Letters to the Editor

Don't send the same letter to this site that you've sent elsewhere, it's no fun to read the same thing in more than one place. I won't be able to print them all and will probably edit them if necessary.

Note: these letters are displayed with (roughly) the newest one on top, so if you want to read them in order you'll need to start at the bottom.

email: bruce@brattononline.com,

or write: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn St Suite 216,
Santa Cruz, California 95060

Current Letters:

GARY PATTON addresses Senate Members on AB 2987

July 3, 2006

Members, California State Senate
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

RE: AB 2987 – Vote "NO" Unless Amended

Dear Members of the Senate:

This letter is to draw your urgent attention to a major environmental problem caused by the current language of AB 2987. We urge your "NO" vote on AB 2987, until the bill is amended to eliminate the environmentally damaging language outlined in this letter.

AB 2987 establishes a state franchise system for video and cable services. Since California has such a diversity of local communities, eliminating the "local angle" raises many questions, which have been the focus of discussion in the Legislature. PCL wants to raise a very significant concern about the environmental impacts of AB 2987. As far as we know, this feature of the bill has not been significantly debated or discussed.

As currently written, AB 2987 would allow a video or cable services provider to construct facilities anywhere in the state without any environmental or permit review. Many construction projects, of course, would not cause environmental damage; for instance, projects which essentially consist of placing wires or other transmission facilities in areas already used for such purposes. Unfortunately, AB 2987 will apparently exempt all cable-related construction activities, anywhere, from all permitting and environmental review. This is unjustified and unsupportable, and puts our natural environment, and community concerns, at great risk.

Here is why this problem exists, in the current version of AB 2987:

• AB 2987 establishes the state franchise as a "ministerial" permit. The state has no discretion to modify or condition an application that meets the criteria set forth in the bill (see proposed Section 53058.3).
• Further, not only is the state deprived of any discretion, no local or other state entity can exercise discretion either, because of these provisions: "Neither the department nor any franchising entity or other local entity of the state may ... impose any ... requirement on any holder of a state franchise except as expressly provided in this article." [See Section 53058.3 (a)]
• To emphasize just how ministerial the issuance of a state franchise really is, the state must issue the franchise within 14 days of the date that a complete application has been submitted. [See Section 53058.3 (e) 2, emphasis added]
• Because the issuance of a state franchise is "ministerial" no CEQA or other environmental review is permitted. As already noted, no state of local entity can require any other permit, which might be discretionary, and which would therefore require environmental review. [See Public Resources Code Section 21080 (b)(1)]
• The "State Franchise," which is the ministerial grant that the state must issue upon receipt of a completed application, "authorizes the construction and operation of a cable system in public rights of way." [See Section 53058.2 (n), emphasis added]
• The "Public right-of-way" referenced above is defined to mean "the area along and upon any public road or highway, or along or across any of the waters of lands within the state." [See Section 53058.2 (m), emphasis added] This means that for the purpose of this bill, "public right of way" includes every part of the state’s natural environment, no matter how sensitive.

When the "details" are examined, it is clear that AB 2987 will allow the construction of any facilities required to deliver cable or video services, anywhere, without regard to any environmental review, and without the ability of any agency, including the state itself, any city or county government, or the Coastal Commission to impose any condition whatsoever.

Because the facilities associated with cable services can include and require pole lines, large equipment boxes, trenching, cutting, filling, tree removal, and other activities that may have a community or environmental impact, the effect of AB 2987 is to exempt this species of project from normal environmental and other community review procedures.

Because of these extremely dangerous provisions in AB 2987, PCL must urge a "NO" vote, unless the bill is amended to eliminate this significant environmental problem.

Very truly yours,

Gary A. Patton, Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

cc: Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nuñez

Sierra Club Great Coastal Places Campaign

Hi Friend of the Coast,

Last week you helped me stop the Pebble Beach Company from winning approval to cut down 17,000 threatened Monterey pine trees for yet another golf course. Our Great Coastal Places Campaign team members wrote letters to the editor, contacted the Coastal Commission and even traveled to the Coastal Commission hearing in Santa Rosa from around the state - coming from as far away as Anaheim and Long Beach for an opportunity to help stop this terrible development scheme.

But there is one person who helped us more than anyone else by standing up for our coast and refusing to back down, and he didn't even make it to the hearing. I am referring to Coastal Commissioner/ Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla. Due to his daughter's elementary school graduation, Commissioner Padilla was unavailable to attend the hearing and instead sent his alternate, highly regarded environmentalist David Allgood.

Mayor Padilla received tremendous pressure from Sacramento insiders to replace David Allgood with someone more likely to allow the Pebble Beach Company's development plan. But Commissioner Padilla stood up to this pressure, and that's why the Pebble Beach Company had their project withdrawn!

By refusing to give in to political pressure Commissioner/ Mayor Padilla showed us why he has the highest coastal protection voting record of any other elected official on the Coastal Commission.

Send a quick note to Commissioner Padilla today and thank him for taking a principled stand to protect our threatened coast. It would have been easy to give in, but he did the right thing and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Until next time

Mark Massara

Director, Sierra Club Coastal Programs

P.S. So often we have to contact public officials when we are unhappy with some decision. It is important that we also take a moment to thank our friends for consistently doing the right thing! Click here to thank Chula Vista Mayor/ Coastal Commissioner Steve Padilla.

Three way war on Cuba offshore oil drilling: adding the environment to the attack strategy.

The potential offshore oil drilling by Cuba and China, in Cuban waters near the Florida Keys, has provoked attacks from the left, right, and center of the U.S. Congress.

Taking a leftist approach we have Sen. Bill Nelson claiming to be concerned about the coral reefs and the tourist industry of the Florida Keys. On the right we have Cuban- American extremist Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen rabid at the thought of Cuba prospering and salivating at the chance to cause a border dispute between the island and the US. And for good measure we have a Larry Craig of Idaho, sticking up for the U.S. business sectors right to be making money off Cuban oil instead of Red China. While they all seem to have different concerns, the bottom line for all three is to STOP Cuba from exploiting its oil resources in a joint venture with China. The differences in tactics for reaching this goal are merely details, and fit together so perfectly that it is highly unlikely to be a coincidence. The oil deposit in question is estimated to equal that of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, while this quantity may be insignificant to the voracious, wasteful appetite of the U.S., it is quite substantial for a small, fuel poor, energy conscious country. Moreover, given the limited economic options of the island due to the nearly 50 year US blockade, the exploitation of these deposits is even more significant and much more understandable than would be U.S. drilling in the ANWR, which is constantly on the block.

While Sen. Bill Nelson has an impressively high League of Conservation Voters (LCV) environmental rating, and thus it seems natural for him to be concerned about oil drilling near the Florida coast regardless of who is doing it, his point of view does not take into account Cubas reality, but instead demonstrates a single issue, NIMBY approach to the environment that does not recognize global scale ecology or the negative environmental effects of underdevelopment, and which would deny a humble nation the ability to alleviate the pressure of the longest economic blockade in history by exploiting an amount of oil and gas that is equal to only a few months of US consumption, according to the USGS.

Instead of a positive solution, he proposes canceling a U.S Cuba border agreement and punishing those who would cooperate with Cuba in developing these resources revealing that this is just another poorly masked attempt at strengthening the blockade and strangling the Cuban economy.

And of course, that is the cornerstone of U.S. policy toward Cuba and especially the current administrations Cuba transition plan, soon to be updated. In fact the 500-page, 2004 report to the president by the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba contained an entire section complaining about Venezuelan cooperation with Cuba in the energy sphere, perhaps this current controversy is a sneak preview of the May 20th update that might list other countries by name as hindering the sought after transition.

It is obvious that Ros-Lethinen, who voted FOR opening the ANWR to drilling twice in 2005 and who sports an 11% LCV rating, is not at all concerned with the environment. And although she has publicly given lip service to the environmental angle and has managed to gathered up a few cosponsors who generally vote more environmentally, seven of the eleven Floridian cosponsors to her bill are the usual suspects who also voted FOR drilling in the ANWR twice in 2005: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (11% LCV), Mario Diaz-Balart (11% LCV), Connie Mack (22% LCV), Katherine Harris (17% LCV) etc. The House version of Nelsons bill is just an opportunistic ride for the rightwing Miami extremists whose sole purpose in life is to destroy the Cuban Revolution.

Their true interest lies in the section of the Nelsons bill that would cancel the 1977 Maritime Boundary Agreement, which could potentially result in a border dispute between the two countries, escalating their already severely strained relationship, and perhaps providing a pretext for military aggression.

And the third angle? Larry Craig of Idaho extolling U.S. business right to make a buck whenever possible, period. Cuba has long been exploiting off shore petroleum resources, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, with the cooperation of several diverse countries. Larry Craig has, for a while now, been pushing for access to the Cuban market in many areas. While this is arguably in Cubas favor, as normalizing trade relations would allow the island to flourish, in this case he has brought up the US blockade within the context of protectionist fervor and warmed-over cold war fears that will do more harm to his cause than good. In a recent New York Times article Craig said, Red China should not be drilling for oil within spitting distance of our shores. Framing the current controversy in this manner is illogical. Appealing for approval to cooperate with communist Cuba in order to stop communist China, makes no sense.

So in summary: Craig wants to drillwith Cuba. Nelson doesnt want any drilling at all. Ros-Lehtinen and Co. couldnt care less about drilling as long as Cuba does not profit. Each ones specifics cancel out the others no matter how you arrange them, leaving only the common denominator: stopping a Cuba/China joint venture from drilling for oil in the waters between Cuba and the Florida Keys.

Is it a coincidence that all bases were covered almost simultaneously, or is this a planned full court press? We can expect to see more of these three-way attacks in the near future as global resources become scarcer and as the current powers that be discover that they can add the environment to their attack strategy from what falsely appears to be a leftist stance.

Dawn Gable

Bring Your Own Bag.

Since 1992 as a result of customers using their own shopping bags, New Leaf has donated $65,000 to local non profits, and have saved 1.3 million bags. Quite an impressive and also frightening thought when you think of the number of bags (many doubled) used by customers who don't take their own.

A couple of weeks ago I was being checked out by one of the TJ managers who thanked me for using my own bags. I chatted to her about the NL 'own bag' scheme, and others around town. Coincidentally, on my next trip to TJ.s I was pleasantly surprised to find they now have an 'own bag' program (raffle every couple of weeks). In my limited shopping experiences, Safeway and Longs refund 5c for 'own bag' customers, however there's little publicity of their policies.

Shoppers still double bag. I think they could be easily persuaded to adopt a program similar to NL's, as I think Staff of Life does.

I'm horrified by all the bags, paper or plastic that are used and tossed. Recycling isn't the answer. I always carry a shopping bag with me now and politely refuse bags. Though I was once accused of being an enviro-nazi, I'm not. I'm just an ordinary person who from time to time 'thinks' of my part in the bigger picture.

I know in the grand scheme of things 'own bag' programs are less than a drop in a very large ocean, however anything that gets people to 'think' about their actions can only be a step in the right direction.

Thanks
Ros Munro

The chimes are the carillions, located in a room in the Civic Auditorium. I always loved hearing them on my walks to downtown when I lived on the west side.

So when I decided to marry again, in 1985, I went old-fashioned: the wedding at City Hall, in the little inner court yard. There had been no wedding there since 1972 (and I think none since ours...maybe someone knows otherwise).

I wanted the carillions for our music and found the old master, who cared for them and knew how to play them. His name was Henry Fischer and he was a jewel. He played a couple of tunes of introduction and then the traditional music for the bride's walk down the aisle, for all downtown to hear on that Friday early evening in August! As the "I dos" were exchanged, a guest ran to the phone booth outside City Hall Chambers and called Henry, as pre-arranged, and told him to "hit it!" He then played the traditional Wedding March, dum dum de dum dum dum dum.

Alas, the marriage was one of those life's mistakes we all make sometimes, ending 3 short years later. But I shall never forget the wedding and Henry Fischer and his carillions. We even made the Good Times and The Sentinel (8/22/85), complete with pictures!

I think Henry may have been music teacher at Santa Cruz High. Would be nice to know more about him. He and his gift of music remain a special chapter in my life.

Jean Brocklebank

I was intrigued by your comments about how, some of us, seem to be captivated by boxing films, and, for some, attending boxing matches.

I have had an uneasy relationship with boxing since I was a child and watched the Wednesday Night fights with my dad. In our house, Joe Louis was a god, like Jackie Robinson, though I was too young to know why.

We rooted for our favorites and it was a pretty visceral experience. I felt like I was taking the blows of those I favored. Floyd Patterson, Ali, Quarry. (Yeah, sometimes we even rooted for the white guys!) Somehow it seemed that truth and justice had something to do with what was happening in the ring. That, somehow, trancendance of the unjustice in the world was possible.

I had an enlightening experience when I was about 21 and working at the Sahara Tahoe one winter. The pipes had frozen in our cabin and our boss put us up in rooms at the hotel and gave us tickets us to the Thursday Night fights.

I went out of curiosity and spent most of the time watching the people around me. I specifically remember one young woman screaming for blood. The look in her eyes made me very uncomfortable as if I was seeing something that was meant to be hidden. I walked around the hall and looked at the faces of the people watching the fight. (I suggest it as an activity worth doing, if you haven't.) This was a ritual that clearly had power, with certainly a deep darkness to it.

I left after a couple of bouts and as I got into the elevator to go upstairs, one of the fighters who had suffered a pretty good beating was already in the elevator. In the time it took for us to get to our floors I experienced the reality of this person who was bloody and beaten. Elevators are sometimes more intimate places than we expect.

If he had walked into the room in any other context people would have been calling for doctors and asking if he was all right, but in this context, people just seemed embarrassed. He was the loser. There was no glory in his blood.

Imagine the fury of Emille Griffith battering Paret for calling him a faggot at the weigh-in. "Griffith saying, he was sorry Paret had died, but, "He called me a name . . . so I did what I had to do." And we got to watch! There's reality television! (Griffith later said that he struggled with his sexuality and had relationships with men and women.)

I guess the garbage of boxing is broken people, like the garbage of capitalism. There may well be something that appeals to some animal instinct inside of me, but I still remember the look in that woman's eyes and it troubles me. It revealed something that is good to know about and frightening to behold.

Bob Reid

This is from last week's column

"A UNIQUE WEDNESDAY. Now that we've finished adjusting to daylight savings time, Simon Kelly is responsible for the following revelation... On this very Wednesday night April 5, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. This won't happen again until 3006. Simon wants to plan a big party for the 3006 event, and will send out invitations in March of 3005 so we can plan ahead."

Wrong. It'll happen next century, in 2106. This has been circling the Net with wrong conclusions. Basic arithmetic. Just get some rejuv and stick around and you can be there.

Ron Sandidge

From: Rico Thunder
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 12:27 PM
Subject: Urgent Public Mtg Wed about Police Spying in Santa Cruz

With barely enough legal notice, the Santa Cruz City Council's Public Safety Committee scheduled a special meeting Wednesday to create a new policy for the Santa Cruz Police regarding police spying on community and political activities.

A Lack Of Public Input

While the Public Safety Committee promised public input in drafting the new policy, we can be sure that they will attempt as much as possible to create a new policy behind closed doors. This meeting on short notice limits public involvement. Feel free to give Mike Rotkin a call at 423-4209 and ask him to put off the meeting until next week.

You can expect a new policy to give the police the latitude to do what they are already doing, spy on groups and individuals when they challenge any aspect of the status quo.

Late last year when the SCPD was infiltrating a peaceful parade planning group and compiling dossiers on organizers (and a few people uninvolved in organization), there was no policy on their books. After the spying came to light, Chief of Police Skerry presented a new policy that allowed police to monitor any group "in which the group or any individual within the group has committed or is planning to commit criminal activity." Any criminal activity. So if any member of your group has an unpaid parking ticket, the police give themselves permission to photograph, record, infiltrate, and disrupt your meetings.

Expect to see a thinly veiled rehash of this massively inadequate policy from the Public Safety Committee.

A Bare Minimum For 1st Amendment Policy

As early as February, we put model policies from other cities in the hands of all of the council members. Any policy created by the council must have as a bare minimum:

• Explicit protections for First Amendment activities
• Definition of first amendment activities
• Limits on police powers regarding first amendment activities
• Steps the police have to take before considering monitoring a group
• Rules of conduct
• An auditing requirement (we've seen what happens when the police police themselves)

A broad coalition of artists and activists in Santa Cruz are pushing the local city council to take decisive action to put limits on police power and protect people's civil liberties. We expected to have a draft policy to deliver to the Council based on San Francisco and Washington D.C.'s successful policies protecting first amendment activities. However, this meeting on short notice attempts to bypass that effort.

You can check out the San Francisco first amendment policy posted on Indymedia http://www.indybay.org/uploads/sfpd_general_order_8.10.pdf, and the Washington D.C. policy at http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/images/00001/20050106112444.pdf. Compare these policies to the one-page hastily thrown together cover-your-ass policy put together at the 11th hour by the Police Chief http://www.indybay.org/uploads/policy_feb.pdf. It's Skerry.

Auditor Determines SCPD Violated Civil Rights

Last Tuesday, the police auditor's independent investigation into Santa Cruz police spying was released. This focused on an undercover police infiltration of a group planning an unpermitted New Year's Eve parade in Santa Cruz, California.

The conclusion that Bob Aaronson, the police auditor, drew was that while the SCPD officers may not have violated any local laws or policies, they more than likely violated the civil rights of parade organizers. "In my opinion, the Santa Cruz Police Department violated the Last Night DIY Parade organizers' rights to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in the manner in which they went about obtaining information about the organizers' activities," the report read.

Additional conclusions in Aaronson’s 34-page report were that SCPD administrators made a hasty and ill-advised decision to infiltrate the group, with little consideration for first amendment rights, little oversight, and no meaningful re-evaluation of the operation. The report also said that while the organizers contemplated an act of civil disobedience, the minor infraction of parading with a permit does not justify a violation of anyone’s civil rights.

This is what we are trying to prevent with a strong policy to protect our civil liberties. If we are going to have their cops on the street, we should at least insist that they put limits on their power.

Rico

Useful Information:

Public Safety Committee Chair: Mike Rotkin
Home: 423-4209
Office: 420-5023, 809 Center St. Room 10, Santa Cruz
UCSC: 459-4601

City Manager: Richard C Wilson
Home: 465-0636, 225 9th Ave, Santa Cruz
Office: 420-5010, 809 Center St, Room 10. Santa Cruz

Chief of Police: Howard Skerry
Office: 420-5800, 155 Center St., Santa Cruz

From: Jenee Sallee
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2006 12:47 PM
Subject: ACT NOW: Watsonville Brown Berets face charges for peaceful protest, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

PLEASE PASS WIDELY! IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!

Open letter To The Community: Help the Brown Berets Get Charges Dropped for Peaceful Action on March 25 in Watsonville, CA

On Saturday, March 25, 2006 Watsonville saw the largest March for Peace and Justice in the history of the city. Documented and Undocumented Workers, families and allies marched in total solidarity with Anti-War Activists, led by Fernando Suarez Del Solar, Pablo Paredes and Medea Benjamin in a 2,000+ citizen, strong & peaceful march though the city of Watsonville. It was beautiful.

The route had been pre-planned and sent to the police. Crowd security was provided by the Watsonville Brown Berets. The Berets also are part of the nationwide coalition, “The Alliance for Human Rights," the group which decided to make March 25 a national day of action against HR4437. This new, abusive, immigrant-bashing legislation i! s heading for the Senate on Tuesday which, among many awful things...would make simply being illegal in this country a felony. There have been marches, walkouts and various actions across the country over the past week in practically every state. The momentum to Saturday’s march had been building.

With so many people, we could never have taken the sidewalks solely. We marched down one lane on four lane roads...with two lanes heading in each direction. We marched in only the furthest right hand lane and on the sidewalk. Traffic was still moving in both directions. People stayed inside the line of the one lane the whole time.

Yet, after the march, the Watsonville Police Department targeted one organizer (a Brown Beret) and wrote him a itation with 8-10 counts against him, including criminal charges. We are still waiting for the ticket to arrive in the mail, what we know we have learned from one policeman and the news. They will also be charging the Brown Berets for police overtime. This was an effort to show people that “...they can’t do whatever they want to," in the words of the Watsonville Police.

The people wanted to march in the streets, they have that right. The extent of the crowd demonstrated the power of the immigration issue and the passion of the people. The Brown Berets did not expect or bring that many people. Residents came from everywhere to use the opportunity to be heard. This has been a silent population until now. Silent because they are working 12-16 hour days in the fields, hotels, and factories so Americans can enjoy the lifestyle and economic privilege we are accustomed to.

As concerned and compassionate citizens, it is our duty to ensure that no one who organized or participated is ever a scapegoat or vilified on behalf of the powers that be. It is our responsibility to stand up and demand the Watsonville Police view their job that day as on! e of public service. That service being to protect the people in the streets. We had peaceful demonstrators, our own security yet the Watsonville Police insisted on assigning 10 cops and various vehicles to our march. This was not requested or necessary. We marched in Salinas right afterwards with NO POLICE SECURITY and we were fine.

PLEASE HELP THE BROWN BERETS FIGHT THE CHARGES AND THE POWER STRUCTURE WHICH IS TRYING TO “TEACH US ALL A LESSON."

ACT NOW!!!! Call Captain Manny Solano: (831) 768-3300 (leave message) or (831) 750-2943 (cell phone) and tell him to simply, DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST THE BROWN BERETS, financial and criminal. Also, his e-mail is: solano@ci.watsonville.ca.us

Write letters to the Santa Cruz Sentinel and Register Pajaronian immediately, they have both covered the story. Condemn the Watsonville Police Department for charging us with fines and cita! tions for simply leading the people safely on a very emotional issue.

We have no money, we do everything through volunteers and small, in-kind donations. Please help us.

In Community Solidarity,
The Watsonville Brown Berets
brownberets@msn.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Publication: March 6, 2005
Contacts: Paul Ortiz-459-5583, portiz@ucsc.edu
Sheila Payne- 469-3306
Jeffrey Smedberg-454-2373
jeffrey@reelwork.org

The 5th ANNUAL MAY DAY LABOR FILM FESTIVAL
"REEL WORK"
Announces 2006 Schedule

The 5th annual Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival is jam packed this year with sixteen different events starting Thursday April 20, and ending May 1st, International Workers' Day. This year's festival includes the regional premier screening of "Sir! No Sir!" a film about rank-and-file GI resistance to the Vietnam War as well as "Meeting Face to Face," a film partially funded by Reel Work which depicts the historic nationwide visit of Iraqi labor union leaders to the US in 2005.

Highlights of this years' Reel Work include an activist documentary film workshop led by noted Chicano filmmaker Paul Espinosa. Espinosa will also screen his highly-acclaimed film on the new face of Los Angeles labor, race and politics. Two female miners and union activists from the Mesabi Iron Range of Minnesota will discuss the Academy-Award nominated film "North Country," which will run at the Nickelodeon Theater in downtown Santa Cruz on Sunday, April 23. North Country tells the story of the first successful class action workplace sexual harassment case in the United States.

Reel Work is partnering with the San Jose City College Labor Studies program to bring legendary folk singer Ronnie Gilbert of the Weavers to Santa Cruz to do a portrayal of Mother Jones, "the most dangerous woman in America." On the same program, we will be hosting members of the locked-out Boilermakers' Local Union 484 from Meredosia, Illinois who will tell their story which has garnered international attention. David Zeiger will introduce his film Sir! No Sir! on Thursday, April 27 at the Del Mar. Following the screening, two military veterans featured in the film will lead a panel discussion on the past, present, and future of anti-war movements and working people. Noted film maker Renee Tajima-Peña will show and discuss her new film "Labor Women" which depicts the newest generation of union organizers and activists in southern California. Finally, we will feature student-produced films on local labor struggles in Santa Cruz.

From its inception, Reel Work has brought together award-winning documentary film producers/workers/activists/students and the public with the goal of increasing community awareness of the central role of work in our lives, to discuss economic and global justice issues and to bring alive the history and culture of the labor movement in the US and abroad. We aspire to inspire participants to join in the struggle for worker rights locally, nationally and globally and to promote social justice activism and international solidarity.

This year's co-sponsors include the Monterey Bay Labor Council, Community Television of Santa Cruz County, Community Printers, Nickelodeon Theatre, UCSC Community Studies Dept., Film and Digital Media Dept., Feminist Studies Dept., SC County Women's Commission, WILPF, RCNV and many, many local unions. Our venues will be spread throughout the region, from Watsonville to San Jose as well as a month of labor film showings on Santa Cruz Community TV.

Admission to the film showings will continue to be by voluntary donation. Publicity stills, bios and interviews with the principle speakers and film producers are available. For a full schedule, updates, and a partial list of sponsors go to www.reelwork.org.

As Mother Jones so famously said, "Let's not mourn. Let's organize!" And let's have some fun while we're doing it. **********************
2006 Reel Work Media Contact List

"North Country" Event, Sunday, April 23, Nickelodeon Theater
Cherie Averill Manner, Mesabi Iron Range miner, union activist
Buhl, Minnesota
(218) 258-7217 Cell
vote4in2004@yahoo.com

Kresge Town Hall, UCSC, Wednesday, April 26
Renee Tajima-Peña, UCSC Professor and Film Maker
Of "Labor Women"
rtajima@ucsc.edu
Phone: (831) 459-2826 Office

"Sir, No Sir!" Event, Thursday, April 27, Del Mar Theater
David Zeiger, Film Maker, Producer
www.sirnosir.com
Displaced Films
Los Angeles, CA
323-906-9249
323-913-0683 fax
www.displacedfilms.com

Tom Bernard
(Military veteran featured in "Sir, No Sir!"
teb1218@sbcglobal.net

"Los Mineros" and "California and the American Dream", Watsonville, Friday, April 28
Paul Espinosa, Arizona State University Chicano Studies Professor, Film Maker
Paul.Espinosa@asu.edu
(480) 965-5091

Mother Jones Event, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Sunday, April 30
Ronnie Gilbert, Folk Singer, Playwright, Activist
rg@mindspring.com

"Locked Out 484" Film Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Sunday, April 30
Boilermakers' Union Local 484, Meredosia, Illinois
Phone: 217-584-1916
Fax: 217-584-1856
http://www.boilermakers484.org

Volunteer Organizer Contact List
Jeffrey Smedberg, 454-2373;
Paul Ortiz, 831-469-3306;
Sheila Payne, 831-469-3306

***********************
May Day Labor Film Festival, "Reel Work"
• SCHEDULE PREVIEW • 2006 •
April 20-May 1, 2006
Admission to all events is by voluntary donation.
Reelwork.org (Partial Listing of Program)

Thursday, April 20, 2006

The Attic, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Weirded Out & Blown Away
Sponsor: Santa Cruz County Disabilities Commission


Friday, April 21, 2006

Watsonville Cabrillo Center • 7 pm
Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand)
(Jill Freidberg, 2005, 61 min)
Mexican schoolteachers' grassroots defense of public education. Sponsor: Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Nickelodeon Theatre, Santa Cruz • Noon
North Country
(Directed by Niki Caro, 2006, 126 min)
Speakers: Cherie Averill Manner and Delores Sabin

Watsonville Cabrillo Center, Santa Cruz • 3 pm
Maid In America
(Anayansi Prado, 2004, 58 min)

Monday, April 24, 2006

Community Television Studio, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Waging A Living
(Jessie Pepper, 2005, 85 min)

9.25
(Mathilde Rand, 2006, 15 min)

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Live Oak Grange, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Face To Face
(Jonathan Levin, 2005, 29 min)

Here Come The Oil Workers
(Global Women's Strike, 1994, 34 min)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Kresge Town Hall, UCSC • 7 pm
Labor Women
(Renee Tajima-Peña, 2002, 35 min)

Estamos Aqui, Labor Struggles at UC-Santa Cruz


Thursday, April 27, 2006

Del Mar Theatre, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Sir! No Sir!
(David Zeiger, 2005, 85 min)
Music: David Winters & The Santa Cruz Peace Chorale
Speakers: David Zeiger, Tom Bernard, Keith Mather

Friday, April 28, 2006

Studio C, Communications Bldg., UCSC • 1 pm –
3 pm
Activist Film Workshop
Presenter: Paul Espinosa, filmmaker

Watsonville Cabrillo Center • 7 pm
Segments from Los Mineros and California and the
American Dream (films by Paul Espinosa)

Saturday, April 29, 2006

First Congregational Church, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
A Single Woman
Theatrical performance on the life of Jeanette
Rankin. Speaker: Bettina Aptheker

Sunday, April 30, 2006

Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Theatre and stories of "The most dangerous woman in America,"
Mother Jones
Storyteller: Ronnie Gilbert

Lockout 484; Speaker: Tina Batteneld, locked out member of
Boilermakers Local 484
Music: David Winters & The Raging
Grannies; Sponsor: San Jose City College Labor Studies Program


Monday, May 1, 2006
International Workers Day

County Board of Supervisors Chambers, Santa
Cruz • Noon - 1 pm Rail Warning
(Akira Matsubara & Yumi Sasaki, 2005, 43 min)

SEIU Local 415 Union Hall, Santa Cruz • 7 pm
Charlie King & Karen Brandow in Concert

From: Marie Rohrer
To: bruce@brattononline.com
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 1:04 PM
Subject: Watsonville Roundhouse

Thanks so much for the historical pictures. This one really struck a chord with me. When I was very young,(1940's) my dad would load my mom and me in the car and we would go to Watsonville to watch the engines turn. Tho my dad was a fireman he had a love of trains that lasted thru out his life.
Thanks for rekindling a warm memory.

Marie McEwen Rohrer

From: "Mark Massara"
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2006 5:20 PM
Subject: Thanks for helping protect the Monterey pine forest

WITH YOUR HELP WE ARE PROTECTING THE DEL MONTE FOREST - HOME TO 18,000 THREATENED MONTEREY PINES AND ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S GREAT COASTAL PLACES

Dear Friend of the Coast,

In our work protecting California's coast, we often don't get to choose which battles to take on. Such is the case with protection of the Del Monte Forest on the Monterey Peninsula. In this case the developers are popular and high-profile and some local residents have been convinced that the development is better that many more terrible alternatives. But the fact is that golf course developers want to cut down almost 18,000 trees in the largest remaining natural coastal forest of Monterey pine trees left in the world- and they want to cut them down for yet another Pebble Beach Company golf course.

What's more - this project is in violation of the law and would set a precedent that would make it far harder for us to protect other great coastal places along our coast.

That is because the Del Monte Forest has been designated by Coastal Commission staff as an Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA), which should mean it cannot be developed. Further, the project would require destruction of wetlands and construction on land previously set aside for permanent protection through conservation agreements made as a trade-off for previous development. If the Commission allows the Pebble Beach Company to construct their proposed golf course, the precedent would be set that other places, previously set aside as protected, would be on the table for development.

For more information visit http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/hotbox/pebble.asp

In spite of many years of Sierra Club's clear opposition to the project, the developer has pushed forward. This may not have been a battle we would have liked to take on, but in this case we have had no choice but to speak out.

And our Great Coastal Places Campaign is making a difference. We have met personally with Coastal Commissioners and staff to voice our opposition to this project. Because of your quick response we have sent the Commission over 1,700 hand-written letters - many in the shape of ornaments which we hung on potted Monterey pine Christmas trees which we then delivered to the Commissioners in December. To see a photo of this unique event go to http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/hotbox/protect_the_pines.asp. Hundreds of you have attended meetings and hikes or written letters to the editor of your local newspapers about the importance of protecting these pines. Finally, more than 200 coastal advocates joined me for a marathon, 13 hour Coastal Commission hearing in Monterey earlier this month.

The Coastal Commission will hold a final vote on this issue in Santa Rosa in June. Let me know if you'd like to join me by writing to savethecoast@sierraclub.org . I could really use your help. Together we can do more than stop the illegal destruction of an iconic coastal forest for Monterey County's 21st golf course. Together, we can protect Californian's ability to protect our threatened coast for future generations.

Until next time

Mark Massara
Director, Sierra Club Coastal Programs
www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts

SOCIALISM and Social Programs in Caracas
by Ruth Hunter

The bridge taking our tour from the Caracas airport to the city was down. For the next three hours we were rerouted over winding dangerous mountain roads, holding our breaths, as our taxi hugged the road overlooking steep canyons below. Several accidents stalled the tedious descent into the flat land surrounding Caracas, Venezuela. The plus side was seeing one of the social programs initiated by the Bolivarian Revolution--named after Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America. Numerous medical clinics frequently appeared on the roadside populated by small villages of hillside squatters.

We were traveling with the Marin Interfaith Task Force, (MITF) to the three-day conference of the Social Forum of the Americas. In addition, in the rest of our two-week tour, we would visit social programs that were changing the lives of the poor through participatory democracy. They partnered with the government and defined their needs in a shared relationship that supported the policies of equal opportunity for the citizens of Venezuela.

The outreach to eliminate poverty was the vision of President Hugo Chavez when he first took office in 1999. In his words, "We are leveraging all the power of our national oil industry--for the comprehensive development of our country. Petroleos de Venezuela, (PDVSA), actually belongs to the Venezuela people". True to his words, profits from oil are budgeted to finance social programs. In spite of the convulsions surrounding the Bolivarian government, perpetuated by a failed opposition, there are established programs, under PDVSA to eliminate illiteracy; to provide free education, health care, discounted food, training and equipment so that those in poverty can create their own path to collective wellbeing.

One of our first stops was at the Endogenous Center Fabricio Ojeda, housing a shirt co-op, a clinic, and urban gardens. The young women working busily sewing "T" shirts, sweat suits, overalls and cloth bags appeared relaxed and welcomed us. They lived in the barrio surrounding the development center, working under the umbrella of the Mission Caras, one of the many programs financed in part, from oil profits.

The large airy room was humming, machines whirling away as 196 workers prepared large orders for distribution. Many were eager to share their enthusiasm for their enterprise. They spoke about the family environment and group decisions made including equal salaries based on profit. Between shifts, we saw children running around the aisles greeted warmly by workers.

One of workers assured us that having their community in charge meant more than the salaries, it was "what socialism is all about".

We left early the following morning to a visit the Citizen¹s Participation Center, high in the mountains. Multiple programs were described, including wonderful demonstrations. The center-based activities are financed in part by organic coffee raised on land purchased with tourist donations. They also receive funds under Mission Robinson, the PDVSA program, to eliminate illiteracy in Venezuela. The community center is the pivotal area for those living in the Chamisa Barrio. A young dynamic teacher spoke about the support they have received from the Marynoll Missionaries and lay workers, who aided them in the development of organic healthy crops using the worm culture for fertilizer. She also described the educational literacy programs for young and old. Here, children are encouraged to attend adult activities.

After her talk, a group of young men gathered and began drumming. Two men, surprisingly tall for indigenous people, did a graceful dance, wielding large sticks that presumed to attack each other, as both skillfully managed to avoid bodily contact. This was followed by a young couple doing a dance while one of the drum players attempted playfully to disrupt them but was ignored by the young woman as they glided away.

We were privileged to visit these programs under the guidance of Lisa Sullivan, our tour leader and Marynoll lay worker. She has lived in Venezuela for twenty one years and raised her three children in the barrio we passed on our way to see Barrio Libertad Bolivariana, a prospective community. The folks we met were in the process of reclaiming unused land, and beginning to clear the undergrowth. They will receive help from Guaicaipuro Mission, PDVSA, to "provide direct support to the indigenous communities of the country to bring about an overall change in their quality of life". Looking at the overgrown vegetation, it was hard to image it would some day be a community similar to the one we passed below the hill before that one had been cleared.

The next week, prior to the conference, we toured health clinics staffed by Cuban doctors, then on to Las Lajitas, a large organic farm, which included a carpenter and yogurt co-op We left the farm trudged down a steep hill where we visited a women¹s group. Other social projects included an interesting afternoon at the chocolate farm, walking through the orchard where trees yielded strange protuberances that held the cocoa seed. Women from this family co-op put on a demonstration, as we watched the process which finally yielded chocolate.

I have mentioned a few of the social programs we visited. Participants all had one feature in common - lives since President Chavez's vision became their reality. These programs and many more are under the supervision of Colonel Rodriquez, PDVSA., head of all the innovative social projects that are helping to eradicate poverty.

This is a revolution like no other. Beside the support of the majority of the military, Chavez has no intention of turning Venezuela into a communist government. He has declared that he uses the tools of capitalism to create socialism; that the government will continue to support private industry with the condition that their enterprise has a social content for the workers. Even though the Chavez government is no utopia, even though the opposition continues to make small waves supported by 20% of the of the middle and upper classes, the economy is growing as each passing month strengthens the presidency, brings into fruition a healthier, educated and political civil society to achieve the vision that will someday eradicate poverty.

THE LANGUAGE PROGRAM and COWELL COLLEGE, UCSC, PRESENT AN EVENING OF INTERNATIONAL MUSIC & DANCE

On March 8 at 8:00 PM,the Language Program and Cowell College will present an Evening of Music and Dance, offered by students of language at UCSC. The event will reflect the wide diversity of music in the culture of the target language and demonstrate the breadth of learning and self-enrichment which takes place in pursuing language study.

The first half of the program will be devoted to instrumental and vocal pieces ranging in style from rock and roll to folk, pop, traditional, art song, and opera. Vocal works will include three original pieces, written by students in Spanish, French, and English. Solos and duets in Italian, German and Chinese, as well as a fully staged scene from Verdi's FALSTAFF, will be accompanied on the piano by Aura Barr. Performances on exotic instruments such as the Vilhuela (Mexico) and the Shamisen (Japan) will be featured, as will be works for the guitar, violin, flute, piano and cello.

The second half of the program will be devoted to Danza latina, a series of colorful dances from Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay, including flamenco, capoeira and maculele, Baile folklorico mexicano, tango rioplatense, and others. A large troupe of dancers made up of current and former UCSC language students has been recruited for this exciting part of the program. Live music will accompany several of the dances. Brenda Barceló, lecturer in Spanish, is coordinating the dance segment of the event while Miriam Ellis, lecturer emerita in French, is the program producer.

The Evening will take place at Cowell College Dining Hall at 8 PM on March 8.

Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

For further information, please contact Miriam Ellis, ellisan@ucsc.edu

Dear friend,

I'm writing on behalf of Students Against War - A non-hierarchical, democratically-run grassroots organization based at UCSC with over 150 members. In the past year we've organized a plethora of actions and campaigns both on and off campus ranging from teach-ins and demonstrations to street theatre and petition drives. Some highlights you may have heard of include the removal of military recruiters from a UCSC job fair in April 2005 and most recently, bringing national attention to the Pentagon's domestic spying program which has defined SAW as a "credible threat" to national security.

With the celebration of our 1st year anniversary (Jan.20th) over and weekly meetings still heavily attended, we have a variety of upcoming events aimed at building not just the anti-war sentiment on campus but as one of our members put it, "redefining what it means to be against the war."

One of our immediate projects is getting students up to San Francisco for a massive anti-war protest Saturday, March 18th. In order to make this event as accessible as possible to students who may not have transportation, it is our intention to procure a bus for such a trip with a minimal cost to the passengers.

Last September, with the help of the Santa Cruz Peace Coalition and the Resource Center for Nonviolence, SAW successfully procured such a bus through a fundraising drive aimed at Santa Cruz's strong progressive community. Thanks to our combined efforts, the march was a huge success with the SAW contingent being by far the largest cohesive campus group, with close to 100 students marching together!

With this in mind, we are requesting that you consider making a "student sponsorship fund" donation in the amount of $40 or more. With a fundraising goal of approximately $780, and the demonstration less than a month away, we'd like to encourage you to make the most generous contribution as your budget allows. Checks can be made payable to the "Resource Center for Nonviolence" with "SAW bus" in the memo line. Please send to:

Resource Center For Nonviolence
Attn: Nanlouise Wolfe
515 Broadway
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

In return for your donation, Students Against War will continue its important work of building a sustainable anti-war community on campus as well as work with off campus organizations and individuals that strive to make a more peaceful and just society a reality. Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our fundraising coordinator at 419-9464 or pochovilla@yahoo.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
David Silva-Espinoza

From: Tracye Lea Lawson
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 8:39 PM
Subject: Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer

Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer is coming to town, Friday, March 17, 8:00pm at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. Tickets are on sale at the SC Civic Box office, 831 420-5262. Tickets are $25 in advance (subject to service charge) and $30 at the door.

http://suzannew.com

Suzanne has just been employed by Game Show Network to be a member of the panel for the revival of "What's My Secret". She will join Frank DeCaro, Jermaine Taylor and Billy Bean on the panel. The show will be hosted by Bil Dwyer.

Suzanne always puts on a high energy show which never slows down. Suzanne¹s the girl next door and the brazen hussy. A quick-witted personality her material keeps changing--sometimes on the spot. She loves her audience even as she ribs them

Raised in The Pennsylvania Amish country, Suzanne always loved being the center of attention, so she naturally gravitated to acting in school. After graduating from college, with a BFA, like so many aspiring actors, she moved to New York City and became a bartender. Finally, she was dared to enter a comedy contest at a popular cabaret in the West Village and won first prize. From then on, she was hooked on comedy and everyone who saw her was hooked on her.

Suzanne then began doing stand-up as one of the first openly gay comedians performing gay comedy to straight audiences in mainstream comedy clubs. In 1991, Suzanne appeared on a groundbreaking episode of the Sally Jesse Raphael show called, "Breaking the Lesbian StereotypeSLesbians Who Don't Look Like Lesbians". Says, Suzanne, "In the 12 years since that showed aired, I still get mail from people who tell me how that show changed their lives. It changed mine too."

Her television appearances include, The Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central, Evening at the Improv, Caroline's Comedy Hour and Politically Incorrect. Her HBO comedy special, the first by an openly gay comic, was nominated for a Cable Ace award.

Her live engagements include theatres, clubs, colleges, large fundraisers, and social events across the USA and Canada. Suzanne continues to perform over 100 live comedy concerts a year. She is currently touring with a new show that has no name, but she's open to suggestions.

Suzanne's CD, NOTHING IN MY CLOSET BUT MY CLOTHES is a best-seller and won the GLAMA award for best comedy CD in 1999. I'M NOT CINDY BRADY, won acclaim as best comedy CD of the year from GLAMA (Gay and Lesbian American Music Award). Her third CD is titled, "Guaranteed Fresh."

SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER is "a center stage Diva who bursts out of her closet with little explosions of outspoken bemusement that could make even Bette Midler blush."

From: Marilyn Yasmine Nadel
To: bratton@cruzio.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 11:27 AM
Subject: Cabrillo College Halida Dinova Piano March 10, 11, 12

Contact: John Orlando 688-1518

Halida Dinova is presented by the Cabrillo College Distinguished Artists Concert and Lecture Series. Her main Recital will be performed on Saturday, March 11th at 8:00pm at the Cabrillo College Theatre, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Tickets are: $22/Premium Reserved ($18/Seniors); $18/General; $14/Seniors and Students and will be available at the door or through: www.ticketguys.com or call: 656-9507 or 479-6133.

She will also be giving two Lecture Demonstrations, the first on "The Old Russian School of Piano Playing," will be on Friday, March 10th at 7:30. The second is entitled "Laying the Technical Foundation for Young Pianists" and will be on Sunday, March 12th, at 2:00pm. Both Lecture/Demonstrations will be held in the Erica Schilling Forum at Cabrillo College. The price for each is $10.