What I saw at the March 23rd, 2004 Santa Cruz City Council meeting made me feel ashamed to live here. Council rejected 46 affordable apartments slated for an empty lot at High and Cardiff. Developer Maynard Manson intended to build studios for workers, students and people with disabilities. Instead, Council gave in to privileged homeowners who live nearby. This article focuses on homeowner prejudice and city council equivocation.

On March 28, several thousands of people from across the central coast rallied at the Cesar Chavez Community Park in Salinas to celebrate the legacy of Cesar Chavez. A couple thousand people marched through the streets in a high-spirited demonstration of unity. The support from community members observinging the march was tremendous. The goal of the annual event is to spread awareness among young people and Chavez's messages on social justice and nonviolence.

Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers, spoke with eloquence about the life of Caser Chavez, the improved conditions for farmworkers since UFW began organizing, and the current campaigns that the UFW are working on.

Photos: [ 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 ]

Audio: Rockin' the Boat: Farmworkers March to Remember Cesar Chavez

Indybay coverage of S.F. and Fresno demonstrations

This article describes a labor arrangement that affects many thousands of people in Santa Cruz County. The employer is not the University, the County Government, or even the Seaside Company, owners of the Boardwalk. Most of the people affected aren't employees, for that matter.

What follows is an analysis of a contract. It's a real contract, in effect today, right here in our county.

The rules are from the contract between Local 23 of the United Transportation Union (UTU) and the Lift Line division of Community Bridges. The contract covers paratransit van drivers. Half of their work involves transporting the 3,400 people who are currently registered for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit. The rest of their work involves transporting clients of other programs, such as Medi-Cal (medical insurance for the very poor).

UTU, for its part, doesn't seem to want us to know what's in the contract. I mentioned, at a recent Metro board meeting, that the UTU/Lift Line contract was on the UTU Local 23 Web site. The files were gone within hours, replaced by a dummy screen saying that the information was password-protected (by permission only!). It is a dummy because, unlike the other password-protected parts of UTU's site, this one does not have a place for you to enter a password. Even before the contract was removed, UTU had deleted Appendix A, the pay scale. What could UTU be hiding from the public? Since we pay for and/or use the service, shouldn't we be allowed to see the document?

In a coordinated multi-agency attack on homeless encampments earlier this month, the City of Fresno destroyed tents and other shelters used by the homeless community. Reversing a policy implemented a couple of months ago, the Fresno Police Department (FPD) has returned to the tactic of not allowing the homeless to build any permanent structures. With thousands of homeless on the streets in Fresno, and homeless shelters able to provide only a couple hundred beds, a majority of the homeless have been turned into criminals. If you are homeless and can’t get into a shelter, you are breaking the law if you try to sleep anywhere in the city. This new policy penalizes the homeless and criminalizes poverty.

An earlier story provides some background on the situation. Meanwhile, new questions about these attacks on Fresno’s homeless are being asked as Indymedia reporters interview spokespersons from the H Street encampment.

>> Don't Get Drunk in Fresno!

Live interview with Mike Rhodes THURSDAY, Feb. 19 on Free Radio Santa Cruz.

During a one week period a couple of weeks ago, John Maurer was given four different citations by the Santa Cruz Police Department, including one for having a sign on his hat saying
"Fuck the Pigs (Police)" while panhandling. As this was the second citation for the same offense, he faces possible misdemeanor charges on the second infraction. In neither case was the offensive sign or language used while soliciting anyone for money.

Remember Hurricane Stan? It has hit all over Central American and reached it peak now, at Guatemala. The situation is truly desperate. Roads and highways have been washed out, bridges collapsed by overflowing rivers and scores of communities in the Western Highlands and the South (Pacific) Coast are cut off from the capital, with no communication, food or water. Others communities are completely gone, buried in mudslides. We're talking thousands of people, ALL over the coast, drowning. All the crops are destroyed, there is no food and El Salvador heavily depends on Guatemala for crop exports.
My article is going to consist of a compilation of emails from a man, Elmer who is experiencing this disaster first hand and who is down in Guatemala with a non-profit organization "World Neighbors". Please don't hesistate to help this people out and donate some money. Like I said, the situation is incredible. Unlike anything close to what we have seen with Hurricane Katrina.

Ending homelessness was a priority of President Bush. Is the Bush administration still willing to
help?

Local resident Curtis Reliford will be returning to the Gulf Coast region for a second trip to supply much-needed supplies. I have begun traveling through the region in advance to see what supplies are needed where.

Dear folks-

Hurricane Stan has completely devastated southern mexico and Central America. The gross similarities between Stan and Katrina are obvious: poor people experiencing the tragic effects and government incompetence only endangering the people more.

I have many friends missing and in danger there. To my people out there: You're in my thoughts and prayers! I couldn't find much information in English, so I investigated the Mexican daily La Jornada to get the low down. I wrote this short summary. Please post it to your proper IMC's or organization web sites, if I already haven't.

strength and heart-
jen

The Billboard Liberation Front struck a prominent Highway 17 billboard today, correcting a Red Cross advertisement to reflect what became painfully apparent in the wake of hurricane Katrina.