warm-water therapeutic for five years, eventually serving two It is deliciously ironic that Camejo tory (Racism, Revolution, Reaction, pool, for a new Berkeley animal shel- terms as chair of the commission. I note would have been a UC Berkeley alum- 1861-1877: the Rise and Fall of Radi- ter and animal rights, for environmen- this as an example of Dona’s unerring nus had he not been expelled for “un- cal econstruction and California Un- tal issues, including strong and early eye and ear for placing people in posi- authorized use of a bullhorn” during der Corporate Rule) and socially re- support for the Berkeley Farmers’ Mar- tions where they could succeed, and an anti-war demonstration in the sponsible investing (The SRI Advan- kets. grow. 1960s. tage). He founded or co-founded pro- She authored the resolution strongly From that five-year experience on Upon learning that his lymphoma gressive political action groups such as condemning U.S. military action in CEAC, and with my own work in the had returned, Camejo asked Claudette the North Star Network (1983), the Afghanistan, and gained national atten- school district, I ran for and won a seat Begin to create and host his memorial. Progressive Alliance of Alameda tion and vociferous criticism elsewhere on the Berkeley School Board in 2000. Begin and Camejo’s wife, Morella (1990s) and IDEA PAC (2005) and the for that resolution, but not here in Ber- I am currently the President of the Camejo, began working together. Soon Environmental Justice Fund (empow- keley. She received death threats for Board. the team grew to include Camejo’s ering environmentalists of color), and that proposal, and for others she car- Dona supported the unrepresented, brother, Dan Ratner, Begin’s husband, he sparked growth in many others, such ried and sponsored. the voiceless, and the hidden amongst Alex Chis, longtime friend Carol Reed as the Green Party. I don’t believe she feared death, since us. She never backed down from a and Mike Wyman, close friend and During and after the Contra War in she had been facing it for many years. debate, never apologized for taking the veteran Green. Nicaragua, Camejo helped promote I would be remiss if I didn’t mention side of the disabled, or homeless, or Claudette Begin opened the event, fair trade sesame farming in Nicaragua, Dennis Walton, Dona’s companion of poor. and served as host throughout. Peter which is now one of the world’s larg- 25 years, who supported, aided, and She understood and lived the under- Camejo’s family took the stage, then est of exporters of sesame seed. In more and more cared for Dona over the standing that we are all ultimately Morella Camejo and brother Antonio years. His commitment to Dona was Camejo welcomed the crowd and (See Page 14 PETER) unwavering. Dona’s mother, Paula, had (See Page 12 DONA) Page 12 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 more scapegoating of perceived en- WRONG emies. It means possible new wars to (From Page 1) supply perceived needs. pable of bringing unbelievable rewards So where does that take us? Does to the perpetrators and their associates the Green Party have some answers? while creating havoc in local commu- Well, let’s look at our ten key val- nities. ues: Grassroots Democracy, Social Jus- The response from the mainstream tice and Equality, Ecological Wisdom, becomes, “It’s not the system, (or Non-Violence, Decentralization, Com- “capitalism”) it’s people!” munity-based Economics and Eco- Warning signs were there all along. nomic Justice, Feminism, Respect for Anyone old enough to remember “the Diversity, Personal and Global Respon- great depression” could recognize that sibility, Future Focus and the concentration of “wealth” at the top Sustainability. of the population is not, and could Which system would you expect to never be, sustainable. do a better fix? Better still, would a And outside the mainstream media, GREEN economy have created our many voices cried out against the take- present problems? over of our lives and our system by *Stiglitz includes what he calls “liar loans” multi-national corporations under the with the other “innovations” and quotes guise of “freedom from big Warren Buffet’s labeling of derivatives as government.”Among the many voices “weapons of mass destruction.” VANITY of dissent was Tony Clarke, head of the FAIR, Jan., 2009. **Tony Clarke, SILENT Polaris Institute in Canada. In the pref- COUP, Confronting the Big Business Take- ace of his book, SILENT COUP**, he over of Canada, Canadian Center for Policy writes of a 1994 Clinton gala for heads Alternatives, and James Lorimer Ltd. 1997. of state from North and South America. This commemorates the first State Greens hail Summit of the Americas on the expan- Obama presidency, sion of free trade throughout the hemi- sphere. Also present were chief execu- but say Democratic tives from some of the largest corpo- Party is on notice rations in the U.S., and/or the world. Two Mexican journalists asked SACRAMENTO – The Green Party David Rockefeller, “Mr. Rockefeller, of California hailed the inauguration for Progress Summit with the leaders Molly Ivans once said, “they danced you were present back in the 1960’s, of the nation's first African-American of Latin America. Can you tell us what, with the guys what brung ‘em.” during President Kennedy’s Alliance President - President Barack Obama - if anything, has changed since then?” That means bail-outs for failed busi- and suggested that much of what Pres. “Well,” he replied, “back then, busi- nesses and cut-backs in services to Obama said in his inaugural speech RECOMMEND nessmen like myself, were sitting on communities and the needy. It means should put his fellow Democrats in the more unemployment, and more need (From Page 1) the sidelines, watching the negotiations state Legislature here on notice. unfold. But now we’re sitting in the for food banks and presently unavail- "When the President called for an progressive Taxation. For too long, driver’s seat, and we’re writing many able low cost housing. ‘end to the petty grievances and false there has been a bipartisan agreement of the documents ourselves.” It means an increasingly deteriorat- promises, the recriminations and worn (Federal, State, and local) to move In the book’s text, Clarke runs ing infrastructure, and increasing costs out dogmas that...strangle(d) our poli- away from progressive taxation and through the steps in which Canadian to the environment and ecosystem, tics,' he seemed to be speaking directly substitute a trickle-down theory. It legislation handed control of govern- more poverty and thus more crime, to California Democratic leaders who goes like this: If the rich get richer, ment to corporations. In reading the more stresses and anger resulting in have failed the people repeatedly by perhaps a crumb can be gotten for the narrative, anyone who paid attention not following through on their prom- rest of us. Forget it. to U.S. congressional actions would ises," said Alex Walker, a Green and When Peter Camejo ran for Gover- recognize and remember the same leg- DONA civil rights activist in Southern Cali- nor he made progressive taxation a cen- islative steps having occurred earlier (From Page 11) fornia. terpiece of his campaigns. We should in our own country. Greens, Walker added, hope the state judged, and the society we build is follow his example. Progressive taxa- Yet, we see that the government so- Democratic Party – which controls judged, on how we treat and empower tion does not just mean graduated tax lutions are geared to preserving the in- both the Senate and Assembly – will those who have had little or no oppor- rates on income. We need to tax wealth stitutions that allowed or perpetrated heed Obama's call for laying "a new tunity in their lives, or have had hard- as well as income. the scams. In their gut, most of us are foundation for growth...harness the sun ship and setback. We all need to re- (4) Change the state laws that gov- thinking, should “our money” continue and winds and the soil to fuel our cars ern redevelopment districts. In Oak- to go to crooks that’ve ripped us off? member that message in the work we and run our factories." land, for example, taxes generated by Independent economists like Joseph continue to do. "This should remind the Democratic the big office buildings downtown have Stiglitz fault the shift to de-regulation (Readers can find more memories of Dona Spring from the Lindsay Vurek video, Party not to pander to oil companies, to be spent within that redevelopment of the financial institutions. Along with "Courage in Life & Politics -- The Dona and begin moving legislation, which area. This is deliberate starvation of us, they recognize that our elected rep- Spring Story." This hour-long portrait can they have failed to do until now, that the cities’ general funds. resentatives have ignored their respon- be found on YouTube.com. Search under truly exploits alternative energy and It is unacceptable. sibility to us, their constituents, and as "Dona Spring Courage”). quits subsidizing ‘old' energy," he said. Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 13

BY JAN ARNOLD equate food, shelter, health care, and My general approach is "tax and education should give up still more, spend." Tax those with more money such as dental care, so that millionaires than others, and spend what we should WWhhyy 11 GrGreeneen and multi-millionaires don’t have to to provide for health, education, wel- pay more, although the rich can pay fare, the environment. more with no actual deprivation result- The package the Duopoly proposed ing. was really terrible from the point of vvotedoted ‘No’‘No’ As (the late) Peter Camejo pointed view of further cutting spending in ar- level it was then, rather than continu- dren. Another large item in the budget out during his campaigns for Gover- eas where the spending has already ing to lose not only by comparison with is health care. MediCal is the Federal/ nor (2002, 2003, 2006), the lowest-in- been inadequate for years, failing to tax what would be needed for a good State program providing some health come households pay the largest share those who have plenty of money, and school system, but in comparison to care for some, but not all low-income of their income in state and local taxes. failing to start spending for future-fo- other budget items. Prop 1B proposes Californians. “Corporate income taxes have de- cused environmental and energy needs. changes to Prop 98. (That's why Greens As of December 2007, California clined over time as a share of General A very useful source for ongoing opposed 1B). spent $5695 per recipient on each Fund revenues and as a share of cor- analysis of the many issues is the Cali- Another major part of the budget is MediCal enrollee, less than Missis- porate profits. fornia Budget Project(www.cbp.org). welfare, including aid to the disabled, sippi, less than Georgia, less than Ala- If corporations had paid the same The gap between the business-as-usual blind, and aged low-income people of bama, far less than the national aver- share of their profits in corporate taxes expenditures and the business-as-usual California. The Federal SSI program age of $7534, and, although this is hard in 2006 as they did in 1981, corporate revenue has been growing. (Currently has a built-in cost-of-living adjustment to believe, less than ANY OTHER tax collections would have been $8.4 the budget gap in California is the larg- annually, as does Social Security. STATE. billion higher.” est as a percentage of the General Fund Many states, including California, About ten states spent more than The yield of the state’s sales tax has of any state in the US.) supplement the Federal SSI grant with $10,000 per enrollee. (Source; CPB) declined over time, reflecting the shift In recent years various one-time ac- a “state supplement.” Then there are the prisons, currently in economic activity from goods to ser- counting tricks, pieces of luck, borrow- By failing to increase the SSP (that overcrowded to the point where even vices and the rise of Internet and mail- ing, deferring necessary work, and is, passing along the Federal increase the courts are demanding a reduction order sales that escape taxation. other such gimmicks have been used but freezing the SSP), or even by re- in the number of incarcerated people. "If taxable purchases accounted for to stumble from one near-calamity to ducing it so that the check received by We support reducing the prison bud- the same share of personal income in another.This failure of our elected lead- the beneficiary does not go up (the re - get and releasing enough of the cur- 2007-08 as they did in 1966-67, the ers to tell the truth and deal with the state would have collected an addi- real problems has been pointed out by tional $16.4 billion in sales tax rev- many commentators. ‘Despite rhetoric about how enue.” (Source; CPB.) Proposition 1A proposed a spending While there are some states which cap. This has been proposed and voted everyone will need to sacrifice, require a “supermajority” (that is, more down in the past. If a spending cap had than a simple majority) to pass their been enacted in 1995-96, we would budget, and some states that require a have had to cut about $40 billion in everyone is not equally able to supermajority to raise any state taxes, spending in 2006-07, 2007-08, and California is the only state to require 2008-09. pay higher taxes (and) meet both. That situation allows the most The official ballot summary said 1A parsimonious anti-tax legislators (that “strictly limits state spending and man- their basic needs.’ is, the Republicans) to dictate terms al- dates a bigger rainy day fund -- forc- though they are in the minority in the ing politicians to save more in good duction “swallows” the Federal in- rently imprisoned to relieve the over- Legislature. years to prevent tax increases and cuts crease), the earning power of this crowding. (Of course we also insist on Despite rhetoric about how everyone to schools, public safety and other vi- safety-net program decreases over state funding for community support will have to sacrifice, everyone is not tal services in bad years.” time. for the people released.) equally able to pay higher taxes while This statement gave the misleading Using June 1990 as 100, the purchas- Corrections (and rehabilitation) still being able to meet their basic needs. impression that state revenue and state ing power of SSI/SSP in California has spending has grown at nearly four During the period 1995 to 2006, the spending have been just fine except for fallen to about 80, and the current pro- times the rate of General Fund spend- taxpayers in the top 15 percent of the this current crisis this year, and all we posals would reduce it still further. It ing as a whole since 1980-81. General state’s income distribution have had have to do is return to the good old days bears repeating that all of this reduc- fund spending is up by 381 percent and their income double, while the bottom (of the dot-com bubble, the stock mar- tion is due to California’s cuts over the corrections and rehabilitation spending four-fifths saw their income increase ket bubble, or the housing bubble, all years, as the Federal share has contin- is up by 1491 percent (source; CPB) between 8.55 and 10.8 percent. of which temporarily raised state tax ued to rise. (source; CPB) This cruel and disgraceful trend in The wealthiest 1 percent could eas- revenues. Aid to low-income families with California’s history should be reversed. ily afford to pay higher taxes while the But there were many problems with children, now called Cal-Works, has So, what should the Green Party rec- vast majority would suffer far more the business-as-usual expenditures even declined in that same period to about ommend regarding the “spending” part hardship if they had to do so. before the current round of cuts. I’ll start 70 percent of its value in 1990, and the of the budget?(Our Platform has many Measures 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are with the topic that is most valued by the proposed cuts now will reduce that to excellent suggestions.) And where orders by those who think they are our average voter, K-14 education. 50 percent. (source: CPB) should the tax revenue come from to leaders (the legislature) to drop our Voters approved Prop 98 in 1988 to Because the 1996 “welfare reform” pay for all that? silly and childish opinions about what assure the proportion of funds spent on law limits the time adults can remain Republican rhetoric about “everyone the holes are in the budget. the schools (40percent of the General on welfare, currently almost 80 percent having to sacrifice” suggests that those Therefore I recommended voting NO Fund) stays at the same inadequate of the people on Cal-Works are chil- who already are unable to afford ad- on those Propositions (on May 19). Page 14 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 Former Green Party mayor ties campaign to ‘encourage’ cities to face climate change with local election battles of the future BY CRESCENZO VELLUCCI CONTRA COSTA – A former Green citizens and encouraged environmen- leadership role in promoting public be included in the city reports. Party mayor here is targeting every city tal action in Contra Costa County. awareness about the causes and im- Why Contra Costa County, an ex- in this county to participate in a cam- Two other Generation Green projects pacts of climate change. pansive county geographically lo- paign to promote public awareness include the Dumpster Diversion Each city will conduct a greenhouse cated near San Francisco? about the causes and impacts of cli- Project which is working to recycle gas inventory, set goals, and write a According to Deschambault, statis- mate change. materials through art and education climate action plan to address oppor- tics indicate that the Contra Costa And she says that future city elec- and the Green Rheem Movie night, an tunities for reducing Greenhouse gas contribution is significant to the tions will have a lot to do with how environmental documentary film se- emissions. health and well being of the Bay Area cities react. ries with local food and wine on the A baseline inventory provides a city as a whole. Lynda Deschambault, who was past 2nd Thursday of each month with an overview of its emissions and “The CCC emission rate in tons/ mayor of Moraga, launched the cam- “Although some may be surprised allows for tracking success, said person is the highest of all the Bay paign, which now has 15 of 19 cities to see so many cities in this sometimes Deschambault. Area counties. Our population is sig- in the County (Concord, Clayton, San conservative county taking such a Equipped with these inventories in nificant in size (1 million as compared Pablo and Pleasant Hill are not on strong stand on this topic, it is impor- hand, each city will individually dis- to Alameda’s 1.4 million). The growth board yet) participating. tant to keep in mind that as city bud- cuss, review and address their quanti- rate of CCC (8 percent) is much “It is more important than ever that gets continue to tighten, energy effi- fied energy related emissions in their higher than the other counties and local advocates support, encourage and ciency and cost cutting sustainability city. higher than California as a whole (6 hold our elected local decision mak- measures are a mainstream way of do- Deschambault explains that the in- percent),” said the Green. ers accountable to making critical ing city business and saving money,” ventory is all inclusive of activities Deschambault said Generation policy decisions,” said Deschambault, Deschambault said. within a city’s boundaries and calcu- Green provides local decision-mak- who is executive director of the The cities have agreed to participate lates emissions from all facilities and ers with a monthly newsletter, quar- project, part of the nonprofit Genera- in the Cities for Climate Protection all sources. Electricity, water, garbage, terly workshops, and a website for tion Green.Since its inception in Campaign (www.iclei.org). As a par- miles traveled…all of these have as- cities to share best practices. 1990,Generation Green has informed ticipant, each city pledges to take a sociated CO2 emissions, which will www.cccclimateleaders.org.

ning mate in his 2002 and 2004 guber- mental charity organization EarthShare Sanchez read a statement from the Ven- PETER natorial bids, Mayor Gayle (Camejo had been a boardmember) ezuelan Ambassador, Bernardo McLaughlin of Richmond, and Jo flew in from Washington, D.C. to share Alvarez Herrera. Sanchez apologized (From Page 11) Chamberlain, former candidate for his memories. Visibly moved by prior for Herrera’s absence, noting that the State Assembly and Camejo’s 2006 gu- speakers, Stein observed that “it’s a joy Ambassador had recently been ex- support of lesbian and gay rights, Pe- bernatorial campaign manager. Jason to find out about all the parts of Peter I pelled from the United States. ter created an IRA to help fund the San West, former Green mayor of New didn’t know.” In his final months, Camejo focused Francisco Aids Foundation. Another Paltz, NY and brand-new Bay Area Mike Wyman, long time friend and on writing his autobiography. He had venture was the Council for Respon- resident as Green At- barely enough time to finish it. sible Public Investment to assist the of that day, torney Gen- His editor, Leslie Evans, reported that California Health Department’s anti- was a sur- eral candi- he is working on the final chapters and tobacco divestment work. prise guest. date in that the book, with the working title, The family remembered the devoted Ralph 2006, said North Star, has been approved for publi- husband, father and grandfather. Col- Nader said Camejo will cation by Haymarket Publishing. leagues remembered the financial plan- that Camejo be most re- All who attended the memorial came ner who was obsessed with the stock “always re- membered away with the same knowledge of great market game, but left lucrative posi- newed him- as "a man of loss that brought them together. tions at Merrill Lynch, and then Pru- self. Some great pas- But they also took with them a dential to create his own firm, Progres- people learn sion and strengthened determination to continue sive Asset Management, because nei- until they’re boundless Peter Miguel Camejo’s work. ther institution would promote so- about 30, compassion (Suzanne Baker contributed to this story, cially-responsible investing. Everyone and then run for the poor, which was largely adapted from the Berke- remembered the quick wit of a born on fumes for Peter and Ralph Nader share a lighter moment ininsured ley Daily Planet of November 26, 2008) comedian scholar. 30 or 40 years. Among the speakers were such pro- Peter was always learning.” workers and for immigrant workers in For more about Peter gressive political luminaries as Ralph Dr. Agha Saeed, of the American their struggle for justice and legaliza- Miguel Camejo, and Nader and his 2008 presidential run- Muslim Alliance, and Miguel Araujo, tion." his life pursing ning mate, former San Francisco Su- leader of Centro Azteca, praised Peter Miguel Camejo was a first-gen- pervisor Matt Gonzalez, Cindy Camejo’s civil rights advocacy and eration American, born to Venezuelan social justice, Sheehan, who ran against Rep. Nancy urged progressives to keep on work- parents in the Borough of Queens in in an unjust world, Pelosi in 2008 and plans to do so again ing. New York City. in 2010, Donna Warren, Camejo’s run- Kalman Stein, CEO of the environ- Venezuelan Consul General Martin see www.cagreens.org Spring-Summer, 2009 - GREEN FOCUS Page 15 The Ten Key Values Los Diez Valores Fundamentales of the Green Party del Partido Verde Grassroots Democracy—Develop Respect for Diversity—Honor Sabiduría Ecológica—Debemos Economía Basada en la participatory ways to control the cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, actuar en la sociedad humana con Comunidad—Rediseño de las decisions which affect our lives. religious and spiritual diversity, el entendimiento de que somos estructuras de trabajo para Social Justice—Create a system reclaiming our country’s shared parte de la naturaleza, y aprender a fomentar la propiedad para los which promotes equality and dig- ideals—the dignity of the individual, vivir dentro de los límites empleados y la democracia en el nity for all. democratic participation and liberty económicos y de los recursos del trabajo, al mismo tiempo que se Nonviolence—Develop alterna- and justice for all. planeta. establece una seguridad básica tives to current patterns of violence Personal and Global Responsi- Democracia de Bases— para todos y una distribución justa at all levels. bility—Learn from and be of Elaboración de sistemas de la riqueza y los ingresos. Ecological Wisdom—Operate our genuine assistance to grassroots participatorios que nos alienten a Feminismo—Sustituir la ética de human society knowing we are a groups in all parts of the world. controlar las decisiones que nos dominación y control por la de part of nature, and learn to live Sustainability—Act not for the afectan la vida. relaciones de cooperación. within the ecological and resource short range narrow interest of one Justicia Social—Creación de un Respeto por la Diversidad— limits of the planet. country or group of people, but for sistema que promueva la igualdad Respeto a la diversidad cultural, Decentralization—Move power the collective future of the entire y la dignidad de todas las perso- étnica, racial, sexual, religiosa y and responsibility away from larger planet. nas. espiritual, volviendo a los ideales and more distant institutions toward No Violencia—Encontrar compartidos de nuestro país: la individuals and communities, with alternativas para erradicar los dignidad de cada persona, la the goal of a decentralized, demo- patrones actuales de violencia a participación democrática, y libertad cratic society. todo nivel, y al mismo tiempo y justicia para todos. Community-Based Economics— eliminar la injusticia y sentido de Responsabilidad Personal y Redesign work to encourage impotencia que conducen a la Global—Debemos aprender de los employee ownership and work- misma. grupos de base del resto del place democracy, and establish ba- Descentralización—Transferir el mundo y ser de verdadera ayuda sic security for all and a fair distri- poder y la responsabilidad de para ellos. bution of wealth and income. instituciones grandes y lejanas a Sostenibilidad—Pensar en Feminism—Replace the ethic of los individuos y comunidades, términos del futuro colectivo del dominance and control with coop- siendo la meta eventual una planeta entero, no en los estrechos erative ways of relating to each sociedad democrática y intereses de corto plazo de un país other. descentralizada. o grupo de personas.

do not speak English at home require row) vs. Republicans (cut, cut, and cut), tery revenues, and use the funds for PROPS more spending on school services, at there were some parts of the deal that programs other than the schools. We least for a few years. even some Democrats could not bring opposed this Proposition because we (From Page 1) Another example is that, as themselves to support. District 16 are opposed to the entire process and for future years in which they could be California’s population ages, more per Assemblymember Sandre Swanson, this entire deal. spent for the Proposition 98 K-14 edu- capita spending for health care and so- for example, voted against 1A (and sev- PROPOSITIONS 1D and 1E al- cational spending mandate (under cial services will be required. eral other budget cuts), and was tered past Propositions to plug some Proposition 1B, below) or, if 1B failed, How would the 1A spending cap af- stripped of a committee chairmanship holes in the current budget, and that is to pay off various loans and bonds. fect any new programs Californians by the Democratic Speaker of the As- why they appeared on our ballot. We This Proposition was unclear and not may want to create? We’ll use the ex- sembly, Karen Bass. oppose these measures as part of op- transparent. It could not do what it ample of “Health Care for All Forever.” PROPOSITION 1B actually looked posing this entire deal. 1D redirects claimed to do; instead, it would create It is possible to pass a Single-Payer good at first glance. money from the Prop 10 (California new problems. (“Medicare for All”) health care plan It claimed to restore, starting in the Children and Families Act) Trust Fund; 1A asked us to accept a permanent in California, such as SB 840, which 2011-12 school year, $9.3 billion dol- 1E redirects money from Prop 63 (the spending cap (a zero-growth budget) passed the Legislature but was vetoed lars that were diverted from K-14 edu- Mental Health Services Act). as the price the Legislature insisted on by Governor Schwarzenegger twice, cation spending guaranteed under PROPOSITION 1F was deceptive. to raise some taxes temporarily. If such and is now being introduced again as Proposition 98. There is no question The Legislature tried to look like they a spending cap had been in effect this SB 810. The new revenues such a plan that deep cuts in education funding are were sharing the sacrifices that the rest year, it would have mandated billions would mandate would not be subject being made all around us. of us are being asked to make in these of dollars in additional cuts. to the spending cap. Thousands of teachers and other tough times. State spending on education, health However, studies which have shown school employees are threatened with But 1F merely bars increases “dur- care, the safety net for low-income that Californians could afford to cover layoffs. However, 1B was contingent ing budget deficit years” so the Legis- people, and other essential services is everyone with the money that would on passage of 1A. That is, 1B was the lature would continue to receive their inadequate now, and has been for many be saved by cutting the health insur- sweetener for the worst part of this rot- normal salaries and per diems. People years. Freezing the state budget (except ance companies out of the loop depend ten deal. losing their jobs or their benefits get for population growth and inflation) on also rolling existing programs into While the California Teachers Asso- nothing. Some equality of sacrifice! means that the inadequate spending the new program. The deep cuts that ciation recommended support of 1B, Voters must not accept the really ter- levels could never be raised. have been made in state health care many teachers, including the Oakland rible budget cuts that were made to pass In addition, population growth alone spending make this much more diffi- Education Association (by a unani- the budget, or the various bad policies does not reflect the different needs that cult. mous vote of their Rep Council) op- in these Propositions. different people have. One obvious ex- Although the budget battle was posed both Propositions 1A and 1B. We sent a strong message by defeat- ample is that children whose families mainly portrayed by the mainstream PROPOSITION 1C allows the state ing Propositions 1A through 1F. recently immigrated to the US and who media as Democrats (tax, cut, and bor- to borrow $5 billion against future lot- Greens were not alone. Page 16 GREEN FOCUS - Spring-Summer, 2009 Help us work for peace. Since the end of World War II, the No. 1 priority of Republican and Democratic Congresses has been to fund the Pentagon. But, that is bankrupting our country, strangling our communities and making us less safe.

The front side of the card at the right (www.notmypriorities.org) was the central message of my campaign for Congress last year in portions of San Francisco and San Mateo counties. And, in two years of cam- paigning, virtually every single person I met agreed: Not My Priori- ties! was their priority.

Yet, our representatives in Congress (including a large majority of the California delegation) vote nearly unanimously to fund the Pentagon.

Republican and Democratic legislators may disagree on everything else, but when it comes to funding the Pentagon, they stand united about spending more and more taxpayer dollars for defense.

Where is the debate? How much do we need to spend to defend ourselves? In 2008, the Pentagon budget was “only” $460 Billion. This year, it is $542 Billion. In fact, President Obama asked for AN- OTHER $84 BILLION for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is why those of us in the Green Party of California need your help desperately. We are the lone voice of a national political party that is in total agreement with the people: war is NOT our priority.

Our California Congressional delegation – consisting of both Demo- crats and Republicans – has to be challenged. I did that last year, and as our Party of Greens gets stronger, the voters will see that our priorities are their priorities.

Greens are having a major impact every day. Our grassroots activists up and down the state organize and participate in actions to stop the war, save our environment, protect the rights of all peoples…fighting daily for social justice.

Help us make a difference for peace. Go to (www.cagreens.org) and contribute your time, your energy and your money. Thank you.

Peace, To obtain postcards like this to distribute in your community, and mail to President Obama and California members of Congress, write [email protected]. Let him know how many of the Barry Hermanson cards you would like sent to you. Thank you. Green Party of California / Former Congressional Candidate

Green Party of California Post Office Box 2828 Sacramento, CA 95812

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